Dual Relationship - Assignment Example

Dual Relationship Introduction The mode of communication between a supervisor and his/her junior is important in any workforce. There are several new methods of communication between two people working together that would help the relationship. In psychology, the communication between the therapist and patient is important in helping cure the patient. There are several epic dilemmas that we encounter on a day to day basis on supervision and how to deal with multiple relations. The essay will talk about the challenges, problems and how to deal with multiple relationships when one is a supervisor. Discussion Issues I will face while practicing and how to handle the issues Dealing with the client’s welfare is one of the major issues one faces in psychology. The client’s expectations differing with the counselor’s expectations create a great risk for the whole counseling session. The supervisor should be able to handle the whole process professionally to control the counselor and the client. Vulnerability occurs when the client has a set of assumptions about the sessions, and the professional, on the other hand, has a dissimilar set of assumptions about the same session (Knapp et al., 2013). The supervisor has a hard decision on how to handle the two. The supervisor should not suggest any way that would bring any harm to the client or else be held responsible for the action. The counselor should set out the rules for the first session to avoid vulnerability of any member involved in the process. The client usually comes to the counselor with a set mind of how the counselor should handle his/her issue. The counselor should, therefore, be able to make the client understand the relationship and how they would handle the problem. When there is a divergence in the responsibilities inherent in the two people in the dual relationship, then the supervisor is faced with a hard decision on creating the responsibilities (Tien et al., 2012). The environment creates a potential for divided loyalties and a related loss of objectivity. The counselor is responsible for the client and should take the lead in the whole session. The counselor should not create a relationship with the client where the client forgoes responsibilities assigned to them. In order to make the whole session easier, the counselor should have already learned the hands-on process of professional counseling. It would remove the vulnerability they initially had and guaranteed a healthy relationship with the client. Personal relationships between the client and the counselor put the whole process at risk (Knapp et al., 2013). The counselor self-interest might compromise the client’s interest. Supervisor’s work is to make sure the supervisee does not get personal during the whole counseling session. The supervisor helps the supervisee deal with the client. There is a duty to warn is relevant to the supervisor as well as the counselor that is dealing directly with the client. When the whole counseling session is getting out of hand, the supervisor comes to the session. He intervenes and lays out the conditions and specifies when it is appropriate to warn the client when they are out of line (Tien et al., 2012). The supervisor should invest in the behavior and actions of his/her supervisee. The responsibility of being a supervisor should, therefore, be a very serious affair. Potential dual relationships in supervision and how they are problematic Sexual Dual Relationships There are four types of sexual dual relationships that include sexual attraction, sexual harassment, consensual sexual relationships, and intimate romantic relationship. These relationships are common in a supervisory relationship. There is a little known about how to address and discuss the implication of the sexual attraction relationship. It is hard to address the issue because acting on the sexual attraction leads to serious ethical dilemmas. It is vital to address the attraction that happens during supervision or the one that happens through consultation. Sexual harassment is an abusive kind of relationship. It is an abuse of power that the supervisor has, and the supervisee should never tolerate the act. The counselor can be left feeling vulnerable and confused. Majority of relationships that happen between supervisor and supervisee have a consensual but hidden kind of relationship (Knapp et al., 2013). The supervisor holds the power between the two thus is to blame in case there is a reveal of the relationship. The responsibility of the relationship lies with the supervisor, and they have the choice whether it should continue to happen or it should stop. There have been arguments whether a relationship between the supervisor and supervisee should continue after they stop working together. There is, however, no distinct literature on the relationships that start after the supervision and those that start with the sessions. It is obvious that sexual relationships can occur when two adults work together. The relationship should however not interfere with their work output. There is a more harmful outcome than a useful outcome that comes from having a relationship with a supervisor and a supervisee (Tien et al., 2012). Most of the outcomes are negative and unacceptable outcomes. Social Dual Relationships Relationships between supervisor and supervisee in a therapy session are inevitable. They are particularly common in counselor education programs. People who work together share different experiences during the period they are working together. The counselor should not have a friendly relationship with the client, as it is not appropriate. Friends do not pay their fellow friends money for them to listen and try solving their problems. The negative outcomes of dual relationships are mostly from the difference in power between the supervisor and the supervisee. Problems in dual relationships may be from the increase in the potential for exploitation of both parties (Tien et al., 2012). They interfere with the primary obligation of the professional that is to promote the student’s welfare. Conclusion Dual relationships are bound to be problematic if the supervisor or supervisee does not maintain the required level of respect for each other. There are rules and regulations on the supervisor and supervisee relationship, and the two parties should follow the rules. Supervisors are the ones responsible to acknowledge openly and manage the multiple relationships between the supervisor and the supervisee. The supervisees should always ask questions when they feel a confusion in the relationship. References Knapp, S., et al. (2013). Assessing and Managing Risk in Psychological Practice: An Individualized Approach 2nd edition. Maryland: The Trust Insurance Company. Tien, L., et al. (2012). Ethics for Psychologists A casebook Approach. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc Read More