Clinical ethics consultants respond to a multitude of issues, ranging from the cognitive to the emotional. As such, ethics consultants must be prepared to analyze as well as empathize. And yet, there remains a paucity of research and training on the interpersonal and emotional aspects of clinical ethics consultations-the so-called skills in "advanced ethics facilitation." This article is a contribution to the need for further understanding and practical knowledge in the emotional aspects of ethics consultation. In particular, I draw attention to defense mechanisms: what they are, why they exist, and how we might work with them in the setting of ethics consultation.
Keywords: Clinical ethics consultation; Defense mechanisms; Surrogate decision-making.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.