Benchmark – Counselor Ethical Boundaries and Practices
Section 1: Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships
- Determining if a Dual Relationship is Ethical or appropriate or Vice Versa
Part of being a professional counselor calls for an understanding of boundary issues and dual relationships that exist when handling clients. Licensed professional counselors clearly understand the ethical codes that govern their relationships with clients (Geyer, 1994). In professional counseling, ethics protect both the counselor and the client. There is a chance that either the counselor or the client takes advantage over the other party; thus a clear definition of boundaries in terms of power, rights, and roles is mandatory. In counseling practice, a boundary crossing or a dual relationship could either be ethical and appropriate or vice versa. In a dual relationship, professional and non-professional aspects are integrated together, and this raises ethical concerns to a professional. A counselor needs to refer to or consult the ACA Code of Ethics in order to determine if the boundary relationship is ethical or unethical (American Counseling Association, 2014). The ACA Code of Ethics clearly stipulates which dual relationships are ethical and appropriate and also those relationships which are unethical and inappropriate.
- Examples of Applying Ethical Decision Making Criteria in Dual Relationship Counseling Situations
Physical/ sexual attraction dual relationship: According to the ACA Code of Ethics A.5.a, any counselor sexual or physical attraction, relationship, or interaction with either former or an existing client, together with the client’s family or couple are unethical and discouraged (American Counseling Association, 2014). As per the ACA Code of Ethics, professional counselors must not offer any counseling related service to people whom they currently have a romantic affair with nor had such an affair with in the past. As a counselor, one may face such circumstances; something which creates an ethical dilemma. In these events, a professional counselor should seek for guidance, advice, and opinions from other experts who have encountered such scenarios. If either the counselor or the client is attracted to the other sexually, then this professional practice is unethical.
Social dual relationship: According to (Ponton & Duba, 2009), social dual relationship occurs when the client is a close friend to the counselor. Not every client understands the codes of ethics that govern professional counseling practice. As a result, a counselor’s close friend could seek for therapeutic assistance since they do not know the policies that govern our practice. As a professional counselor, a clear setting and outlining of boundaries separating counseling and friendship would make this dual relationship ethical. The counselor would serve the friend as a client as the friend attends the counseling sessions as a client and not like a friend.
Communal dual relationship: As per (Welfel, 2015), both the client and the therapist could be members of the same location or community thus involving each other in similar communal activities outside the office. In such situations, the client might express himself or herself to the counselor and still feel like the therapist is not getting the point. Here, it is ethical and appropriate for the counselor to exercise self-disclosure about their boundary crossing so long as the client takes the disclosure in a positive manner. Ethically, it is acceptable to treat the client provided the counselor makes the client understands the professional boundary and that counseling is all about boundary setting, listening, and understanding before beginning the exercise.
Digital dual relationship: Sometimes in professional counseling, therapists find themselves providing treatment to clients who they are connected with in social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. As long as their friendship on any social media channel has no strings attached in terms of romance, family relationship, and friendship- offering counseling services to these clients is ethical and appropriate (Geyer, 1994). However, a counselor must stick to Section H of the ACA code of Ethics when engaging their social media friends as clients.
Section 2: Professional Collaboration in Counseling: Working with a Multidisciplinary Team
- Working Collaboratively with other Mental Health Professionals for Quality Client Care
- Section D: Working as Part of a Multidisciplinary Team and Counselor Roles
Section 3: Relationship with Supervisors and Colleagues
- Section F: Roles and Responsibilities of Clinical Supervisors
- Ethical Issues Involved in Supervisory Relationships
- Unethical Behavior by Professional Counselor Colleagues
Section 4: Development of your Thinking about Ethics
- Most Important Developments during this Course
In this course, the most important concept is dual relationship or boundary crossing that exists between client-counselor relationships and also evidenced in a supervisory relationship (Ponton & Duba, 2009). For social workers, it is risky to engage in dual relationships. I have learned that dual relationships can either be non-romantic or legitimate interactions, many of which are inadvertent and unplanned, but still result to ethical dilemmas. Ethical issues that have an association with professional boundaries are very common and of great complexity. I have acquired a new perspective that the ethical issues evidenced in counselor-client relationships are similar to those witnessed in a supervisory relationship. For example, dual relationship whereby the counselor and the client were close friends before the client consulted the expert for help and a dual relationship whereby the supervisor and the supervisee were close friends before meeting at work.
Second, professional collaboration in counseling helps in ensuring quality client care. I have learned the importance of the ACA Code of Ethics in effectively governing professional collaboration and enhancing teamwork amongst therapists. I have also learned that the ACA Code of Ethics dictate the legal and ethical frameworks that must prevail in counselor relationship with the other professionals. Counselors exercise an equal right to consult their colleagues who have a better knowledge and experience about scenarios which they encounter and do not have the desired skills of handling them (McGowan & Lovell, 2010). Also, no power has the right to engage in a counseling practice when he or she has no academic qualifications in such a field. For example, a marriage and couples therapist must only engage in such services, it will be against the professional requirements if such a counselor engages in school drop-out psychotherapy.
Lastly, I have learned the ethical principles that govern professional counseling. Informed consent is a must do action by a counselor to his or her client on matters education, profession, expertise, and experience. For example, when doing an internship, a counselor must disclose his or her competencies to the client. Other common ethical standards and issues in professional counseling relationships include dual relationship, exceeding competence, and confidentiality of information. All the licensed and upcoming counselors must abide to all ethical requirements and code of work.
References
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. New York: Alexandria, VA: Author.
Geyer, M. C. (1994). Dual Role Relationships and Christian Counseling. Journal Of Psychology & Theology, 22(3), 187-195.
Lebow, J. (2014). Stages of therapy: Engagement, assessment, and termination. In , Couple and family therapy: An integrative map of the territory. Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14255-007
McGowan, L., & Lovell, K. (2010). Once-a-week psychiatric ward round or daily inpatient team meeting? A multidisciplinary mental health team ‘s experience of new ways of working. International Journal Of Mental Health Nursing, 19(2), 119-127. doi:10.1111/j.1447-0349.2009.00652.x
Ponton, R. F., & Duba, J. D. (2009). The “ACA Code of Ethics”: Articulating Counseling ‘s Professional Covenant. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 87(1), 117-121.
Welfel, E. R. (2015). Ethics in counseling & pyschotherapy. Boston: Cengage Learning.