Therapeutic Boundaries in Counselling

Boundaries are a crucial aspect of any effective client-counsellor relationship. They set the structure for the relationship and provide a consistent framework for the counselling process. Some boundary lines are clear. Most counsellors would acknowledge that it is ethically problematic, for example, to counsel your ex-partner because the pre-existing relationship impairs objectivity and serves to undermine the professional relationship. Whilst situations such as these are clearly problematic, outside of such elementary confines are numerous situations where the delineation of boundaries is less clear. These situations fall outside of the formal code of ethics and lie instead in an ambiguous grey area. This course is designed to assist counsellors in reflecting on what is and isn't appropriate in terms of boundary setting in counselling. In this course you will learn: What boundaries are, and why do we need them; Principles of ethical boundaries (Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy, Justice, and Fidelity); Boundaries and self-disclosure; respecting the client; Responsibilities of the counsellor; Limitations of the client-counsellor relationship.