Multiple relationships is where two or more roles are mixed in a manner that could possibly harm the therapeutic relationship. For example, my cousin wanted me to counsel her and her husband on marital issues. Then, my client acknowledged me in the store and proceeded to talk about her mental health issues. I immediately redirected by client and informed her that the store was not a safe place to talk. This issue would affect my client by breaching her confidentiality as other people could hear the conversation in the store. I further encouraged the client to discuss this information tomorrow during her session, during which I reiterated the boundaries outside of therapy. After a family session, the son sent me a friend request on Facebook and the mother inquired about going shopping with me at the mall. Also, my …show more content…
The most important aspect of multiple relationships is that the client could file a malpractice lawsuit as a result of harm or exploitation. These relationships can be ethical or unethical as well as avoidable or unavoidable. Furthermore, counseling a family member is unethical and can cause problems in the family. As a matter fact, these situations create challenges for the client, counselor, and family members. In fact, these relationships can lead to boundary confusion, boundary violation, and cloudiness in the professional or family relationship. Boundary violation, for instance, happens as a consequence of the counselor requiring the client to work in the counseling office. Consequently, when the roles of both the counselor and the client become perplexed, it results in boundary confusion. Boundary violation and confusion can lead to cloudiness in the therapeutic relationship. Being direct in the session and setting crystal clear boundaries and defined roles is the only way in which the cloudiness will dissipate or not
ACA Section C on professional responsibility informs counselors that their mission should be to promote changes in their clients’ lives, to in all improve their quality of life. However, through each process a counselor should not harm a client more than they were in the beginning. AAMFT does not speak on the duty of not harming the clients specifically. The AAMFT code of ethics Standard I Responsibility to clients does include sections on sexual intimacy with current or former clients, abuse of therapeutic relationships, and how it is prohibited, similarly to ACA section A.5.a. – A.5.c. AAMFT (2015 1.9) states that Marriage and family therapist continue therapeutic relationships only so long as it is reasonably clear that clients are benefiting from the relationship. The process of counseling involves intervening, reaching goals, or making changes, if a counselor is no longer fostering a positive and healthy relationship with the client then the relationship should be ended. f the counselor is no longer motivating their client or there is a lack initiative a counselor may refer their client to another appropriate therapeutic service. Comparably ACA and AAMFT both have an obligation to not abandon or neglect their clients. AAMFT 1.11 and ACA (2015 A.12) both states that counselors assist in making appropriate arrangements for the continuation of treatment for those
Sexual relationships with previous client, resident, patient, consumers are considered dual relationships and are addressed in Statement 6 (above). He might be falling for a client which may lead to a sexual relationship. For obvious reasons it will not be in the best interest of client in helping with their problems. Judgment, reasoning, and responsibility to his client is compromised.
Throughout the second half of this semester, dual relationships have been emphasized as one of the most frequently encountered ethical dilemmas faced by behavior analysts in the field today. According to the class lectures, assigned text, and other articles that we have read, this is due to the fact that we interact with our clients and those caring for them in their natural settings. As a result, those we provide services to, and interact with, are in the places in which they feel the most comfortable, their homes or regular classrooms. This is in stark contrast to a formal office setting, which projects an atmosphere with both expected standards of acceptable behavior, and clear boundaries between client and the service provider. In an effort
According to Allison L. Kramer (2016) in her “Why we can’t be friends” article, researches have observed numerous relationships between psychotherapists and their present and/ or previous clients. Boundary issues have been studied in the world of ethics and dual-role relationships with current clients are ordinary for some practitioners in their daily practice. Meaning it isn’t rare to run into dual relationships in counseling. These relationships aren’t always negative nor avoidable states Kramer. The example she used for dual-role relationships being advantageous and unavoidable was a school guidance counselor having multiple roles in the school. The counselor could also be “a coach of a sports team, thus filling both a counselor and
The field of clinical mental health is one of great reward, but also one of grave responsibility. It is the duty of the counselor to provide the client with a safe environment and an open mind, in order to foster a healthy therapeutic relationship. The majority of mental health counselors would never intentionally harm their clients; however; good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong will not occur. The ethical expectations and boundaries are regulated by both laws and professional codes. When discussing ethics, one must realize there are two categories, mandatory and aspirational. (Corey, Corey & Callanan, 2007)
As people grow, a variety of relationships develop over time. Relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners are such examples of these diverse ties. Friendships in particular are affected by the following: the level of interaction involved, how communication between two friends is established, and contact, if they exist, between multiple circles of friends through one person. Some examples of these are friendship expectations, the stages of childhood friendship, and the stages of adult friendship.
