Mental and healthcare providers need special awareness of professional boundary crossings and violations. There is a tendency towards encouraging those individuals to behave more empathically and less formally with their patients and clients makes such awareness increasingly important. Professional boundary ethics have been incorporated into the professional codes of many mental and healthcare providers all over the country, but it is important to have continuing education throughout the year (Al Sayyari, Hejaili, Jamal, Shamsi & Tamim, 2010).
Mental and Healthcare providers must have specialized training to strike the right balance between rigidity and formality on one hand and undue laxity and informality in their approach on the other. This is the result in crossing boundaries and improper practice, with resulting harm to patients and clients. There is an important distinction than includes awareness of the distinction between boundary crossing and the boundary violations (Al Sayyari, Hejaili, Jamal, Shamsi & Tamim, 2010).
Examples of boundary crossings would include paying the clients or patients bus fare or a bill; giving him or her a hug when a client or patient is distressed, and so on. Boundary violations, on the other hand, involve crossings that have the potential to prove harmful and exploitive to the client or patient. Boundary violations can involve a myriad of behaviors. Examples of these include- sexual abuse and harassment, sexual relationships, abuse of time or place of work, taking financial advantage of the client or patient, demanding gifts, coercing patients, misuse of fiduciary relationship, and improper with pharmaceutical companies (Al Sayyari, Hejaili, Jamal, Shamsi & Tamim, 2010).
The worst type of ...
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...para. 12). Last is called program climate, which includes an atmosphere conducive to learining, and competent informed, and ethical teachers (Vaquez, 1988).
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In the mental health profession of counseling, therapy, psychology, psychiatric and social services ethical dilemmas are faced primarily on a daily basis. Being that mental health professionals are working with clients who are often fragile and vulnerable, they must develop an intense awareness of ethical issues. On the other hand, mental health professionals would never intentionally harm their clients, students or colleagues and others whom they work with. Unfortunately, good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong doings will not occur and mental health professionals have no choice but to make ethically determined decisions. Depending upon the experience and expertise of the professional determines the outcome of the ethical circumstance. For example, if you were practicing mental health professional and had a friend who’s a licensed psychologist, who is invited to attend the wedding of a patient that she has been seeing in court-ordered therapy for a year; what advice would you give your friend?
It is essential to understand that mental health professionals should be able to uphold with the same Code of Ethics and Standards from one professional to other. Professional should have responsibility or liability for the practice that they perform and the services that they carry out to the people. If one professional does not follow the standards and ethics that they practice, other professionals will take advantage of their obligations and the Code of Ethics and Standards will not be of good use to the people that they
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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).
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This in turn could cause her to experience anxiety and even possibly depression. Conversely, this misinterpretation could also lead to an adverse outcome for the therapist such as a complaint to the psychology licensing board by the patient. This action may also lead to the therapist losing her ability to practice. Further still, if escalated, the boundary crossing could also potentially lead to additional violations of APA ethics codes, such as 3.5 Multiple Relationships, and 3.8 Exploitive Relationships. The boundary crossing could lead to a personal relationship between the client and patient and due to the unequal status between the therapist and patient; the patient will be at risk of harm. Subsequently, the therapist will be in a position to exploit the patient because of her knowledge of the patient’s deepest thoughts and feelings obtained during therapy. Therefore the therapist must take in consideration any foreseen harm, exploitation, and impairment that may result in giving the patient flowers. Lastly, in going about deciding what to do, the therapist should take all of these important factors into considerations and decide whether the potential benefits outweigh the
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In addition, the article provides a summary of boundary issues in social work such as, situations including dual and multiple relationships and presents a conceptually grounded typology of boundary issues in the profession (Reamer, 2003). In order to protect the client and minimize possible harm derived from sexual feelings, social workers should establish clear risk management standards and procedures. The author demonstrates a thorough risk management protocol to deal with the boundary issues, which include six major elements. First, one must be aware of possible or actual conflict of interest. Next, one must notify clients and colleagues about potential or actual conflicts of interest; exploring sound remedies. The third step consists of consulting with colleagues and supervisors, relevant literature, regulations, policies, and codes of ethics to recognize related boundary issues and practical choices (Reamer, 2003). Fourth, one should develop a plan of action that addresses the boundary issues and protects clients, colleagues, and third parties to the highest degree possible. The fifth step involves one to document all meetings, discussions, supervision, and other steps that were taken to address boundary issues. Finally, one should implement a strategy to monitor the execution of
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