1. CROSSING BOUNDARIES
Joshua Velasquez & Stephanie Navarro
BSHS/335 12/19/13

2. INTRO
5 CENTRAL THEMES:
1. Intimate relationship
2. Pursuit of personal benefit
3. Emotional and dependency needs
4. Altruistic gestures
• Questions
• References

3. INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
• Many dual relationships in social
work involve some element of intimacy.
• Under what circumstances, is it appropriate
for social workers to hug a client?

4. PURSUIT OF PERSONAL BENEFIT
• Monetary gain
• Goods and services
• Useful Information

5. EMOTIONAL AND DEPENDENCY NEEDS
• Emotional and dependency issues are
rooted in the social worker’s emotional needs,
• Childhood experiences
• health problems

6. ALTRUISTIC GESTURES
• A counselor in a community mental health
center provided psychotherapy services for
many years to a young man with a history
of clinical depression. The client asked the
counselor if she would say a few words
during the ceremony at the clients
upcoming wedding.
• Trigger boundary confusion.

7. QUESTIONS
Is it ok to receive gift from
clients?
Is it ok to give clients
gifts?

8. REFERENCES
• http://www.socialworktoday.com/professional_practice_index.shtml
• www.behavioralhealthce.com/index.php/component/courses/?task=view&cid=65
• http://www.socialworker.com/featurarticles/ethicsarticles/Client_Relationships_and_Ethic
al_Boundaries_for_Social_Workers_in_Child_Welfare/