2SJT topic
Professional Boundaries
A gift, a friend request, a chance meeting or a personal question pulls the relationship towards a social one.
Practise Professional Boundaries11 scenarios
What makes these scenarios hard
Warmth pulls against limits. The response that feels kindest in the moment often erodes the frame the client relies on, but a rigid refusal can feel like rejection and damage the therapeutic relationship as badly.
What a strong answer usually does
- Name what is happening rather than managing it without comment. Most boundary problems get worse when nobody discusses them.
- Treat the boundary as there for the client’s benefit rather than your convenience, and be able to explain why.
- Ask what a gift or a request means to this client before correcting it. That is usually the clinically interesting part.
- Take it to supervision when you notice you are making an exception.
What the standards say
- HCPC 1.8: consider the impact of your position of power and trust
- HCPC 1.9: set and maintain appropriate professional boundaries
- HCPC 1.11: ensure personal relationships do not affect your practice
- HCPC 2.10, 2.12: use social networking sites responsibly
Source: HCPC, Standards of conduct, performance and ethics (2024), checked .