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Boundary Issues
Boundary issues come in all shapes and sizes and address some of the most fundamental aspects of a therapist’s practice. The therapist is responsible for two kinds of standards regarding boundary issues.
The first, "minimal standards," are mandatory and lead to punishment whenever violated. The second kind, "aspirational standards," are not necessarily mandatory and don’t precipitate punishment for violations, however, they are the standards toward which we, as caring professionals, are expected to strive in our efforts to provide optimal care for our clients. A truly effective therapist skillfully and conscientiously engages both minimal and aspirational standards when attending to boundary issues in their practice.
Problems that can be understood as “boundary issues” include blurred distinctions between being a client’s friend and being their therapist, forming sexually intimate relationships in therapy, offering other kinds of services to a client which you are not licensed to provide, and failing to keep your private life out of your work.
Personally assessing the following list of situations can help alert you to the kinds of boundary issues that might risk interfering with your ability to work most effectively—and ethically--with your clients. If your answer to any of these brief statements is “yes,” it is highly likely you are in jeopardy of abusing professional boundaries.
You can gain the most insight and “consciousness raising” by thinking of all your clients as you review each of these:
- The client feels more like a friend than a client, or you want to be friends with the client when their therapy ends.
- You feel sexually aroused in response to a client.
- You would like to be lovers with the client when their therapy ends.
- You have sexual contact with a client.
- You often choose your clothing with a particular client in mind.
- The client’s sessions frequently run overtime.
- You reveal a lot about yourself with a particular client, perhaps telling stories or engaging in friend-like conversation.
- You share personal problems with a client.
- You allow a client to comfort you.
- Without discussing it with the client ahead of time, you attend a social event at which you knew the client would be present.
- You accept gifts or favors from a client without reviewing why the gift was given or why the client chose that particular time in their therapy.
- The client owes you a lot of money and you are unsure how to handle it.
- You find it difficult to refrain from talking about a particular client with people close to you.
- You accept valuable gifts from a client.
- You do so much on behalf of one particular client, you feel exhausted.
- You invite a client to a public or social event.
- You sometimes feel like punishing or controlling a particular client.
- The client has invested money in an enterprise of yours, or vice versa.
- A client has done personal favors for you, such as posting mail or picking up dry cleaning.
- A client behaves very seductively and you don’t know how to handle it.
- You identify so strongly with a client’s emotional distress that you have real difficulty attending to the client’s situation.
Know the appropriate standards, guidelines, and current laws that apply to your practice. Whenever you are in doubt, seek professional advice. Excellent reviews on boundary issues can be found in Smith and Fitzpatrick (1995) and Gutheil and Gabbard (1993). The Exploitation Index in Epstein and Simon (1990) offers a very good self-educational questionnaire exploring the consequences of boundary confusion.
NOTE: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by 4therapy.com is accurate and up-to-date, however, it is important to remember that laws vary from state to state and local legislation can add further variations. We strongly urge you to stay current with your state and local laws.
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