There were 2 presentations at this year’s annual American Psychological Association convention which were important to psychotherapists in particular. With the ever-growing challenge to prove efficacy of each and every treatment, healthcare providers and consumers alike face some confusion as to how much information is enough, or too much. Does every therapist need to give a long presentation about the relative proven efficacy of low-dose medication combined with verbal therapy — and 2 hours gardening per week? (I made up the last part, but hiking and fresh air were a popular cure for quite a long time in 19th Century Europe.)

Physicians are acutely aware of the need to know the research, and most ethical codes demand informed consent. Both health and mental health professionals provide information to their patients about effectiveness, efficacy, and other treatment options which may be equivalent.

Here is what a panel of  distinguished psychologists and ethics experts had say, which for most present sounded both reasonable (i.e., not rigid to the point of possibly actually doing harm) and grounded in the true intent of ethics among most healers/therapists — to help.

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