Unethical Decisions: Psychological Professionals

A lack of boundaries between a client and therapist is not simply of concern because it is a technical violation due to ethical or legal concerns. It is a violation of professional trust. A client must feel safe enough to be candid and trust the professionalism of his or her therapist, including the therapists willingness to maintain distance. Clients who may be struggling with psychological issues may have some emotional challenges separating therapeutic, professional, and personal relationships. It is incumbent upon the therapist to set boundaries about when to contact the therapist, and therapist-client responsibilities.

The most obvious and egregious reason for ethical violations is that of sexual violations (Aravind, Krishnaram, & Thasneem, 2012). Inappropriate exploitation of a clients vulnerabilities in such a manner are a clear violation of the therapeutic principles of beneficence, autonomy, and nonmaleficence (Aravind et al., 2012). Compassion is also another core principle, but therapists must not confuse this with being demonstrative to the client in a way that may be mistaken for a sexual overture. Other times boundary crossing may be more ambiguous, however, when the requirements to uphold these values may be blurred with conventional professional activities.

For example, a therapist might set a boundary with a borderline personality disordered client not to call the therapist after a certain hour, given the clients abandonment issues and the need for the client to learn to function without constant outside reassurance. But this might be viewed in conflict with the legal obligation to report the clients danger to self or others, if the client has self-harm issues. Also, certain types of clients may be more vulnerable to negative fallout caused by boundary problems than others. Boundary crossings with certain clients, such as those with Borderline Personality Disorders or those who are acutely paranoid...

But these clients...…the school. Ideally, remaining in contact with legal authorities when there are potential obligations under the law or legal stipulations placed upon the therapists behavior, and continuing with professional education to remain abreast of changing professional standards, is imperative to minimize the potential such conflicts may arise.

Clients who experience negative boundary violations in therapy may experience trauma rather than benefits as a result of the therapeutic relationship. In some instances, unethical therapists may blame the client for the violation. If there are legal consequences due to the nature of the violation, this can further compound the fallout from the negative experience of therapy. Failed dependence and adverse idealization transference (AIT) which can be a consequence of boundary violations can leave the patient in a more psychologically vulnerable position than before (Hook & Devereux, 2018). Therapists must be cognizant of the power the therapeutic setting and relationship holds, particularly with highly vulnerable and underage or disadvantaged populations. They must protect their clients and also protect…