Counselors must maintain strict ethical boundaries with clients to avoid conflicts of interest or appearances of impropriety. This includes not socializing with clients outside of sessions, exchanging personal contact information, accepting gifts, having clients to their homes, babysitting for clients, sharing other clients' confidential information, or referring clients only to friends' practices. Counselors must keep all interactions professional to preserve trust and ensure clients feel comfortable receiving help without other motives being questioned.

1. Ethical Boundaries
TEAM E

2. Agenda
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Can we go to Lunch?
Can I have your personal number?
Here’s a gift!
Come over to my house?
Will you babysit my kids for me?
In fact, Joe Schmo has the same issue…
I can’t help you but my friend is a doctor and
he doesn’t charge that much…

3. Can We Go To Lunch?
• This example of any party inviting the other to
a lunch is unethical. It can give off the wrong
impression and can be misinterpreted.
• The counselor and client need to be in a
professional environment.
• There should be no hint of inappropriate
behavior nor intent.

4. Can I have your Personal Number?
• The counselor should not give out his/her
personal cell number.
• There are emergency numbers for clients in
case an emergency arises.
• The counselor should have a work cell phone
if necessary and can be allowed to give that
number to clients.

5. Here’s a Gift
• Under no circumstances should a counselor
accept a gift.
• You are here to serve the client not be rewarded.
• Gifts can be misunderstood as payment
• Respectfully let the client know that you can not
accept the gift.

6. Come over to my house?
• Clients nor counselors should not go to either
one’s house.
• Sessions need to be held in a professional
environment.
• Too many things can be “said or done” and
pending on the environment and witnesses, your
integrity and work ethic could be questioned.

7. Will you babysit my kids for me?
• This scenario could be considered payment for
the counselor if the client is babysitting the
counselor’s kids
• The client can use kids as an advantage over
the counselor
• Under no circumstances should clients be
involved in the counselor’s personal life

8. In fact, Joe Schmo has the same
issue…
• Counselors would be in violation of
client/counselor confidentiality.
• Counselors’ confidentiality and integrity are
jeopardize by sharing personal information.
• Clients may think that counselors like them
more because they are sharing information
from other clients.

9. I can’t help you but my friend is a doctor
and he doesn’t charge that much…
• A conflict of interest is present in this scenario.
• Counselors referring clients to just their network
may be entitled to a referral fee which can be
misinterpreted as payment.
• Clients will feel that they are getting the run
around and may not want to get the help they
need.

10. In Conclusion
• Counselors need to be very careful with what
they see, do and come across to their clients.
• People’s perspectives can make or break a
working relationship and question one’s work
ethic.
• Never put yourself in a situation that can be
implied as unprofessional.