Professional Boundaries: Understanding Dual Relationships in Counseling

Professional Boundaries
• The eternal dilemma
regarding dual relationships
concerns the delicate
legalities of private and
professional relationships
between counselors and
their clients.
• The blurring or violation of
professional boundaries can
lead to non-compliance with
government laws and
subsequent complaints
about ethics’ violation,
malpractice lawsuits or even
cancellation of the
counselors’ licenses.

• It is often the case,
where, a client or any
third party can lodge a
complaint against a
counselor, causing
serious legal jeopardy.
• The burning issue of
dual relationship is
hotly debated by
professionals. While it
is mostly discouraged,
sometimes, it can be
intended for being
beneficial to a client.
The thin lines between
right or wrong takes

• It is a matter of curiosity on why problems
arise due to dual relations, that is, the
overlapping of a private and a professional
relationship? Mostly, these relations are
mismanaged and ill-thought out.
• It is important to remember that in spite
of the nature of dual relationships or the
time encapsulated by it, the major issue
concerns the damage (actual or potential)
done to the client, either intentionally or
not (Wheeler & Bertram, 2019).