Introduction
Modern society is progressive in its values and relationships. It promotes fairness and equality among different genders, orientations, nationalities, and religions. However, the code of conduct set between the client and counselor is often unclear and not emphasized enough. It is an extensive societal issue because there are many cases in which a customer’s dignity is humiliated despite laws meant to prevent it. Dual ties should be avoided and fought, as they are non-objective, unclear, and harmful forms of interrelation.
Problem of Sexual Counselor-Client Relationships
Sexual relationships are a delicate and intimate topic; nevertheless, they can often lead to manipulation, abuse, and violence. It is a signal of a frivolous attitude toward professional boundaries. Many scientists, researchers, psychologists, and lawmakers consider the sexual link between a counselor and a previous patient as an unacceptable phenomenon.
This kind of connection falls under dual interrelations, even though a client is a former (Eketone, 2021). The problem here is the power a consultant acquires through confidentiality or other information (Eketone, 2021). There is no proof that such ties will succeed, and eventually the adviser may resort to intimidation if a customer refuses to continue the relationship.
On the other hand, a prohibition on such statements restricts people’s freedom and rights to communicate and interact with others. For this reason, the law has been amended, and there is a specific time frame after which a counselor may initiate contact with a former client (Reamer, 2019). Such a scenario protects both parties from negative and abusive consequences. The decision-making process should be undertaken to ensure the objectivity of professional ties in the after-therapeutic period and to avoid possible misunderstandings (Ybañez-Llorente, 2019). Eventually, keeping the law and time limitations, the parties are allowed to initiate sexual interrelations.
Types of Counselor-Client Relationships
The relationship between the consultant and the client varies, reflecting the level of closeness. From this point, the difference between friendship and counseling bonds arises. As asserted by Eketone (2021), a dual-link is one in which expertise cooperation begins to acquire deviating features. Mutual companionship is an example of such a component and leads to another type of communication (Eketone, 2021).
On the contrary, counseling is devoted solely to the patient and is based solely on competencies (Eketone, 2021). The main distinction is the extent of openness and the counselor’s power to control a client. As there is a balance between the proportions of socializing, it can be stated that the ties differ and possess their own characteristics.
Another distinction between these kinds of connections is the fact of duality. If a customer wants to relaunch their sessions with an adviser, it will be hard due to the impact of friendship (Eketone, 2021). It is justified because companionship possesses peculiarities revealed through a specific level of trust.
Meanwhile, counseling interrelation is based solely on worker-customer bonds and is restricted to specific areas of discussion. However, sometimes, such a strict limitation may also lead to an inability to re-establish the collaboration (Eketone, 2021). Conclusively, counseling is a unique and straightforward professional relationship, differing from comradeship, which can hide risks to healthy sessions. These threats are unstable trust, which may lead to confidentiality violations and improper settings for cooperation and communication between the counselor and the client.
Sexual attraction in counseling relationships is a potential danger for both the consultant and the patient. This feeling may be instant or grow over time, depending on the need satisfied by socializing (Ybañez-Llorente, 2019). As a result, a specific need satisfaction of a mentor found in a client may mutate the ties and raise sexual attraction. Boundaries management, in this case, can be problematic because of one’s weak mental health or substance addiction (Ybañez-Llorente, 2019). The level of resistance in such a situation may decline, leaving one of the parties vulnerable. Counselors should be aware of their own weaknesses, which will eventually lead to immediate problem resolution.
Personal Opinion
Personal experience always teaches best, but it also brings discomfort and desperation. In case of intense sexual attraction to a client from my side as an adviser, I would analyze the situation, try to abandon the emotions, evaluate the condition, and find a solution. The best way to do so would be to apply the ethical decision-making model.
First, I would assess the dilemma in terms of potential future adverse outcomes. Secondly, the thoughts would be distinctly separated, and the scenario for each of them would be foreseen. Thirdly, I would ask professionals or people close to me for alternative solutions.
