Dual Relationships: Ethical Considerations and Professional Practices

This essay delves into the complexities of dual relationships within the field of social work, defining them as relationships between social workers and clients that extend beyond the professional or therapeutic context. It emphasizes the potential ethical dilemmas these relationships can create and highlights the importance of maintaining professional boundaries to protect client well-being. The essay explores various ethical considerations, including intimate contact, personal gain, emotional dependence, and altruistic instincts, and discusses the professional practices social workers must adhere to, such as obtaining informed consent and setting clear boundaries. It also addresses cultural considerations and the need for ongoing self-reflection. The essay concludes by summarizing the key ethical challenges and the necessity for social workers to prioritize client welfare while navigating the complexities of dual relationships.

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Dual Relationship
Essay
student
9/6/2019

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Dual relationship
The dual relationship is the relationship the social worker r community workers generally
have with the client or previous client outside their professional or therapeutic association
(commercial, social, economic, personal)”. These relations can happen concurrently or
repeatedly. There are the times when the social workers might find themselves in the ethical
problems related to the dual relationships (Brenner, Kindler & Freundlich, 2010). The Social
workers assess possible or actual dual or manifold relationships to make sure that the client’s
concern remains principal. Where the dual or manifold relationships happens, social workers are
accountable for ensuring that suitable boundaries are recognized and sustained, and that the
relationship between social worker and client is safeguarded (Brownlee et al., 2019). In this
particular essay the ethical considerations and professional practices related to dual relationship
will be discussed.
Dual relationship between the social worker and the client can be risky; therefore the
social worker must maintain the healthy professional relationship with the client. Having
discussions with clients concerning dilemmas postured by dual relationships can shape belief in
the social work association (Sawyer & Prescott, 2011). It is significant that clients have a decent
knowledge of the significance of professional limitations. For instance, if the community worker
lives in the rural society, it is significant that social workers must document client’s choice-
making process on how the ethical decisions relating to dual relationships were dealt as part of
the knowledgeable consent process (Kaplan, 2005).
Intimate contact can be the ethical issue when developing a dual relationship with the
client. Many dual relations in social work include some component of intimacy. The maximum

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extreme cases include sexual intimacy. Though, there are some other practices as well.
Underneath what conditions, for instance, is it suitable for social employees to hug a client? Is
there a difference between a transitory good-bye hug at the finish of long-term management and
an additionally continued hug with the client who is distressed about the life crisis? These issues
can cause ethical dilemmas (Halverson & Brownlee, 2010).
Personal gain is another ethical consideration in the dual relationship between the Social
workers and client. Infrequently become included in the dual relations that produce some kind of
individual benefit, for example financial gain from a commercial venture. Ethics cases can also
takes place in which the social employees have financed money in a client’s increasing business,
exchanged with clients for properties or facilities as imbursement for social work facilities,
referred individuals to the social employee’s relative for extra professional facilities, or required
useful info from clients (Justice & Garland, 2010).
Emotional and dependence issues can also pose ethical issues, a number of borderline
issues ascend from individual issues in community workers’ personal lives. What numerous of
these conditions have in mutual is that they are entrenched in the community worker’s emotional
requirements, for example those stemming from the childhood events, wedded or relationship
problems, health difficulties, aging, job frustrations, or economic and legal issues. These
numerous stressors can damage social workers’ decision, which might lead to unsuitable dual or
multiple relationships and borderline violations (Brocious et al., 2013).
Altruistic instincts are other ethical issues, certain boundary issues ascend due to social
workers’ sincerely altruistic dispositions. The massive majority of community workers are
devoted, caring, and honorable individuals who would never meaningfully exploit clients.

