Professional Ethical Issues and the Development of Professional Ethical Standards in Counseling and Clinical Psychology in China

Abstract

This article aims to summarize the current ethical issues in the field of clinical and counseling psy- chology and the process of developing professional ethical standards in China. First, through a review of the history of counseling and psychotherapy in China, general background information is provided. Important ethical issues are then discussed based on the results from several empirical studies. Finally, the process of developing the new edition of the Chinese Psychological Society Code of Ethics for Clinical and Counseling Psychology, the main contents as well as the considerations taken into ac- count in the development of this code are presented.