Managing Boundaries in the Helping Process

Managing boundaries is an everyday reality faced by human service professionals, particularly those who live and practice in small communities. Helpers who work in rural communities may have greater challenges in dealing with multiple relationships than those who work in urban areas.

Assignment Scenarios

Scenario 1
A human service professional discovers that all of her bank accounts are at the local bank where a client works as a teller. This client has access to the human service professionals financial information and may be able to ascertain who the human service professionals other clients are in town when checks are deposited.

Scenario 2
A human service professional sees one of his clients at the local grocery store. The client is with one or more other persons. The human service professional, who is mindful of confidentiality, must decide how to respond. If he doesnt acknowledge the client, will the client feel snubbed? On the other hand, what if the human service professional approaches the client to say hello and the client doesnt want others to know that he or she is working with the human service professional?

Scenario 3
A human service professional has been invited to a dinner party hosted by a friend. She is not aware of the fact that the friends son is dating one of her new clients, who also attends the party. Upon seeing her client at her friends party, the human service professional must decide how to respond. This scenario can be taken in a number of directions. For example, what if the client has concerns with the human service professionals friend because the son constantly complains about him/her? What if the client identifies as being gay and is romantically involved with the friends son, but his parent (the human service professionals friend) does not know that he is gay?

Scenario 4
A former client wants to become friends with you on social media. You understand the importance of ethical practice and attempt to avoid blurred boundaries, dual relationships, breaks in confidentiality, and privacy issues. You mistakenly add this former client to your friends list and are unsure how to proceed.
Assignment Directions

For this assignment you will discuss each scenario in terms of managing the boundaries of the helping process.
Please be sure to address all of the following in your assignment:
    Discuss the importance of following ethical guidelines in human service practice.
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o    You may want to review the NOHS Ethical Standards for Human Services Professionals.
   
    For each of the four scenarios above:
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o    Identify the ethical problem.
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o    List the NOHS Ethical Standard that aligns with the ethical problem.
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o    Develop a strategy to resolve the ethical problem.
Assignment Guidelines
Your assignment should be a 34-page expository essay, not including the title and reference pages, and should include the following elements:

    Title page: Provide your name, title of assignment, course and section number, and date.
   
    Body: Answer all the questions in complete sentences and paragraphs.
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o    Your responses should reflect professional writing standards, using proper tone and language. The writing and writing style should be correct and accurate, and reflect knowledge of skills and practice in the human service profession.
   
    Reference page: Sources listed in APA 7th edition format.
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o    Include a minimum of four scholarly or academic sources to support your responses and conclusions, one of which must be the National Organization of Human Services Code of Ethics.
   
    Use Arial or Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced and left aligned.
    Use standard 1″ margins on all sides.
    Use APA 7th edition formatting and citation style.
   
    This assignment assesses the following Course Outcome:
    Evaluate the ethical standards as they relate to managing boundaries in the helping process.

Please read the following chapter in your text:
    Chapter 10: Getting the Most from Your Fieldwork and Supervision
Web Resource
National Organization for Human Services. (2015). Ethical standards for human services professionals. https://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals

The reading examines the skills and knowledge that are required for successful job performance. You will also identify effective supervisor qualities, rationale for participating in group supervision, and multiple roles and relationships among supervisors and supervisees.