Preventive Steps

hroughout Chapter 7, Corey, Corey, and Corey (2019) offer examples of how practitioners can establish appropriate boundaries with clients, their families, community members, and supervisors. It’s important to remember that multiple relationships can be complicated, and making blanket prohibitions (e.g., “Once a client, always a client…”) can leave a practitioner caught off-guard when unexpected feelings and circumstances arise. For this week’s discussion, take two of the scenarios below and describe the preventive steps you could take to reduce the risk of blending professional and nonprofessional roles when working with clients. Be sure to consider such contextual factors as cultural norms, transference and countertransference, organizational policy, and clinical supervision.

• Receiving gifts from clients
• Bartering for payment of services
• Seeing clients in small communities (e.g., rural, faith-based, cultural, LGBTQ, etc.)
• Engaging with clients through social media
• Experiencing sexual attraction toward clients
• Engaging in nonsexual touch with clients
• Socializing with current and/or former clients