-By Timothy Lyons
One of the main problems that I have come to understand in the area of family counseling is that of boundaries (Knapp, Younggren, VandeCreek, Harris, & Martin, 2013). It seems that in so many instances the more definite a psychologist can be in describing boundaries at the onset of treatment, the more prepared all parties can be in the event of issues in regard to boundaries. Some of the issues that can come up relate to boundaries. Boundaries in counseling are the basis by which the therapist can delineate which persons are the focus of treatment and how they are treated. Well defined boundaries in counseling serve as a guide for later issues and can be referred to if questions later come up.
Boundaries in Counseling
If a family comes in for treatment and later one of more of the people in that family eventually seek out one on one treatment, it is better to have defined the boundaries in the context of the family. For instance, if a couple came to counseling together for their relationship and later one of them can back wanting solo treatment there would be an ethical dilemma. It would be prudent to really take a look to see if the other party were really finished with couple therapy and then there would have to be closure or termination in order to start treatment with just one of the couple.
In another instance if there are circumstances in which a one on one client now wanted to bring in their partner, there could be confusion as to which person is the client. In this case, the therapist gives information to the partner so they understand that there is primary client and the partner is there to facilitate therapy for the other. This could avoid future problems if they want to come to the psychologist for services.
References:
American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical Principals of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2003 ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Knapp, S., Younggren, J. N., VandeCreek, L., Harris, E., & Martin, J. N. (2013). Assessing and managing risk in psychological practice: An indivicualized approach (2nd ed.). Rockviller, MD: The Trust.
LexisNexis. (2015). California Board of Psychology Laws and Regulations (2015 ed.). Charlottesville, VA: LexisNexis.
Liang, L. T., Davis, A. S., Arnold, T. A., & Benjamin, A. (2013). Ethics for Psychologist: A Casebook Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Consumer Resources- Patient Bill of Rights – California Psychological Association. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2016, from http://www.cpapsych.org/?52