Dual Relationships
Alejandro Lozano
California Southern University
Dual Relationships
Tien, David, Arnold, & Benjamin (2012) contend that multiple relationships occur when a psychologist is in a professional role with a person and (1) at the same time is in another role with the same person, (2) at the same time is in a relationship with a person closely associated with or related to the person with whom the psychologist has the professional relationship, or (3) promises to enter into another relationship in the future with the person or a person closely associated with or related to the person. As Standard 3.05 states, a psychologists refrains from entering into a multiple relationship if the multiple relationship could reasonably
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In this small town, I teach Social Studies at the Charter School and will be an administrative dean next year. Upon completing my doctorate degree in Psychology, I hope to work as a mental health practitioner in that small town; however, because there is such a limited population of individuals, dual relationships could potentially emerge.
Nardone (2006) states that in some situations, it may not be reasonable or possible to avoid multiple relationships. Therapists working in rural communities, small towns, military bases, or American Indian reservations, or therapists who are qualified to provide services to members of unique ethnic or language groups for which alternative psychological services are not available, would not be in violation of this standard if they took reasonable steps to protect their objectivity and effectiveness. This is a likely issue that I will face in the near future; however, as Doverspike (2008) asserts, if the primary role is managed appropriately, then secondary roles are less likely to develop in the first place. If secondary roles do develop, they are less likely to become problematic. Thus, one of the most feasible solutions to dealing with this sort of issue includes being competent and confident in the ability to create and sustain professional
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(2013) found that when working in rural areas, it is not realistic to completely and utterly avoid dual relationships. After conducting research in a rural area in Alaska, they found four emerging themes: (a) rural clinicians cannot completely avoid dual relationships; (b) healthy dual relationships have benefits for clients; and (c) clinicians use complex critical thinking and have developed advanced skills to negotiate dual relationships. Experience and education heavily impact decisions and outcomes regarding dual relationships.
Interestingly enough, Nehnke (2004) avowed that a common misconception among consulting psychologists is that multiple relationships are, by definition, unethical. Psychologists are to refrain from entering into a multiple relationship if the relationship could be expected to impair the psychologist’s objectivity, competence, or effectiveness in performing his or her function as a psychologists or otherwise risks exploitation or harm to the person (p.66). Thus, the psychologists is going to need to consider the likelihood of impairment, risk, or harm when making a
Sexual relationships with previous client, resident, patient, consumers are considered dual relationships and are addressed in Statement 6 (above). He might be falling for a client which may lead to a sexual relationship. For obvious reasons it will not be in the best interest of client in helping with their problems. Judgment, reasoning, and responsibility to his client is compromised.
There is a pressing need for a high level of worker/client boundary identification when working within a client population, however realizing a conflict of interest scenario is vitally important when facing a dual relationship with a client. There are so many issues that are faced by a human service professional, explaining all of them may be difficult. In this field there are issues such as burnout, secondary trauma, compassion satisfaction, dual relationships, and boundary issues. (Reamer, F. (2012). As human services professional or social workers there is a code of ethics. In statement 6 of the code of ethics, it states human services experts must be mindful that in their associations with customers/clients power and status are unequal. Accordingly they distinguish that double or various relationships might build the danger of damage to, or abuse of, customers, and may debilitate their expert judgment. In any case, in a few neighborhoods and circumstances it may not be achievable to escape social or other nonprofessional contact with customers. Human service professional experts...
According to Allison L. Kramer (2016) in her “Why we can’t be friends” article, researches have observed numerous relationships between psychotherapists and their present and/ or previous clients. Boundary issues have been studied in the world of ethics and dual-role relationships with current clients are ordinary for some practitioners in their daily practice. Meaning it isn’t rare to run into dual relationships in counseling. These relationships aren’t always negative nor avoidable states Kramer. The example she used for dual-role relationships being advantageous and unavoidable was a school guidance counselor having multiple roles in the school. The counselor could also be “a coach of a sports team, thus filling both a counselor and
The Ethical Standards set forth enforceable rules for conduct as psychologists who are members of the American Psychological Association. Most of the Ethical Standards are written broadly, in order to apply to psychologists in varied roles, although the application of an Ethical Standard may vary depending on the context. The Ethical Standards are not exhaustive. The fact that a given conduct is not specifically addressed by an Ethical Standard does not mean that it is necessarily either ethical or unethical. This Ethics Code applies only to psychologists' activities that are part of their scientific, educational, or professional roles as
Watson, J.C., & Gellar, S.M. (2005). The relation among the relationship conditions, working alliance, and outcome in both process-experiential and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research 15(1-2), 25-33.
