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Review
. 2025 May;53(5):771-784.
doi: 10.1007/s10802-024-01274-x. Epub 2024 Dec 16.

Ethical Considerations in Substance Use Treatment for Youth: Assessing Clinical Practices and Policy Frameworks for Potential Harm

Katherine R Shircliff  1 , Caroline Cummings  2 , Nicholas C Borgogna  3
Affiliations
Review

Ethical Considerations in Substance Use Treatment for Youth: Assessing Clinical Practices and Policy Frameworks for Potential Harm

Katherine R Shircliff et al. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2025 May.

Abstract

The current conceptual review highlights considerations surrounding the potential for non-beneficence and undue coercion within the practices of psychologists and other clinicians providing substance use treatment for youth. The potential for nonbeneficence and undue coercion is assessed at three key stages of treatment for youth with substance use disorders (SUDs): the informed consent process, maintaining confidentiality, and treatment planning. We explore these concerns as they relate to the ethical principles of psychologists as outlined by the American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association [APA], 2017), as well as pertinent state and national legislative guidelines. The paper culminates in actionable recommendations to resolve these inconsistencies in practice and emphasizes opportunities for professionals at all career stages to engage in ethical policy initiatives. These endeavors aim to reduce potential for undue coercion and nonbeneficence from psychologists treating youth with substance use disorders and to elucidate beneficial treatment pathways for youth navigating substance use challenges.

Keywords: Adolescent; Advocacy; Clinical practice; Policy; Substance use; Young adult.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with Ethical Standards. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Ethical Approval: This is conceptual review study, therefore no ethical approval is required. Informed consent: Since this manuscript is a conceptual review and does not involve the collection or analysis of human participant data, informed consent was not applicable.

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