DO TARASOFF PRINCIPLES APPLY IN AIDS-RELATED PSYCHOTHERAPY - ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING AND THE ROLE OF THERAPIST HOMOPHOBIA AND PERCEIVED CLIENT DANGEROUSNESS

The present research assessed the relationship between therapists' bel iefs and ethical decision making when working with clients who are HIV positive and who refuse to warn sexual partners or use safe sex pract ices. The sample consisted of licensed psychologists in Florida. Resul ts demonstrated a significant relationship between homophobia and like lihood of breaching confidentiality. In addition, scenarios depicting highly dangerous clients yielded higher breach scores than scenarios d epicting less dangerous clients. The study demonstrated that personal bias may affect professional ethical decision making. Discussion focus es on the need for continued education and self-monitoring in work wit h highly sensitive and often stigmatized client groups.