Why are boundaries important
True or False: Boundaries help you provide better service. True or False?
True. By keeping boundaries you are making it a little easier to provide better service to our clients.
True or False: Boundaries are rules that don't benefit staff or participants but only put in place by those who sitting in their office making up stuff.
False, Boundaries are actually LIMITS that benefit staff and participants short term and long term.
A participant was not given appropriate or helpful services, which lead to distrust and unwillingness to accept future services. Is this a risk of a boundary being crossed?
Boundaries are the limits that allow for a safe connections between staff and participants. Crossing boundaries can put staff and participants at risk. Yes this is an effect of a boundary being crossed.
Healthy boundaries benefit participants and staff but has no effect on the overall agency.
False, Healthy boundaries do benefit participants, staff AS WELL AS the Agency.
DOUBLE JEAPORDY BONUS: A participant says informs you that he has a $25 Walmart gift card and asks for an even trade in cash so he can get $25 in gas for the week. This there a boundary being crossed? If so, which one?
Yes, this is an example of a material boundary being crossed.
True or False: Boundaries help you avoid burnout
True
True or False: Boundaries help you meet participant's needs without negatively impacting your well-being.
True: It is vital that your personal well-being is not interrupted and one way in doing this is by maintaining healthy boundaries.
After the vans come back, Coach Marcus gives a participant $18 cash in exchange for a $25 gift card to Walmart. Was there a boundary crossed here?
Yes, We should not engage in financial transactions with any participants for any reason.
After learning about a participant's past behavior issues, you decide to distance yourself so that you don't have to be involved with any future issues. This is an example of which helpfulness level?
Over Involved, Under Involved or Zone of Helpfulness?
This would be an example of being under-involved because there may have been more that could have been done on your end.
Dre, a new READI staff, feels like he has a special connection with participant Anthony. Dre starts going to Anthony's house on the weekends to mentor him. This is not in Anthony's case plan, and Dre's supervisor does not know that he is doing this.
Which of the following risks could you be taking if you crossed this boundary? Why?
You might have identified other risks, and that's okay! Every situation is different. The point is to think through potential consequences before we consider crossing a boundary. A few risks to think about for this example are:
Might lead to burnout
→ It's likely that a staff would overextend himself by agreeing to spend extra time with participants outside of program. If the staff doesn't follow through on his commitment, then the relationship with the participant will be damaged.
Looks like favoritism
→ Time is a limited resource, so choosing to spend extra time mentoring one person could give the appearance of special treatment.
Vulnerable to allegations
→ Mentoring outside of program time is not in the participant's case plan and the staff's supervisor isn't aware of this activity. If anything happens during the mentorship meetups, it would raise questions as to why the staff was there. For example, an outside observer might make the assumption that he was there to flirt with the participant's mother.
True or False: There is no way that Boundaries can protect you from professional consequences
False. Boundaries can protect you from professional consequences such as write ups and termination.
Hugs and handshakes are an example of which form of boundary? Physical or Emotional
This is an example of a physical boundary.
Physical Boundary: Hugs, handshakes and any other physical touch are examples of a physical boundary. Knowing this boundary also includes how close someone can stand close to you.
In your own words, what is a Professional Interaction?
Professional Interactions would answer the questions How does my action benefit the participant? How might it hinder them? Is what I'm doing listed on my job description?
After learning that a participant is sleeping outside, you agree to personally pay for a hotel room for a few days until he finds somewhere to stay.
Over Involved, Under Involved or Zone of Helpfulness?
This would be an example of Over Involved.
While on the van, Crew Chief Stacy learns that one of her participants is at risk of being evicted. Not wanting this to happen, she gives the participant’s mother $200 to help pay back rent.
Which of the following risks could you be taking if you crossed this boundary? Why?
You might have identified other risks, and that's okay! Every situation is different. The point is to think through potential consequences before we consider crossing a boundary. A few risks to think about for this example are:
Might lead to burnout
→ Providing personal resources to participants is not sustainable. Helping a participant with rent could lead to many more requests for this kind of help.
Looks like favoritism
→ Providing extra resources to one participant could give the appearance of special treatment.
Vulnerable to allegations
→ Although there were good intentions, this situation could easily look like a transaction and leave the staff open to questions about what the participants did to get the money.
True or False: Staff with poor professional boundaries are strong role models that help their participants have better outcomes and relationships.
False. Staff that obtains GOOD professional boundaries make for a strong role model to help their participants have better outcomes and relationships.
How much energy I put into listening to and helping each person is identified as what type of boundary?
Communication or Emotional?
This is an example of an Emotional Boundary.
Emotional Boundary: This is how much energy you spend listening to and helping each person. It is important to know your limit as well as what topics are triggering for you or the participant and/or not okay to talk about?
Why is it important to take boundary violations into consideration?
If I do this now, what could it lead to in the future?
To build trust and credibility with a participant, you share your experience of incarceration but leave out any details about specific people or events.
Over Involved, Under Involved or Zone of Helpfulness?
This is an example of being within the Zone of Helpfulness.
To build rapport, Outreach Worker Calvin shares “war stories” with the participants from his days being gang-involved and spending time locked up. The participants start calling Calvin by his old nickname.
Which of the following risks could you be taking if you crossed this boundary? Why?
You might have identified other risks, and that's okay! Every situation is different. The point is to think through potential consequences before we consider crossing a boundary. A few risks to think about for this example are:
Could be triggering to other participants
→ retelling "war stories" could be triggering to participants with traumatic experiences related to your story
Getting too personal
→ blurring the line between personal and professional could lead to a lack of respect/authority as a professional for the participants
Lost credibility/trust of participants
→ Participants come to READI looking for change. If they get the sense that a staff is still caught up in street life, then they won't feel that staff is able to help guide them toward change.
Can crossing a boundary be detrimental to the overall success to a participant? Explain
Giving a participant money or gifts for any reason is an example of crossing which boundary? Material or Physical
This crosses a material boundary.
Material Boundaries are knowing that it is not ok to give money or gifts under any circumstance nor is it ok to receive either from a participant. It is also important to note that there are consequences of crossing this boundary in different forms.
Why should sharing personal information be intentional?
Sharing personal information should be intentional only if it will benefit of the participant. Does it help build trust or credibility? These should be some questions to ask before disclosing certain information.
DOUBLE JEAPORDY BONUS: What are the two areas attached to the Zone of Helpfulness Model?
1) Under-involved
2) Over-involved
DOUBLE JEAPORDY BONUS: After the vans come back, Coach Marcus gives a participant $18 cash in exchange for a $25 gift card to Walmart.
Which of the following risks could you be taking if you crossed the material boundary (giving participant money)? Why?
You may have identified different risks, and that's okay. Every situation is different. If you haven't already, consider these potential risks to crossing this boundary:
Looks like favoritism
→ providing this resource to one participant could give the appearance of special treatment
Vulnerable to allegations
→ gift cards are program expenses, exchanging them for money could leave you vulnerable to allegations of theft
Could be triggering to other participants
→ providing a valuable resource to one participant could trigger feelings of unfairness for other participants