Learning how to set professional boundaries in psychology is a tough part of becoming a counselor or therapist. You spend a lot of your training learning how to break through walls with your clients, not figuring out how to put them up. But ask anybody in the field, and they’ll tell you that you have to learn to strike a perfect balance between a therapeutic alliance and ethical behavior. Gift-giving, bartering, dual-relationships, social media, beginning and ending sessions on time, etc. When it comes to boundaries, clinicians are faced with an array of challenges. In this interactive training, we will explore how to create and maintain healthy boundaries in the therapeutic relationship. We will also discuss strategies for avoiding boundary issues that can negatively impact both client and clinician.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Define what boundaries are in the therapeutic context
- Describe the differences between healthy and unhealthy boundaries
- Identify common ethical boundary pitfalls in the counseling relationship
- Determine how to create and maintain healthy boundaries with clients
Syllabus:
Objective #1: Understanding Boundaries in Therapy
- Define personal and professional boundaries in the therapeutic context
- Recognize the role of boundaries in creating a safe, ethical, and effective clinical space
- Discuss the impact of power imbalances and the therapist’s responsibility to uphold client safety
- Identify how clients’ past experiences with boundaries may show up in the therapy relationship
Objective #2: Healthy vs. Unhealthy Boundaries
- Clarify what constitutes clear, consistent, and appropriate clinical boundaries
- Explore expectations and limits communicated through informed consent
- Examine boundary-setting as essential to trust, predictability, and therapeutic rapport
Objective #3: Self-Disclosure in Clinical Practice
- Understand the difference between “self-disclosure” and “use of self”
- Identify reasons for appropriate disclosure including modeling, empathy, and immediacy
- Explore cultural considerations and clinical risks of personal sharing
- Reflect on therapist motivation before and after disclosing personal information
- Learn how to redirect personal questions back to client-centered inquiry
Objective #4: Out-of-Office and Additional Client Contact
- Explore ethical and emotional implications of planned and unplanned contact outside of sessions
- Discuss client requests for extended time or increased access to the therapist
- Establish and communicate boundaries around availability and contact between sessions
Objective #5: Gift Giving and Receiving
- Identify factors that influence ethical decisions regarding gifts
- Consider cultural context, client motivation, gift value, and therapeutic relevance
- Reference professional codes of ethics for guidance on handling client gifts
Objective #6: Physical Contact and Therapeutic Touch
- Examine ethical and clinical considerations surrounding touch in therapy
- Explore the importance of consent, trauma history, and therapist intention
- Reflect on whether touch serves the client’s therapeutic goals or the therapist’s emotional needs
Objective #7: Navigating Sexual Attraction and Boundary Crossings
- Address the ethical implications of sexual attraction in the clinical relationship
- Review professional guidelines regarding post-termination relationships and time frames
- Understand the therapist’s responsibility to avoid harm, exploitation, or coercion
Objective #8: The Digital Footprint and Therapist Transparency
- Reflect on the unintentional disclosures made through therapist’s online presence
- Conduct a self-audit of personal information available online
Consider how clients may form impressions based on nonverbal or environmental cues
Objective #9: Repairing Boundary Disruptions
- Identify behaviors that may weaken or rupture the therapeutic alliance such as judgment, over-talking, or inattentiveness
- Understand how environmental factors and therapist behavior can impact client experience
- Explore methods for acknowledging and repairing ruptures in the therapeutic relationship
Objective #10: Ethical Practice and Ongoing Awareness
- Maintain professional self-awareness around power, transference, and countertransference
- Respect cultural differences in how boundaries are expressed and interpreted
- Revisit ethical codes regularly to guide complex boundary decisions
- Balance client-centered flexibility with therapist integrity and clinical intention
Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 1.5 Clinical continuing education training.
Instructor: Dreya Blume, LCSW
Recording Date: July 28, 2024
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2026 - 08/6/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5hrs Clinical continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
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Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com