Fourthly, theoretical information would be gathered to research past similar events and effects. Then, the risk calculation would be performed to determine which threats could be expected. Finally, the action would be taken, namely, I would undergo therapy that would help me to find a way out of this situation. As a result, such a model would help maintain mental stability, a healthy workplace, and healthy relationships with clients.
Addressing the Relationship Challenges
Many different practices help to cope with the challenges of dual ties and set clear boundaries. First of all, a professional should address potential risks that could lead to the destruction of borders. It can be done by acquiring support from psychologists and other experts who can understand feelings and emotions. Another way to set professional boundaries is to engage in hobbies or appropriate leisure activities, which can help one balance their thoughts and perform better work.
Two crucial steps should be followed to avoid misunderstandings: minimizing and preventing dual relationships. Minimization can be carried out through a thorough review of the available literature on psychology and law (Ybañez-Llorente, 2019). A counselor may learn from multiple cases involving hearings, complaints, comments, and investigations to better understand the full scope of responsibility for crossing professional boundaries (Ybañez-Llorente, 2019). Consequently, such an approach helps address potential adverse outcomes by providing real-life evidence. It leads to profound personal self-understanding and evaluation of work ethics.
The method of preventing sexual attraction and setting expert boundaries is a strong tool for development in counseling. It involves honesty and objectivity, which must be practiced to achieve healthy compromises with a client (Ybañez-Llorente, 2019). Understanding self-motivation is crucial in this method because it fosters a clear vision of the main drivers that help a counselor obtain the best values in their career without adverse effects (Ybañez-Llorente, 2019). Both steps should be taken before and during proficient practice, as they are advantageous for parties who strive for result-oriented outcomes.
Dual Relationships in Social Work
Dual relationships have been extensively researched across various professional fields. However, one of the most interesting areas in this regard is social work. For this reason, the article by Barsky (2022) has been chosen for further analysis of the actual problem. It describes the number of factors, including conflicts of interest and harms caused to clients (Barsky, 2022). He considers the regulations that address the binary interrelations between a caseworker and a patient (Barsky, 2022). Consequently, I chose this article because my future personal experiences in social work may be affected by these risks. My communication with potential clients may lead to dual relationships because I am an emotionally and empathetic type of person.
Despite the article being enlightening on weighty facts, some aspects are agreed upon, while others are disputed. For instance, the author asserts that it is crucial to identify all advantages and disadvantages when crossing the boundaries (Barsky, 2022). Such an idea is essential because it helps make better decisions, which, in turn, assist in risk mitigation.
However, there is an opinion that hiring a former customer as an aide for the addiction treatment program is harmful because it may negatively impact the client (Barsky, 2022). I would disagree with this statement because it is not a case of dual bonds, as there is no direct, intimate connection between the parties. Such a scenario relates to my personal experience because I had the opportunity to undertake practice in a team where previous patients were engaged; consequently, no disputes arose.
Conclusion
Conclusively, sexual relationships between a counselor and a former client are a frequent event, but they are not acceptable from the perspectives of etiquette and moral principles. Counseling ties and friendship are contrasting notions that differ in how they communicate and treat one another. When a feeling of strong sexual attraction appears to a customer, a consultant should undertake necessary steps to circumvent further development of such interrelations. These steps aim to minimize and prevent behaviors that lead to unprofessional conduct. The steps may also include self-evaluation, meditation, exercise, and talking with a psychologist. The assessed article demonstrates that dual relationships should be avoided because they lack objectivity, are harmful, and are ambiguous.
References
Barsky, A. (2022). Ethics alive! Anticipatory dual relationships in social work. The New Social Worker: The Social Work Careers Magazine.
Eketone, A. (2021). Dual relationships and crossing boundaries in Maori social work practice. Journal of Indigenous social development, 10(1), 29-49.
Ybañez-Llorente, K. (2019). Preventing inappropriate relationships with clients. Counseling Today.