Dual Relationship Research Paper

Words: 1040
Pages: 5

HOW CAN A COUNSELLOR BALANCE A FRIENDSHIP WITH A THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP?

Gabrielle Syme in her book, Dual Relationships in Counselling & Psychotherapy: Exploring the Limits claims that the expert confederacies of counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists have compelled much rigid rules in regards to the services. Centering about dual relationship, this is applied in response to the complaints received from the clients, affirming how they are abused and adversely affected by an alteration in nature of professional assistance relationship. When such happening occurs, the boundaries in the professional connection is to be put to subject. The limits are meant to characterize a safe, therapeutic relationship between the counsellor and the client. Present in every professional relationship is an inherent power imbalance. The proportion of knowledge possessed by a counsellor is definitely larger than that of the clients, making them very dependant to the counsellor.
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This is a major threat to the therapeutic relationship established, and miles ahead of the friendship border drawn by the counsellor. Above all, when the client starts exhibiting unusual demeanor, the counsellor is highly encouraged to stress the boundaries that are being set throughout the treatment frame towards the client. Balancing friendship with therapeutic relationship can be arduous if the boundary is transgressed, but the counsellor can always go for less confrontational way to resolve this predicament. Aside from showering the clients with advices, capture their feelings and assist them in discovering concrete relationship yet non-sexual. This will in turn, help them distinguish the feeling of comfort from sheer lust. Through this act, optimal balance of friendship and therapeutic relationship will be retained between the counsellor and the