Essay Sample on Professional Counselling: Establishing Boundaries to Maintain Professionalism

It is considering a case of a professional psychology counsellor who qualified in helping individuals with relationship issues. During his normal operations attending to clients, exists the possibility of development of a personal, professional connection between the expert and their clients (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016)). However, on a professional basis and code of ethics that governs social operations, there needs to be an established boundary to these interactions. A professional should then differentiate their professional interactions with their clients and ascertain a limit to the extent to which they interact with their social life with their professional one. Considering this case, that portrays an ethical dilemma where the professional, trusted relationship advisor encounters with a lady client having relationship issues. With several meetings and sharing, there is a developed intimate interest between him and his client, which is not professionally accepted and a violation of the established code of ethics. Evidence of this would mean he ripped off his operational license.

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Introduction

It is a case involving George, a social worker at a community based mental health institution with vast experience in handling mental related issues. His main task is to analyse individual cases allocated to him and coming up with the most relevant advice on how his patients could control the above cases. It would then be by providing the most appropriate remedies to the same with a rationale on not negatively impacting on the mindset of patients. One of his clients named Joanne approached the facility and was allocated to George to assist her in decisions concerning her relationship that was causing her to be in a depressed state of not appreciating herself or feeling appreciated. Joan effectively communicated this with George getting him to be of knowledge of the problems she was encountering in her marriage. To be more specific of the sexual issues that she was experiencing with her husband. After some time of continued therapy meetings, the two started developing sexual attractions, which as per George's professional book, was not supposed to happen. Joan suggested that as part of their sessions, they spend time addressing her feelings for George, who consequently admits of having developed feelings for Joanne. He then suggested they having more sessions allocated to discussing this scenario. It was George's concern about the existence of their professional interactions with the existence of such developments. If at all their intimate relationship was to be actualized, it would not be convenient for George if Joanne would still be his client. However, Joanne kept insisting on her maintaining George as her counsellor of how she was comfortable getting to share her issues with George.

Literature

George is then vulnerable to violating regulations to his license to not developing any intimate relationship with any of his clients. He is of knowledge of that and consequences related to any instance of such nature. Joanne again would be cheating on her husband, which is not as per marriage values developed over time. However, he, too, has established concrete feelings for Joanne and would not want to bar himself from being happy. George is in a dilemma and split both ways of having to decide to choose either of the two. He needs his job for economic sustainability, but again he also has a life to live and assure it is interesting. Actualizing a relationship with Joanne would then result in him losing his job and professional license revoked. He may never get to be operational ever again. Considering that Joanne is also still married, she would lose her marriage was her husband to be of knowledge to such developments.

As per the work values accorded to George's profession in the NASW Code of Ethics, his integrity in his line of work is at risk. By failing to ensure the maintenance of a professional limit with his interaction with Joanne. It relates to his competence to offer relevant advice to Joanne's reference to issues leading to their encounter. His feelings may alter judgment towards the situation in him getting to promote failure to Joanne's marriage to his benefit. The bottom line is the quality of service George is expected to allocate to Joanne's case would then be blinded by personal interests. As realized, these values entirely interact with one eventually leads to the other. It then confirms the situation George has branded his career by not considering set It values to his operational framework that he is regulated to adhere to engaging. As of such, this entire encounter is a violation of the set code of ethics by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), which is a certified regulator to all professional social workers on how they can conduct their operations on a global basis.

Solutions

My first gut solution to this problem would then be entirely on George's capability to assess the situation and let Joanne know of no possibility of any relationship. It is crucial to establish the main considered agenda to determine George's professional position in the given case as noted by Bjelica et al., (2016). It would be relevant to establish possible outcomes for the actualization of their relationship. A determination made on the circumstances that led to Joanne developing feelings for George. Are her feelings legit or just as a result of circumstance? George needs to consider the possibility of Joanne's marriage situation being the reason for her developing such feelings. Her mental perception of George's personality may be out of distorted ideas. It is George's professional role to allocate time to listen and understand his client's issues and always come up with ways to derive positives from all situations. Possibly Joanne lacked a listening ear and one that would then relate to her situation. It would be crucial for George to determine the reasons behind Joanne's affection towards him. If they truly are legit and not out of circumstance, it would then be up to him to convince Joanne of the need to establish a boundary between their professional and social worlds. Make her understand of all laws set govern his operations and knowledge of any intimate relationship would have adverse results and that the relationship would be a fantasy.

Basis

According to Goodwin, (2018), in determining the morality level of this ethical dilemma, we are considering steps one and two in determining this:

• Step 1: Suggests the gathering of relevant facts to the situation at hand. Driving back to the legitimacy of the observed situation and the intentions from both parties claims of having feelings for each other. The chances are that George could be taking advantage of Joanne's mental state, and this should be determined both ways.
• Step 2: Suggests establishing a clear definition of all ethical issues presented. A derivation should then made on all possible violations that would at play with the commencement of an intimate relationship between the two.

It is then important for George to establish that choices are to either lose his job or be with Joanne. The choice to this being entirely dependent on George's determination on how he needs his career or the relevance of him actualizing his feelings (Welland & Pugsley, (2018)). Supervision and consultation would then avail possible limitations to conversations that both would be involved in that may put professionalism at risk. George's decision to pursue a relationship with Joanne on legit basis would certain the biblical notion realized with individuals pursuing their heart desires regardless of the repercussions.

With optimum consideration, George could secretly give a chance to the legitimacy of their relationship and secretly give it a chance. Also, he could consider finding another Job of him being with Joanne would eventually result in him losing his job as of in the case of Job, the Bible character who lost everything because of love. (Job 1: 13-22). Sharing through supervision and consultation then avails possible remedies to such situations that would eventually show positive outcomes to all parties. I would then approach my supervisor with the pretence of consulting for a colleague to evaluate his opinion on the same. It would also be essential to consult your colleagues under such for their honest opinion and previous experiences they encountered. In developing the most rational solution, it is then advisable to revive NASW policies and the level of consideration they offer their members under such instances.

References

Shapiro, J.P., Stefkovich, J.A., (2016), ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemma. Routledge DOI: 10.4324/9781315773339

Bjelica, D., Gardasevic, J., Vasiljevic, I., Popovic, S., (2016), Ethical dilemmas of sport advertising.Sport Mont, 14 (3), 41-43 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314952067_Ethical_Dilemmas_of_Sport_Advertising

Goodwin, C., (2018), preparing students to respond to ethical dilemmas through a health care ethics quiz bowl-an ipe activity. ICERI2018 Proceedings, 7306-7313 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282910039_Developing_and_Delivering_Practice-Based_Interprofessional_Education_PhD_Thesis

Welland, T., Pugsley, L., (2018), Ethical dilemmas in qualitative research. Routledge DOI: 10.2307/1556530