BDSM
This came up in a fire play class I was taking from the former head of Threshold . . . A fairly veteran player in our group was willing to do fire play on Her submissives, but was reluctant to experience it Herself. That brought up the topic of BDSM ethics for Tops/Dominants, which is -- You should never do anything to Your submissives/bottoms that You haven't tried on YOURSELF first (in order to understand the sensations that you'll be delivering to others).
So, a good question as a bottom/submissive to ask a potential Top/Dominant is: Have You tried these things yourself?
As a Top/Dominant, the flipside of this is that once you've tried something on yourself, you effectively have "license" to do that kind of play on others, so it's sort of a perverse incentive. For instance, I had others try a stun gun on me recently. Now that I know how to safely use it and what sort of sensation it delivers, I can now ethically do that to others (with pre-negotiation, of course)! 
And one more
I also think emotional/mental care is necessary in many cases. When I am engaged in an activity that could create some real emotional upset (like a role play/spanking, particularly one that includes punishment) I make it a point to spend time afterwards making sure they are OK, then check in on them over the next few days. I also think we Dom/mes also need to be keep in mind that we are giving our bottoms an experience that they may have fantasized about for a very long time, and fantasy turned to reality can be overwhelming, either in a good way (Oh my gosh, that was amazing, you are the perfet woman, etc...) or it can be so underwhelming that it sends the bottom into a bit of a spiral, so we need to be prepared to talk and encourage (or discourage, if necessary). I saw a gentleman a while back who was looking for a very specific experience. I, unfortunately, couldn't give him what he needed, and we spent a lot of time talking about what he really needed, and who he might see that could give him that. I lost what might hav ebeen a very good client, but I couldn't be what he wanted, even if I tried, so why make him (and me!!) miserable!
submissann, if you read this and could answer a question...do you ever find you need to do some type of aftercare with those that Top you?
Thank you for the kind words! Since I am currently pursuing my doctorate in Psychology, with an eye toward working with those in alternative lifestyles, your words just encourage me a little further on my path!
I could talk on and on about how I feel about using role play as a way to move beyond past experiences. Done in the right manner, with a caring practitioner, all those times you should have gotten punished when you were growing up can be atoned for, and I also think that those that live BDSM lifestyles can learn many ways to control things like depression through different BDSM activities.
You are welcome to share my post Again, I appreciate your comments!
The ethical Dom/me also has an obligation to care for the bottom/submissive before Herself/Himself (i.e., if you are both on fire, but them out first).
And, finally, an ethical Dom/me should never be afraid to get their submissive/bottom to an emergency room if something goes wrong. The care and well-being of a plaything always trumps concern about your reputation as a player. In fact, the worst possible way to get a bad reputation in "the scene" is to be someone who mishandled their plaything and made them leave the lifestyle.