No easy answers: Ethics and the emphasis on social justice in the practice of psychotherapy (January 15, Atlanta GA)

In this symposium I will be speaking to the specific topic of the ethics of self-care: social justice for the therapist, too. This presentation addresses the thorny ethical conundrum of psychotherapist self-care. I will frame my discussion through the lens of feminist practice and the necessity of justice for the therapist in the context of an egalitarian relationship. Dynamics of gender, culture, class, and other components of identity as they affect the therapist’s capacity to achieve justice for self in the context of a social justice oriented theory of therapy will be discussed. This workshop is aimed at the needs of the professional audience, particularly psychotherapists who are learning to balance social justice and self-care.