Ethics in therapy are often spoken about in terms of professionalism, boundaries, and avoiding harm. All of this matters. But I find myself thinking more and more about ethics in a slightly different way: ethics matter because they are inseparable from what actually helps people.

Recently, psychologist Jonathan Shedler shared an Instagram post in which he stated that a therapist’s first ethical responsibility is competence. In other words, ethics are not just about following rules or ticking regulatory boxes, they are about being able to offer something that genuinely helps clients. This resonates strongly with my own view. If therapy is ethical, it must also be effective. And effectiveness, in my experience, is not about having the most techniques or the most authority, but about offering the conditions in which people can grow.

From a person-centred perspective, competence is not defined by the therapist positioning themselves as an expert on the client’s life. In fact, person-centred theory suggests the opposite. Carl Rogers proposed that people have an innate capacity to move towards growth and psychological wellbeing, what he called the actualising tendency. Therapy works when it supports this capacity, not when it overrides it.

This is where nondirectiveness becomes both an ethical stance and a therapeutic one. In person-centred therapy, nondirectiveness is not about doing nothing or withholding care. It is an ethical commitment to respect the client’s autonomy, meaning-making, and internal sense of direction. Rather than steering clients towards what the therapist believes is “right,” nondirectiveness protects the conditions in which clients can discover what is right for them.

Many people come to therapy expecting to be told what to do, and this expectation makes sense in a culture that often treats professionals as experts who diagnose, fix, and instruct. Over time, though, something different often happens. As clients experience being listened to deeply, taken seriously, and trusted with their own process, they often begin to develop a stronger sense of self-trust and agency. From a person-centred lens, this is not incidental, it is the work.

Seen this way, ethics are not separate from outcomes. They are the foundation of them. Competence is not about control, certainty, or having the answers. It is about creating a relational space that supports self-understanding, choice, and growth. When therapy does this well, it is not only ethical; it is effective.