I don’t believe that social workers, psychologists or psychiatrists should be allowed to have it both ways. Either they are or are not a couples therapist or they are. There should be no in betweens or blurred boundaries and it appears to me that the social worker has confused the boundaries here. This is (still) where you lose me. There is no therapeutic relationship here. Monica acted as a private citizen. Whether or not you think her behavior was correct is another matter. You simply cannot impose a therapeutic relationship onto a therapist because they are a therapist. Framing her behavior at her own house as an ethical issue is simply incorrect. If we are to go through our lives assuming we have therapeutic responsibilities with everyone we meet, we'd have miserable lives. I did read the article, which I why I asked the question. By the way, I agree with it generally: untrained people should not conduct couples therapy. That's why many states (mine included) license Marriage and Family Therapists separately. I also agree that the statement "I don't even want him at our other site" is indicative of an emotional reaction. So what? Therapists are not entitled to private feelings? Ethics concern behavior, not feelings. I see no evidence of unethical behavior. In fact, by seeking outside help and supervision, Monica is behaving very ethically. But unsuccessful marital therapy has nothing whatsoever to do with Monica's question in any case. She's asking about appropriate boundaries within an agency, when someone referred there has been involved in criminal activity at her own home. The idea that she is not entitled to a life outside therapy demonstrates, in my mind, a fundamental misunderstanding of the field.
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