My vision as a practitioner scholar in the field of psychology lies in clinical counseling. As a clinical counselor
Helping children and families through mentorship and guidance has been extremely fulfilling for me. Completing my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy will strengthen my ability to make a significant impact on people’s lives. I would especially like to provide services to rural areas where support may not be available or limited. Through a strong education, vast life experience and excellent training I will be better prepared to assist individuals and families achieve their highest
Ruddy, N. B., Borresen, D. A., & Gunn Jr., W. B. (2008). Colocating with medical professionals: A new model of integrated care. In The collaborative psychotherapist: Creating reciprocal relationships with medical professionals (pp.115–133). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Over the next two years, I will work towards completing 3,000 hours of post licensure internship while continuing my education in a doctoral program. After completing the doctoral program, I would like to hold dual licensure as a professional counselor and psychologist. In the next 10 years, I would like to work at the collegiate level as an educator in psychology and/or counseling. My ultimate career goal is to operate a program for at risk men and women ages 18 to 25. The program I hope to create will focus on the transition to independence process (TIP) model. My focus will be to provide psychological services for young people who are aging out of foster care, have a juvenile record, or are teen parents. The process of entering adulthood is often difficult, especially for those who struggled through their adolescent years like my
Choosing a career is a very important aspect to people’s lives. One goes to college, usually around the age of eighteen, and by the time they leave they are expected to have decided on the career that they will have for the rest of their lives. Being a psychology and interpersonal communication major, I have always had an interest on relationships between individuals given certain stimuli presented to them. I want to have the ability to touch people’s lives by helping them understand themselves and why they behave the way in which they behave. Relationships are such an important aspect to the process of human growth, and they impact each and every one of us. Due to this assessment of myself, I have decided to go to college to pursue my goals of being a clinical social worker.
According to The American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, psychologists must comply with the standards of the APA Ethics Code as well as the rules and procedures used to carry them out. Having a lack of understanding of the ethical standards is not an acceptable cause to operate in an unethical manner. Furthermore, even though a specific regimen is not mentioned within the APA guidelines this does not exempt an unjust behavior (American Psychological Association [APA], 2010). The same rules apply to Dr. Betsy Jones, a small-town practicing psychologist unsure as to whether her actions would be considered ethical, so she reaches out to a professional colleague for guidance.
Dr.Lightfoot ethical alternatives for resolving this case are accepting Allison as a client or declining Allison as a client. The best alternative is to decline Allison as a client but refer her to another psychologist because of the possible dual relationship. Utilitarian theory guided me in my decision.
My first semester in college, I took a Psychology 101 course and immediately knew I wanted to work in this field. I was drawn into different theories and how individual’s minds work. I always believed I was born to help others and guide them to success in life. I desire to help others because of my own personal struggles with mental illness. My unique perspective on mental illness allows me to empathize on a different level with individuals. I desire to give back and support to the community the way it was there for me during my dark times. I was lucky to have known from the start that psychology was my interest. I am excited to continue my education in the counseling field and become a future Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1068.
According to Syne (2006), a dual relationship occurs when people take on multiple roles in their relationships with other people. While dual relationships exists in many different aspects of our society, dual relationships between a client and counselor bring a host of challenges and opportunities for the client and counselor from an ethical standpoint. Nigro and Uhlemann (2004) explain that because of the challenges presented by dual relationships, many counselors work to avoid and prohibit them. But from an ethical standpoint, such relationships do not always negatively impact clients. As a result, dual relationships tend to be one of the top ethical dilemmas reported by therapists.