Boundary Crossings And Violations in Therapeutic Relationships

What is the difference between boundary crossing and boundary violation?

A boundary crossing is when a therapist and/or patient does something that falls outside of the prototypic therapeutic relationship. A boundary violation then is an action that is ill thought out and, despite immediate gratification to one or both parties, may cause long-term damage to the patient and/or future work. The important thing to remember about these is that the specifics do vary by patient and can often build off one another.

Why are dual relationships to be avoided when possible?

A dual relationship is any relationship in which a therapist knows the patient before, during, or after engaging in a therapeutic relationship.

This type of relationship is generally pushed to be avoided for several reasons. One is that is opens the door for a conflict of interests and feelings. The information one shares with a therapist is done by choice, and vice versa, opening that door may lead to more being let out then intended or the fear of one knowing more about you in a setting where you do not wish that knowledge to be known.

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Another reason to avoid these types of relationship is that it may stop patient from coming in again, even if the secondary relationship started months after the last session for the same reason listed prior.

In a counseling relationship what is the role of the therapist and what is the role of the client?

The role of the therapist and the role of the client are both important to a therapeutic relationship. The role of a therapist is, at its most basic, to spark and orchestrate a series of verbal exchanges to amplify preset goals and growth needs. It is also the role of the therapist to help their patient gain a better quality of life in the real world without being a substitute for the real world. The role of the client is inherently different from the therapists but still important. Aside from the obvious role of simply being respectful (paying their therapy bills, cancel when needed, etc.), it is also the role of the client to be able to express ones feeling in a productive way and be open to what they are expressing. It is the shared role of both the therapist and the client to prevent endangering the relationship. It is important that both the client and therapist sets boundaries as well as respect the boundaries set by the other.

Works cited

1. American Counseling Association. (2014). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
2. Corey, G. (2016). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Cengage Learning.
3. Herlihy, B., & Corey, G. (2014). ACA ethical standards casebook. American Counseling Association.
4. Kitchener, K. S. (1988). Dual relationships in counseling. American Counseling Association.
5. Lazarus, A. A. (1994). The making of a psychotherapist. Guilford Press.
6. Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. (2016). Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: A practical guide. John Wiley & Sons.
7. Remley Jr, T. P., & Herlihy, B. (2014). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling. Pearson.
8. Sussman, M. B. (2015). Dual relationships in counseling supervision: A national survey of counselor educators. Counselor Education and Supervision, 54(4), 233-246.
9. Zur, O. (2017). To cross or not to cross: Do boundaries in therapy protect or harm? Journal of clinical psychology, 73(12), 1473-1485.
10. Zur, O. (2021). Dual relationships, multiple relationships, and boundary crossing: A critical analysis and ethical guidelines for therapists in our digital era. Independent Practice, 39(1), 6-13.