Boundary Basics
This is the primary ethical purpose of establishing professional boundaries in counseling.
What is protecting client welfare and creating a safe, consistent, reliable therapeutic relationship?
A counselor serving in two or more roles simultaneously or sequentially with a client is engaging in this.
What is a dual or multiple relationship?
Under the ACA Code of Ethics presented in the chapter, counselors are prohibited from sexual or romantic relationships with these individuals while counseling is occurring.
Who are current clients, their romantic partners, and their family members?
This form of counseling involves a counselor and one or more clients meeting through a technology-assisted platform.
What is virtual counseling?
The chapter identifies cyberbullying, sexting, and this problem involving reduced interpersonal connection as client concerns associated with social media.
What is social isolation?
According to Section H of the ACA Code of Ethics, counselors using technology should develop appropriate knowledge and these abilities related to technical, ethical, and legal considerations
What are skills or competencies?
A counselor departs from usual practice because doing so is reasonably expected to benefit a particular client. This is called what?
What is a boundary crossing?
True or False: The counseling profession currently considers all dual relationships unethical.
False. Some may be unavoidable and some may potentially benefit clients.
How long must counselors wait, at minimum, before a romantic or sexual relationship with a former client may even be considered under the ACA standard presented in the chapter?
What is five years following the last professional contact?
According to the chapter, research suggests virtual counseling can be as effective as this traditional form of counseling for certain populations and concerns.
What is in-person counseling?
Counselors should distinguish between these two types of social media accounts.
What are personal and professional accounts?
Name two practices from the chapter that help secure electronic client records.
Any two: password-protect client files, avoid computers others can access, keep monitors out of public areas, and regularly update virus-protection software.
A serious breach of professional boundaries that causes harm to a client is known as this.
What is a boundary violation?
Name two settings from the chapter in which dual relationships may be particularly difficult to avoid.
Any two: rural communities, military families, pastoral counseling, addictions counseling, crisis/disaster counseling, or counselor education programs.
True or False: The prohibition involving sexual/romantic relationships applies only to face-to-face contact.
False. It also extends to electronic and online interactions.
Name three items that should be addressed in informed consent specifically for distance counseling.
Any three: distance-counseling credentials, counselor/practice location and contact information, risks and benefits, emergency procedures, cultural/language considerations, possible insurance denial, and social media policy.
True or False: A counselor may accept a current client's friend request as long as the counselor's social media account has strong privacy settings.
False. The chapter recommends avoiding "friending" or connecting with current or former clients.
True or False: Confidentiality of communication through email can always be guaranteed when the counselor uses a password-protected computer.
False
True or False: Maintaining ethical boundaries means counselors should apply exactly the same boundaries to every client and situation.
False. Boundaries should protect clients while remaining flexible enough to respond appropriately to specific circumstances.
Loss of objectivity, incompatible expectations, client consent, and this imbalance should be considered when evaluating the risks of a dual relationship.
What is the power differential?
A counselor is considering accepting an expensive gift from a client. Rather than asking only, "Does the Code forbid this?" what broader ethical question should guide the decision?
Whether accepting the gift benefits or harms the client and how it may affect the therapeutic relationship and boundaries.
Name two advantages of distance counseling identified in the chapter.
Any two: increased accessibility, reduced travel/lost work time, greater scheduling freedom, perceived anonymity, increased willingness to seek help/disclose, or opportunity to communicate through carefully chosen written words.
When counselors recommend online articles, videos, or other educational materials to clients, they have an ethical responsibility to verify these two characteristics.
What are the accuracy and quality of the materials?
Why can the rapid pace of technological change itself become an ethical concern for counselors?
Because it can make it difficult for counselors to maintain competence in the use of evolving technology.
A grieving client asks her counselor for a hug at the conclusion of a particularly difficult session. What should the counselor consider before responding?
The counselor should consider the client's needs, culture, meaning of the contact, potential risks and benefits, therapeutic purpose, and possible boundary implications.
You are the only counselor in a small rural community. A current client's child joins the same community organization in which you serve as a volunteer. What is the best ethical response: immediately terminate counseling, resign from the organization, ignore the overlap, or evaluate and manage the potential multiple relationship?
Evaluate and manage the potential multiple relationship, considering risks, benefits, client welfare, boundaries, consultation, and whether the overlap can reasonably be avoided.
A counselor realizes she has developed a strong sexual attraction toward a current client but has not acted on it. What is the most appropriate professional response?
Maintain the boundary, seek consultation/supervision, monitor the counselor's reactions and objectivity, and take steps to protect the client's welfare. Attraction itself does not authorize acting on it.
During a virtual session, a client appears to be in crisis. The counselor suddenly realizes she does not know the client's current physical location. What important telehealth practice was overlooked?
Answer: Establishing appropriate emergency procedures/location information necessary to respond to emergencies during distance counseling.
Establishing appropriate emergency procedures/location information necessary to respond to emergencies during distance counseling.
A counselor's professional website lists a certification she began pursuing but has not yet earned. What ethical technology principle is being violated?
Counselors should present accurate information about their credentials and services.
A counselor decides to move most services online because telehealth is convenient. Several clients lack reliable internet access or adequate technology. What ethical/cultural concern should the counselor recognize?
Technology is not equally accessible or evenly distributed across populations and cultures, so reliance on technology can create barriers to services.