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Treating infidelity: Clinical and ethical directions
Author(s) -
Snyder Douglas K.,
Doss Brian D.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20194
Subject(s) - psychology , confidentiality , social psychology , competence (human resources) , empirical research , coping (psychology) , psychotherapist , clinical psychology , epistemology , computer security , philosophy , computer science
This article addresses clinical and ethical directions in treating clients coping with infidelity. Developing competence in this domain requires familiarity with empirical research regarding infidelity, individual and cultural differences involving nonmonogamy, and assessment and intervention skills related to treating infidelity. Practical directions will entail distinguishing among responsibilities to individual partners versus their relationship and managing related potential conflicts of interest with other involved parties. Confidentiality assumes increased complexity when confronting undisclosed infidelity in couple therapy and when a client engaging in high‐risk behaviors for contracting STDs or testing seropositive for HIV has not informed his or her partner(s). Finally, we discuss therapists' need to concretely articulate their values that influence treatment of infidelity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 61: 1453–1465, 2005.