Boundary Crossings: Keeping it Professional
10.3 هزار بار بازدید -
7 سال پیش
-
The RD-client therapeutic relationship depends
The RD-client therapeutic relationship depends on clearly defined professional boundaries to maintain the trust, integrity and respect that is essential for quality nutrition care.
A boundary crossing is a breach of the typical limits that define the safe space of the therapeutic relationship.
There are many types of boundary crossings. Let’s look at a few examples.
1. Self-Disclosure: Disclosing some personal information can help develop rapport and build trust between RDs and their clients. But sharing too much personal information can blur the lines of the RD-client therapeutic relationship.
Be friendly, but avoid saying too much about your personal life.
2. Exchanging gifts with clients can also cross professional boundaries. Small tokens of appreciation, such as those given around the holidays may be acceptable; but accepting or giving any type of gift from clients (large or small) can be a slippery slope. Gift giving can be an emotional experience or imply that a personal relationship is developing. Use your professional judgment to assess the situation when accepting or giving a gift. Maintain your focus on what is best for the client.
3. Always meet clients in a professional environment. Having treatment sessions in unconventional settings such as bars or restaurants can blur the lines of your therapeutic relationship. It confuses the nature of the therapeutic relationship with that of friendship. Again, use your professional judgement to assess the reasons for meeting in an unconventional place at any time. What would be your motives or the client’s motives? Always keep your services professional.
4. Rescue fantasies occur when an RD’s desire to help goes beyond practicing dietetics and intrudes into the client’s private life. This can cause the client to become dependent on you for help outside of the RD scope of practice. If a client needs financial advice or support for family problems, refer them to an appropriate professional for help.
5. When touching clients, always obtain informed consent. Clients may view touching as an invasion of their personal space or that it’s a sexual gesture. Be culturally sensitive and aware of how your touch could affect clients to ensure there are no misunderstandings.
It’s the RD’s responsibility to manage and maintain the professional therapeutic relationship at all times in the best interest of safe, ethical dietetic practice.
Recognize when professional lines are being blurred and take the necessary corrective actions.
A boundary crossing is a breach of the typical limits that define the safe space of the therapeutic relationship.
There are many types of boundary crossings. Let’s look at a few examples.
1. Self-Disclosure: Disclosing some personal information can help develop rapport and build trust between RDs and their clients. But sharing too much personal information can blur the lines of the RD-client therapeutic relationship.
Be friendly, but avoid saying too much about your personal life.
2. Exchanging gifts with clients can also cross professional boundaries. Small tokens of appreciation, such as those given around the holidays may be acceptable; but accepting or giving any type of gift from clients (large or small) can be a slippery slope. Gift giving can be an emotional experience or imply that a personal relationship is developing. Use your professional judgment to assess the situation when accepting or giving a gift. Maintain your focus on what is best for the client.
3. Always meet clients in a professional environment. Having treatment sessions in unconventional settings such as bars or restaurants can blur the lines of your therapeutic relationship. It confuses the nature of the therapeutic relationship with that of friendship. Again, use your professional judgement to assess the reasons for meeting in an unconventional place at any time. What would be your motives or the client’s motives? Always keep your services professional.
4. Rescue fantasies occur when an RD’s desire to help goes beyond practicing dietetics and intrudes into the client’s private life. This can cause the client to become dependent on you for help outside of the RD scope of practice. If a client needs financial advice or support for family problems, refer them to an appropriate professional for help.
5. When touching clients, always obtain informed consent. Clients may view touching as an invasion of their personal space or that it’s a sexual gesture. Be culturally sensitive and aware of how your touch could affect clients to ensure there are no misunderstandings.
It’s the RD’s responsibility to manage and maintain the professional therapeutic relationship at all times in the best interest of safe, ethical dietetic practice.
Recognize when professional lines are being blurred and take the necessary corrective actions.
7 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1396/07/26 منتشر شده
است.
10,317
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