Exploring Research Ethics Through Clients’ and Therapists’ Experiences in a Multiperspective Study on Couple Therapy and Violence

Abstract Researching participants’ experiences through a qualitative, multiperspective design presents distinct ethical challenges, particularly when including both partners and their therapist during ongoing couple therapy where violence is a central concern. Situated within a publicly funded therapeutic context, this study examines these challenges through interviews with eight clients and five therapists, which were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four key themes emerged: (1) When Understanding Accumulates: Confidentiality and Safety as Emerging Ethical Tensions , (2) Motivation , Recruitment , and Power in Interconnected Relationships , (3) Consent in Motion: An Iterative and Ongoing Process , and (4) Research Ripples: Reflexive Spillovers into Ongoing Therapy? The findings indicate that ethical dilemmas often emerge as situated “branching points”, decision-making junctures in which relational and systemic interconnections continually reshape participants’ vulnerability and researchers’ responsibilities. These branching points cannot be adequately addressed and managed through procedural safeguards alone. To navigate such dilemmas, the study describes a triadic process involving: (1) cultivating ethical sensitivity and attentiveness to emerging branching points ; (2) interpreting these situations through reflection and dialogue to form provisional ethical impressions ; and (3) mobilizing resources to respond with context-aware action. Overall, the study highlights that ethical research in sensitive, multiperspective contexts involves ongoing ethical judgment rather than the identification of a single “right” course of action. Ethical research practice is shown to require sustained reflexivity, responsiveness, and care as research unfolds alongside complex relational and systemic processes.