Boundary violations in professional—client relationships: Overview and guidelines for prevention

Abstract

The problem of sexual exploitation of clients by helping professionals has received increasing attention over the last two decades. Most of this attention has been devoted to developing more effective sanctions and rehabilitative measures for offenders, as well as strategies for victim recovery. However effective such measures may be, none can undo the damage of the explitative incident and any consequent legal proceedings to the client, the professional, or their primary partners. Effective prevention involves an understanding of the nature of trust-based relationships and the realization that the crossing of sexual boundaries reflects an extreme of a continuum of what are often called dual relationships. The appropriateness of personal disclosure, non-erotic touch, social involvement, exchange of gifts, and other activities that often presage sexual involvement, may have different implications in different professional settings. Closed systems, such as the military, hospitals and rural communities, where professionals and clients often have dual relationships with each other almost of necesity, pose a special challenge. Opportunities to struggle with these issues in the educational setting, as well as documentation of questionable interactions and consultation regarding ethical dilemmas, are likely to minimize the incidence of exploitative acts.