Counselor Ethical Boundaries and Practices Guidelines

Counselor Ethical Boundaries and Practices Guidelines
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Introduction
Boundaries in therapy are termed as the therapeutic-fiduciary frames that distinguish psychotherapy from the elements of social, sexual, family, and business relationships. Some boundaries are in most cases drawn between clients and therapists on the therapeutic relationships that include time, privacy and confidentiality, place of sessions and fees(Sude, 2013). Other boundaries may also be drawn on therapists physical contact, self-disclosure, contact outside therapy sessions, receiving and giving gifts, clothing, the use of language and proximity between the client and the therapists during counselling sessions.
On the other hand, it is essential to consider the fact that counselors today have several opportunities to professionally collaborate worldwide and help in the promotion of professional counselling on a global context. The development of a meaningful and sustainable collaborative relationship remains a vital element of success in counseling(Sude, 2013). Counselors interested in the development of such relationships should be vast with the manner in which relationships are established and maintained within this field. In as much as collaboration is viewed as a vital element of developing counseling identities, there is a need to consider strategies of incorporating this element in counselling.
The decisions between what is right and what is wrong in many ways permeate out everyday lives. Ethics in this case ought to take consideration of all the spheres of life in ensuring that individuals act properly, the society is made as a whole, and responsible governments and organizations are created. It is therefore essential to consider that all these are based on the development of our ethical thinking(Sude, 2013). This paper is in three parts and seeks to determine the manner in which boundary-crossing or dual relationships may be viewed as ethical and appropriate. On the other hand, the paper will also evaluate the rationale behind collaborative efforts that involves the counselors and other stakeholders in regards to a client’s care with the aim of maintaining professional and ethical boundaries in practice. Lastly, the paper will take a closer look at the development of thinking in regards to ethics.
Section 1
Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships
* Decision Making Models
It is first essential to consider the fact that boundary crossing and violations infer to the act of deviation from the traditional emotionally distant forms of therapy or the deviations from rigid approaches of risk-management procedures. Boundary violation occurs in the event a therapist crosses their limits of decency and exploits a client (Barnett, 2014). It is however, essential to consider the fact that boundary violation in therapy differs from boundary crossing. While boundary violations turn out to be harmful to the patients, boundary crossings can be viewed as extremely helpful in the process of counseling.
According to Barnett (2014)boundary crossing if well incorporated within counselling may be an ethical when they are well formulated and evidence based in the developmen...