Can it ever be acceptable to tell a therapeutic untruth?
Intended for healthcare professionals
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Can it ever be acceptable to tell a therapeutic untruth?

Karen McKenzie Professor of psychology, clinical psychologist, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne

While therapeutic untruths can be used in the best interests of the person being supported, they should be monitored to avoid misuse

Research suggests that the use of ‘untruths’ is relatively common in our personal lives, but the idea of using any form of deception with people who have a learning disability can make us feel uncomfortable.

Learning Disability Practice. 27, 1, 20-21. doi: 10.7748/ldp.27.1.20.s9

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This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

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