Book excerpt: Ethics and Values in Psychotherapy is an examination of the role of the therapist as ethicist and the ways in which the ethical convictions of both therapist and client contribute to the practical process of psychotherapy. As Psychotherapy strives to establish itself as a 'Profession', practitioners are increasinly focusing on the issue of ethics as they attempt to agree on guidelines and standards for professional practice. Alan Tjeltveit argues that any discussion of professional and ethical practice in psychotherapy is inadequate if carried out in ignorance of or in isolation from traditional ethical theories. He applies this approach to issues such as: * the role of therapy in society * the goals and outcomes of psychotherapy * techniques and practices * the existence and operation of values * the intellectual and social context in which therapy takes place. In the second part of the book, he uses clinical examples and case studies to relate this theoretical discussion to clinical practice. Ethics and Values in Psychotherapy will be welcomed by the growing number of experienced Psychotherapists and post-graduate students who are interested in the increasingly contentious issue of professional ethics.