Dual Relationship Essay

In psychology, therapists may initiate a relationship with their clients other than the one stated by the therapy setting. Such a relationship sets the path for a dual relationship, which may take place prior to, during, or after therapy. However, dual relationships with clients are seen as negative since they are equated to sexual transgressions and client-exploitation. As a result, dual relationships are often non-professional and are embedded within a psychologist’s different professional roles. There are instances where dual relationship is acceptable if it is a part of the treatment procedure where a therapist has to undertake an exercise with the client, for instance, flying together with a client who has a fear of flying to restore confidence
Dual relationships take numerous forms, such as professional, social, familial, sexual, or business. The counselor thus enters into a secondary relationship with their patient in addition to the therapeutic one. For example, a psychologists providing counseling sessions to their clinical supervisee, family member, friend, student, employee, or accountant amounts to a dual relationship. Dual relationships may also occur where a counselor in a professional role with a client promises to enter into another relationship in future with the client’s closely related individual. Such relationships may not be obvious due to the difficulty in anticipating situations which may not prove conflicting at the moment but may do so in
Boundary crossings may be characterized by any home visits to a client, flying with a client with fear of flying, appropriate exchange of gifts, self-disclosure. There are however, some acts of boundary crossings that do not lead to exploitative or harmful thereby cannot be equated to boundary violation (Pope & Vasquez, 1991). Therefore, in the scenario, there are boundary crossings since the therapist and the client enter into an employer-employee relationship, which is secondary to the therapist-client relationship. One may also term the psychologist as a buyer of the client’s paperwork services, who in turn becomes the