Posted by jay on October 7, 2003, at 8:13:22
Hey folks:
I have noticed a number of folks who mention extensive attraction to their therapist, which is with no mistake, transference. What you must realize is that this is one of the ultimate *sins* in counselling. Therapists are usually obligated to terminate the client-patient relationship if this occurs. Therapists can face criminal charges and lose their license to practice if they operate outside the boundaries of a client-patient relationship at all.
I have a 48 page booklet from the organization that represents me, which is the "Ontario Association of Social Service and Social Workers". I don't want to reproduce the whole thing, but here are some general guidelines, and these are also identical to most social work organizations around the world.
Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Code of Ethics:
-A social worker or social service worker shall maintain the best interest of the client as the primary professional obligation;
-A social worker or social service worker shall respect the intrinsic worth of the persons she or he serves in her or his professional relationships with them;
-A social worker or social service worker shall carry out her or his professional duties and obligations with integrity and objectivity;
-A social worker or social service worker shall have and maintain competence in the provision of a social work or social service work service to a client;
-A social worker or social service worker shall not exploit the relationship with a client for personal benefit, gain or gratification;
-A social worker or social service worker shall protect the confidentiality of all professionally acquired information. He or she shall disclose such information only when required or allowed by law to do so, or when clients have consented to disclosure;-A social worker or social service worker who engages in another profession, occupation, affiliation or calling shall not allow these outside interests to affect the social work or social service work relationship with the client;
-A social worker or social service worker shall not provide social work or social service work services in a manner that discredits the professional of social work or social service work or diminishes the public’s trust in either profession.
-A social worker or social service worker shall advocate for workplace conditions and policies that are consistent with this Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers;
-A social worker or social service worker shall promote excellence in his or her respective profession;-A social worker or social service worker shall advocate change in the best interest of the client, and for the overall benefit of society, the environment and the global community.
So, please keep these deeply in mind, as there are very, very rarely ever *any* exceptions to these rules. You can contact your local social work or psychologist organization if you feel these rules have been broken. I want to plug people going to a social worker instead of a 'psychologist', as social work is the largest and most strictly governed therapy-providing field in the world. I know of a social worker who developed a relationship with a client 12 years after they had therapy together, and the social worker had his liscense removed and had to appear before a board.
So, not to be paternalistic, I hope this helps some folks make clear decisions.
Best wishes,
Jay
poster:jay
thread:266267
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030925/msgs/266267.html