Ethics in counselling research fieldwork

Research dealing with sensitive subjects, feelings and emotional wellbeing requires constant reflection and rebalancing in order to meet the needs of all the parties involved and to be ethical. This paper examines some of the issues involved in applying ethical guidance to the reality of fieldwork in a study of the personal and emotional support needs of women who have left an abusive relationship. It considers organisational ethics, the complexities of informed consent, the duty of care and the need for reciprocity, and argues that the key to ethical research lies in respect for the individual.