A counselor should always keep their thoughts to themselves and remain open-minded about the situation. The only time a counselor should share their thoughts is if it helps the client with their situation that they are dealing with. “Counselors must practice only within the boundaries of their competence (Standard C.2.a.), and, if they “determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients” (Standard A.11.b.), they should facilitate a referral to another provider. (Kocet, M. M., & Herlihy, B. J. (2014). Addressing Value-Based Conflicts Within the Counseling Relationship: A Decision-Making Model. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 92(2), 180-186 7p. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00146.x).” Keeping your thoughts to yourself is
Counselor should never have a dual relationship with a client it can bring a lot of ethics issue that affect the client and counselor. According to ACA "A.6.b. Extending Counseling Boundaries Counselors consider the risks and bene ts of extending current counsel- ing relationships beyond conventional parameters. Examples include attend- ing a client’s formal ceremony (e.g., a wedding/commitment ceremony or graduation), purchasing a service or product provided by a client (excepting unrestricted bartering), and visiting a cli- ent’s ill family member in the hospital. In extending these boundaries, counselors take appropriate professional precau- tions such as informed consent, consul- tation, supervision, and documentation to ensure that judgment
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
The techniques used in marriage and family counseling can be different. For instance, counselors will sometimes handle family therapy in different ways than they would couples or marital therapy. Both family and marriage c...
G.P. Koocher & P. Kieth-Spiegel (1998) pointed out many conflict of dual and multiple role including personal, client/therapist, therapist/supervisor and therapist/colleague, and how they can improve and complicate the counselling process. Boundaries and competence runs along side one another, which made come to conclusion that if the therapist is considering breaking them s/he should know what they breaking and how to break them ethically. Sometimes the outcome of ethical dilemma can only be “determined by the client and counsellor at that time” which could enable the therapist to change the priorities of Ethical principles and modify his/her actions according to the client’s circumstances (T. Bond, 2000:62).
The use of active listening is an essential skill to achieve this type of relationship as well as a sensitivity for clients who come from a culture different than the counselor’s culture. Great counseling also includes being honest with the client from the first session where informed consent is provided. It is important to discuss the limitations of confidentiality. Another important factor is to guide the client into setting realistic goals, so the counseling sessions can be more
In the case study of Gwen, there is one major problem presented. That problem is whether it is ethical for a supervisor to counsel his supervisee. I think that Gwen is going through the grieving process after learning about her mother’s condition and is in a vulnerable spot. She feels like she cannot continue her work with hospice patients because of personal feelings. Ken thinks that Gwen is a great therapist and does not want to see her give up. He also feels like he would be the most effective person to give Gwen counseling, because of their trusting relationship. I think that this would be a bad idea and could cross professional boundaries. The Ethical Guidelines for Counseling Supervisors strongly suggest against a supervisor entering in a psychotherapeutic relationship with supervisees. It is important to limit the possibilities of a dual relationship. Dual relationships can easily become unethical and present problems or possible harm to the client, which in this case is the supervisee. They can also create dependency or have unfavorable symbolic meanings. I also do not think it was a good idea that the counseling happened in the supervision sessions. This time should be spent on improving knowledge and helping clients. Spending most of the supervisor sessions working on personal problems could potentially harm the progress and well-being of the supervisee’s clients. My reaction to Ken blending the roles of supervisor and counselor is that it was not a good, professional, decision. He has entered a dual relationship with Gwen that could potentially cause harm to her or create a conflict of interest. Since Ken is Gwen’s supervisor, he has more power over the relationship than Gwen does. This power can easily be abused by Ken...
According to Syne (2006), a dual relationship occurs when people take on multiple roles in their relationships with other people. While dual relationships exists in many different aspects of our society, dual relationships between a client and counselor bring a host of challenges and opportunities for the client and counselor from an ethical standpoint. Nigro and Uhlemann (2004) explain that because of the challenges presented by dual relationships, many counselors work to avoid and prohibit them. But from an ethical standpoint, such relationships do not always negatively impact clients. As a result, dual relationships tend to be one of the top ethical dilemmas reported by therapists.
In this case, the psychologist is presented with several ethical issues which could cause harm to the client. The first ethical issue that arose in this case is the potential for a role conflict. The psychologist and Mr. Hartwig had contact prior to the development of a therapeutic relationship when the psychologist bought a car from Mr. Hartwig. It may not be enough that the brief, informal relationship ended. The psychologist must assess the dimensions of the previous relationship from the viewpoint of the client as well as his/her own personal feelings (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2008). For example, the client could feel that he gave the psychologist a good deal and that the psychologist was indebted to him. This could leave the psychologist vulnerable to being manipulated by the client. Or, what if the car broke down? This could leave the psychologist feeling cheated and resulted in hostile feelings toward the client. The psychologist has an ethical responsibility to examine both relationships for role incompatibility prior to forming a therapeutic relationship. The psychologist seemed to be aware that there was the potential role conflict resulting from their initial meeting, and he acted ethically by attempting to refer Mr. Hartwig to a Psychology Registry.