DISCUSS THE IMPACTOF THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF BOUNDARIESON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THETHERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP
Research suggests that counsellors of different traditions agree that the therapeutic counselling relationship (TCR) between client and counsellor is at the heart of the counselling process and that, if this relationship is to develop without causing harm to clients, then there is a need for limits and boundaries in that relationship. ... It discusses the impact of the presence and absence of such boundaries on the development of TCRs, mainly with reference to the person-centred approach, founded by Carl Rogers, and the psychodynamic approach, based on the psychoanalytic tradition of Sigmund Freud. ... On this relationship between ethics and powers, Bond (2000) states: “. ... Gross (1996) also highlights this relationship between ethics and power and the subtle, but powerful, ways therapists influence clients: The neutrality of therapists is a ‘myth’; they cannot avoid imposing their values on clients, who are unable to define how they wish to change their behaviour. However, as they talk to therapists, clients’ needs become clearer – it is in this process of defining their needs in the presence of a figure, viewed as wise and authoritarian, that clients are influenced and ‘. ... Some of these limits and boundaries, and the way in which their presence or absence contribute to an ethical way of working, are examined below. Hough (1998) states that all counsellors should ensure that their clients are aware of the ‘technical aspects’ of counselling, such as the purposes of counselling; financial terms; length and frequency of meetings and the number likely to be needed; missed appointments; whether contact can be made outside the times of sessions; under what conditions the relationship may terminate; records counsellors may keep, and whether counsellors are engaged in research which may be published. When such practicalities are in place, they help define the boundaries of TCRs and give an indication to client and counsellor as to what is acceptable, what is not; the type of relationship being offered, and how far it can go. They also create a working contract entered into by counsellor and client, as adults, however much clients, at other points of the relationship, may regress and behave in childlike ways - for example, when a psychodynamic approach is adopted and clients helped to re-live childhood experiences causing problems in the present. ... The absence of this boundary is seen to negate benefits of counselling because, when clients seek the opinion of others about what is being said within TCRs, this weakens the counsellor-client relationship by confusing clients. ... In the absence of regular supervision, counsellors are seen to suffer ‘burnout’, boundaries become blurred and the TCR crosses over from a professional to a personal one. ... Dryden (1993) says this kind of sexual relationship is comparable to an adult and parent saying they can leave behind their parent-child relationship and enter into a sexual relationship on equal terms. ... To avoid confusion such as this about the type of relationship being offered, most counselling approaches discourage offering clients cups of tea and physical contact (hugs); accepting gifts from, or giving gifts to clients, socialising with clients and self-disclosure by counsellors.