The Professional Relationship Essay

Ethical dilemmas may arise during the course of a human service professional’s time with the client. The difficulty in finding a resolution to an ethical dilemma depends on the human service professional’s ethical practice and personal belief system. I believe that I would have little difficulty avoiding a dual relationship. My personal belief system tells me that a dual relationship creates a conflict of interest between the human service professional and the client. It leaves the door open for exploitation between both parties. It is a very fine line to walk when trying to gain the trust of the client. However, the main objective is to respect the integrity of the client and avoid any activities that could open the door to an intimate relationship that is unprofessional. I had an experience where the client’s sister was interested in me and wanted to know me in a way that was unprofessional. Ethically, I knew it was wrong and because of my personal belief I chose not to entertain her. Then, I notified my supervisor. An ethical dilemma that would be difficult for me to handle would be when a spouse shares information in confidentiality during marriage counseling, but does not want the other spouse to know. If I am counseling a husband and wife,

(Horvath and Greenberg, 1994) As Binder and Strupp (1997) have suggested, the outcome of the therapeutic alliance is highly connected with the therapist’s capability to recognize whether the treatment they have applied is helpful and if it isn’t how it could be changed in order to turn into a positive treatment. (Binder and Strupp, 1997) Furthermore, both statements suggest that there must be a close connection between the therapist and the family/person, which is being treated at the considered moment. Those texts could suggest that it is important to have a personal, yet professional connection with the “client” in order to achieve a positive outcome. However, this would mean that one must take their work life into their everyday life and engage with the patient even outside work hours and that would be crossing the professional boundaries. To give an example for a positive treatment which evolves into a negative, I would like to draw your attention to the Netflix Original Series - Atypical.

We are going to explore the world of ethical issues in psychology. As in any medical or mental health fields there are rules we all must follow as professionals. In this essay today we will be exploring a case study where we have a young lady who has been stricken by a mental disability. We will be looking at the facts in which her disability was handled by a professional in the field of psychology. We also will be discussing the rights and wrongs that are presented in her case study. We will also be discussing the APA ethical codes and gain a clearer understanding of where some things went wrong and why shall we begin.

At times, a relationship between the client and the worker may occur when building a rapport with the client. Some dual relationships are not harmful but when it is for personal gain, it becomes unethical

The EAI indicates that ethical guidelines have changed from individual character to organizational ethics (Ethics Awareness Inventory, 2011). The prime focus of this change are client-patient relationships in psychological counseling and clinical practice (Fisher, (2013). Psychological counseling and clinical practice are both constructed on ethical guidelines with the possibility for misuse of power and negligence to discretion (Fisher,

Geyer (1994) defines dual relationships as occurring when a mental health practitioner, “relates to a client in roles other than that of a mental health practitioner outside the therapeutic context” (p.187). Areas outside of context may include church, social gatherings, and organized events to name a few. The term dual relationship is interchangeably used with multiple relationships or nonprofessional relations. Corey et al. (2011) further defines this role as a professional who assumes multiple, two or more, roles at the same time with a client. The following paper will look to address a literature review of dual relationships along with a review of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapist (CAMFT) and American Counseling Association (ACA) ethics codes regarding the topic. I will further provide personal reflections and values as they relate to dual relationships. In closing I will provide an ethical resolution to a hypothetical case and provide final thoughts.

Most major professional codes of ethics have a policy or rule against dual relationships (Gottlieb, 1993). Dual relationships exist when a professional acts at the same time or sequentially in two roles (Gottlieb, 1993). Through the course of this paper, the concept of dual relationships will be examined. Ethical issues with dual relationships will be explained as well as the clarification and analyzation of a specific dual relationship. Not to mention the explanation of challenges presented by boundary issues in professional psychology.

For that reason, in the mental health professions, dual relationships are generally not recommended. Thus, if your friend who’s a psychologist assumes two more roles consecutively with a client, this is considered a dual relationship. For instance, if an individual held a role as a counselor and business partner, or client and friend, this is a considered a dual relationship. Common examples of dual relationships include: bartering therapy for goods or services; providing

When nurses promote collaborative interdisciplinary care, they are ensuring the availability and accessibility of quality health care (ANA, 2010). As the nursing supervisor in this clinical setting, I would hold a staff meeting with the family nurse practitioner (FNP), nurse, licensed vocational nurse (LVN), nutritionist, and social worker. I would ask them to speak about their areas of expertise and explain how their knowledge will enhance this clinical team. The nutritionist’s expertise in diet, the social worker’s fluency in Spanish, the LVN’s training in education, and the nurse’s specialization in

Therapy relationships with clients. The psychologist to patient relationship during therapy is a crucial aspect. It is within ethical guidelines that the psychologist clearly establish his role whether it be with an individual, group, or family therapist. These roles need to be understood for the variety of issues that may arise; one of which is the disclosure of information. Psychologists, for obvious reasons, are not to have sexual relationships with patients or former patients within a

Because of the doctors’ profession, a psychiatrist must abide by the ethic of nonmaleficence when it comes to their patients. This article is true, “When conflicts occur among psychologists’ obligations or concerns, they attempt to resolve these conflicts in a responsible fashion that avoids or minimizes harm” (Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, n.d.). For this profession, this is very important because their judgment can have a serious effect on a person mind. If there were no ethics to guide them not to do no harm, psychology could become an unethical profession within the health care system. This ethic could also be the reason for the raise of concern that Dr. McHale has for the detainee.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines professionalism as the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person. Yet the White Paper on Pharmacy Student Professionalism says it is displaying values, beliefs and attitudes that put the needs of another about your personal needs. There is still another definition. The Medical Professionalism Project says professionalism is the basis of medicine's contract with society. It demands placing the interests of patients above those of the physician, setting and maintaining standards of competence and integrity, and providing expert advice to society on matters of health. In my opinion, a person's attitude, values, and behaviors

This paper will explore the concept of dual relationships between counselors and clients and the ethical implications of such relationships. In addition to presenting several examples of dual relationships, this paper will also explore how ethical decisions must be made to avoid potentially harmful or exploitive relationships in therapy as well understanding how different interactions between counselor and clients can be understood from an ethical standpoint, as well as how reviewing these ethical dilemmas may shape my future career as a counselor.

When a client attends individual therapy, the focus is traditionally on the client and their internal thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. A relational therapy would encourage an inward look, but also a recognition that the goal of therapy is to help the client not to understand themselves through introspection, but to relate to others well and to experience belonging (Slife & Wiggins, 2009). RACT theorizes that interpersonal problems are often what bring clients into the therapy room and good relational connections with the therapist and others is often what they are looking for. As Wachtel (2008) explains, relational therapy is less of an interview or an examination and more of a conversation. Relational therapy is a relationship and has the potential to be a good healing one as therapist and client(s) work towards common goals.

Dual relationships occur when a practitioner is in a professional role with a client as well as taking on another role outside the clinic with the client. The professional needs to assess the risk in the relationship and whether both the practitioner and the client can differentiate between a boundary crossing and a boundary violation. In rural area’s a dual relationship may be unavoidable, the article discuses that the practitioner may have been chosen because of the prior relationship, and that some form of prior relationship may even be a prerequisite for the development of trust and respect in a small community. However, Zur also writes about the “Slippery Slope Effect” in which that all boundary crossings eventually lead to sexual relationships and boundary violations. The author then notes that the slippery slope effect is an unreasonable link and adds that when thinking of crossing a boundary the professional needs to consider the welfare of the client and benefits to treatments, whilst avoiding harm or exploitation and to respect the client’s autonomy (Zur 2004, pp27-32).