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Incongruously, community workers who are extremely kind and caring might unwittingly raise
challenging dual and multiple relations by appearing clients’ life-cycle occasions, providing
clients home phone numbers for emergency conditions, or providing isolated individuals’ gifts at
weekend time. On circumstance, such humane gestures might be misunderstood by clients and
activate boundary misperception (Sawyer & Prescott, 2011).
Community workers must also consider the professional practices while developing the
dual relationship between the clients. Several professionals enter into the ground of community
work to assist others grow and advance their life conditions. Yet, when functioning with clients,
community workers must uphold clear limitations to convince professional honesty and
accountability (Alexander & Charles, 2009). When functioning with clients, a main skill that
community workers must use in assisting the client’s development or alteration process is to
receive their trust, confidence, and admiration. This is an essential portion of the client
involvement strategy, which should be recognized in the initial phase of the rapport. For those
workers, in child wellbeing, this postures a great challenge, as there is an essential right and
administrative authority to eliminate children from their personal homes, while enduring to work
collaboratively with families toward better functioning, steadiness, and/or family reunion.
Inappropriately, numerous professionals in this field have problems in the extent of client
relationship building. In a determination to encounter the clients’ requirements, workers might
find themselves “assisting the client,” under the appearance of assisting (Brenner, Kindler &
Freundlich, 2010).
Before developing the dual relationship the community workers must ask some questions
to themselves; such as is the dual relationship is avoidable or unavoidable, it is unavoidable,
what phases can be used to reduce the risk, the nature of the professional relationship and the

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context of practice create any difference or not. They must also ask about the impacts of the
relationship on client’s objectivity and decision making, who’s need being met by the dual
relationship, is this producing a blend among the individuals’ personal and professional life, does
the outcome of the relationship cause any confidentially issues (Sawyer & Prescott, 2011). The
community workers must consider the policies standards and ethical values throughout the dual
relationship with the client. They must look for different available options to address the dual
relationship. In ethical scenarios consultation with the administrator/manager is also suggested
when directing dual relationships in practice and scheduling how to manage social contacts and
dual relationships that are inevitable or unforeseen. Dissimilar cultures have diverse
expectations, civilizations and standards and therefore the community member worker must
judge the suitability of boundary overpasses differently. More publicly focused on cultures, for
example the Latino, African American or the Native Americans, are more probable to suppose
boundary overpasses, and scowl upon the rigid application of limitations in therapy (Brenner,
Kindler & Freundlich, 2010).
In conclusion, the dual relationship happen between the community worker and client can
be avoidable and unavoidable. This particular relationship occurs outside the professional and
therapeutic boundaries, and may pose different ethical issues that must be considered by the
community members while developing dual relationship. Some the ethical consideration includes
intimate contact between the client and community worker, making personal benefits by
developing a relationship, emotional and dependence issues, and community worker being over
caring and kind with the client (Alexander & Charles, 2009). The community worker must also
consider their essential profession practices in the dual relationship that are, taking consent from
the patient before making dual relationship, must set their boundaries, must earn the trust and

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respect of the client, asking the essential question such as is the relationship avoidable or
unavoidable, Does the results of the relationship benefits the clients or not, impacts of the dual
relationship in the clients etc. they must also consider the policies and cultural beliefs of the
clients (Ward, 2013).

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References
Alexander, C., & Charles, G. (2009). Caring, mutuality and reciprocity in social worker—client
relationships: Rethinking principles of practice. Journal of Social Work, 9(1), 5-22.
Brenner, E., Kindler, D., & Freundlich, M. (2010). Dual relationships in child welfare practice:
A framework for ethical decision making. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(10),
1437-1445.
Brocious, H., Eisenberg, J., York, J., Shepard, H., Clayton, S., & Van Sickle, B. (2013). The
strengths of rural social workers: Perspectives on managing dual relationships in small
Alaskan communities. Journal of Family Social Work, 16(1), 4-19.
Brownlee, K., LeBlanc, H., Halverson, G., Piché, T., & Brazeau, J. (2019). Exploring self-
reflection in dual relationship decision-making. Journal of Social Work, 19(5), 629-641.
Halverson, G., & Brownlee, K. (2010). Managing ethical considerations around dual
relationships in small rural and remote Canadian communities. International Social
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Justice, J. A., & Garland, D. R. (2010). Dual Relationships in Congregational Practice: Ethical
Guidelines for Congregational Social Workers and Pastors. Social Work &
Christianity, 37(4).
Kaplan, L. E. (2005). Dual Relationships: The Challenges for Social Workers in Recovery.
Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 5(3), 73–90.
Reamer, F. G. (2015). 18 Ethical Issues in Social Work. Social workers' desk reference, 143.

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Sawyer, S., & Prescott, D. (2011). Boundaries and dual relationships. Sexual Abuse, 23(3), 365-
380.
Ward, T. (2013). Addressing the dual relationship problem in forensic and correctional
practice. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18(1), 92-100.