Dual Relationships and Professional Boundaries

Social workers enter into dual relationships when they engage in more than one relationship with a client, becoming social worker and friend, employer, teacher, business associate, or sex partner. This article reviews the research on dual relationships in the therapeutic professions and outlines the legal, ethical, and practice issues involved. The article defines dual relationships as boundary violations and provides a case example to show how even a posttermination friendship can be harmful to a client. Recommendations for preventing and responding to dual relationships are included.