Are you managing your professional boundaries appropriately?

Learning Objective

After considering this resource, you should be able to assess your confidence in managing boundaries, and identify areas where you might need further support

Professional boundaries are the rules, guidelines and expectations that ensure that your work is effective and safe for workers, clients and organisations.

As someone in a position of trust, responsibility and power working with vulnerable people, it is essential that you have a clear idea of your professional boundaries and appropriate behaviour with service user. This self-assessment tool, compiled by Frank Cooper, an independent trainer and boundaries consultant, will help you identify how tight your professional boundaries currently are.

Instructions

The scenarios below will get you to think about yourself, your behaviour and your ethics. Boundaries are serious issues, so answer these questions as honestly as possible. Try to answer with what you would actually do, not what you know you should do. As you work through the questions you may go back and change your answers to arrive at better understanding of what boundaried behaviour should be.

Your results

The answers you gave to each question represent a range of possible responses to the situation that have been broadly categorised as:

Acceptable Borderline Risky Breach of confidentiality

This is intended as a representative guideline rather than golden rules for acceptable or unacceptable behaviour.

A group of clients are in the reception area of your project/office waiting for appointments. One of them makes a sexist joke that is inappropriate but you find it funny. What do you do?
Not answered.
Whilst chatting with a client, they talk about how much they love one of your favourite films. What do you do?
Not answered.
One of your clients brings you a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates as a thank you present at the end of your time working together. You have been working together for 2 years and you have worked hard to support them. What do you do?
Not answered.
A client tells you that they have got a job, which is something that you have been supporting them with for a long time. They spontaneously hug you as you congratulate them. What do you do?
Not answered.
A client says that no one else makes them feel good the way you do and no one else really cares for them. What do you do?
Not answered.
One of your vulnerable clients regularly turns up late for meetings and has trouble getting out of bed. What do you do?
Not answered.
A client asks how your week has been. You have had a hard week both at home and at work and you are feeling quite tired and stressed. What do you do?
Not answered.
When you are doing your weekly shop in the supermarket, you see one of your clients walking down the aisle towards you. What do you do?
Not answered.
You are doing a home visit with an elderly client at the end of the day. Just as you are about to leave, the client asks if you could pop to the chemist to pick up a prescription for them as their normal carer is ill and no one will be coming for another 2 days. It is outside of your job description and working hours to go and get the prescription. What do you do?
Not answered.
A client seems to be flirting with you during your one-to-one sessions. You do find the client attractive but you have no serious feelings for the client. What do you do?
Not answered.
Start quiz afresh Reconsider your choices Submit
0 x
Not answered
0 x
Acceptable
0 x
Inflexible
0 x
Unfeeling
0 x
Risky
0 x
Boundary crossing

Review

Generally acceptable behaviour
Your response was generally within acceptable boundaries, and as long as you maintain an awareness of appropriate behaviour and how your client responds to your actions you should be OK. However, acting within your boundaries is no guarantee that the clients will do the same, so make sure you are aware of how they are acting and responding.

Inflexible behaviour
Your response is a little harsh; your actions may not leave you open to accusations of inappropriate behaviour but they will not help you build a good relationship with your clients. Try to be more open minded about more humane responses that take into account the client’s needs.

Unfeeling behaviour
Your response could be viewed as unfeeling. By acting in this way you will be breaking boundaries in terms of fairness, respect and human rights. You need to loosen up a bit and think about how your client is feeling.

Risky behaviour
You are stepping outside of your boundaries and there are likely to be some negative consequences for you or for the client in the short or long term. If not, then you have been lucky and got away with it. Whilst it is possible to step outside your boundaries and get away with it, you only need one small mishap and things can come crashing down, leaving you or the client in a very difficult position. Spend some time thinking about the consequences of your actions and do some further reading or training.

Boundary crossing behaviour
These actions are totally outside of any realm of boundaried behaviour and you should think very carefully about the consequences of your action. If this was your answer to the above questions, you should think long and hard about whether you know what you are doing working with vulnerable clients, and get some immediate support and training before engaging further with any clients.

Summary

Appropriate and boundaried behaviour can be seen in the same light as assertive behaviour. Your response could be perceived as either too boundaried/unfeeling or unboundaried/passive. The best response is to be boundaried yet able to keep some humanity, feeling and congruence in your actions. You need to be able to find a balance between your requirements as a professional, the client’s needs and the need to maintain a positive relationship with your client. This is a hard balance to maintain and your professional boundaries should ultimately over-rule the client’s needs and the need to maintain a positive relationship.

There are always many variables in any situation and these questions are not able to take account of all of these factors. In your practice you will need to judge every situation on its own merit and think carefully about the boundaries issues that they present.

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