Chapter 9
Boundary Issues
Answer Key
1. It would be ethically permissible for you to consider entering into a bartering arrangement
with a prospective client if:
a. bartering is an acceptable practice among other professionals in your community.
b. you cannot afford to provide pro bono services.
c. you suggest bartering and the client agrees to this arrangement.
d. the client does not have mental health insurance.
e. you are designing and plan to build a new house and the client is an architect whose
skills you can use.
2. Friendships with former clients:
a. are prohibited by the ACA Code of Ethics.
b. are allowed, under specified conditions, by the ACA Code of Ethics.
c. generally, should be avoided because they create a potential for problems.
d. occur infrequently because most counselors disapprove of them in all circumstances.
e. have been entered into by about 95% of all counselors.
3. Boundaries serve to protect the welfare of clients because:
a. counselors are vulnerable in counseling relationships.
b. clients are vulnerable in counseling relationships.
c. counselors and clients would often become friends if boundaries did not exist.
d. counselors and clients naturally are attracted to each other.
e. clients might use counselors to get their personal needs met if there were no
boundaries.
4. The ONLY dual relationships that are prohibited by the ACA Code of Ethics are those:
a. involving loans from the client to the counselor.
b. involving a sexual relationship between the client and the counselor.
c. that a reasonable person would object to.
d. in which the counselor and client both knew before the dual relationship began, knew
that it might be problematic, but went ahead and entered into it anyway.
e. involving business relationships between the counselor and the client.
5. Regarding dual relationships between counselors and clients:
a. counselors are in agreement that such relationships are always wrong.
b. experts all agree that such relationships are always harmful to clients.
c. there is no consensus among professionals, as to which dual relationships are
acceptable and which are not.
d. most counselors agree that dual relationships invite greater authenticity and
congruence from counselors and can improve their professional judgments.
e. experts agree that if clients assent to dual relationships, the dual relationships are
acceptable to the profession.
6. The primary difference between a boundary crossing and a boundary violation is:
a. everyone agrees when a boundary has been violated, whereas it is hard to reach
agreement as to whether a boundary has been crossed.
b. a violation involves a sexual relationship.
c. a crossing occurs in almost every counseling session, while violations are less
frequent.
d. in a crossing, a boundary is shifted to meet the needs of the counselor, making sure
the client is not harmed in the process.
e. a violation involves a serious breach of the code of ethics that results in a client being
harmed.
7. To be a culturally sensitive counselor, when a client from a different culture offers a
counselor a gift, the counselor SHOULD:
a. never accept the gift.
b. always accept the gift.
c. take into primary consideration the monetary value of the gift.
d. evaluate the meaning the client attaches to the offering of the gift.
e. consider offering a similar gift in return.
8. A counselor’s self-disclosure in a counseling session:
a. may be acceptable if the counselor believes the disclosure will benefit the client.
b. is acceptable if the client is not uncomfortable with the counselor’s disclosure.
c. is encouraged to demonstrate that the counselor is genuine and human.
d. usually results in harm to the client.
e. is a practice that is universally accepted by counseling professionals.
9. Counselors who hug their clients:
a. would never get into trouble as long as the counselor can justify the hug as part of the
therapeutic process.
b. are doing what almost all counselors do at some point in their careers.
c. will never be able to obtain professional liability insurance.
d. expose themselves to serious claims of ethical violations because of the prohibition
against touching clients in the professional literature.
e. should be cautious and ensure the client is comfortable with the touching.
10. The typical counselor who enters into a sexual relationship with a client is:
a. one who has had a number of ethical complaints filed against him or her in the past.
b. is a professionally isolated male counselor who is experiencing distress or crisis in his
personal life.
c. is a male counselor under the age of 30.
d. is a counselor who has few friends and who has low self-esteem.
e. is a person who has a number of emotional problems and who has been in counseling
for a number of years.
11. Alice is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has counseled Thomas for several months.
An issue to which they have devoted considerable time is Thomas’ fear of failure,
particularly in terms of his ability to succeed academically and complete his G.E.D. When
Thomas learns that he has passed his G.E.D. exam, he asks Alice to attend the ceremony at
which he will receive his G.E.D. diploma, and she accepts the invitation. This is an example
of:
a. poor professional judgment.
b. a boundary violation.
c. a boundary crossing.
d. a detrimental dual relationship.
e. a violation of the code of ethics standard on non-professional relationships.
12. When counseling clients who have been sexually exploited by a previous mental health
professional, counselors should
a. report the offending professional to the appropriate state licensing board.
b. report the offending professional to the ACA Ethics Committee.
c. encourage the client to file a lawsuit against the offending professional.
d. respect the client’s decision to take action or not to take action against the offending
professional.
e. advocate for the client by filing an ethics complaint on the client’s behalf.
13. A definition of a “boundary” that is offered in the text is:
a. a limit that promotes nonmaleficence.
b. a frame around the therapeutic relationship that defines the participants’ roles in the
relationship.
c. a situation in which a counselor enters into two or more roles with a help seeker.
d. an inappropriate intimacy between counselor and client.
e. a potentially beneficial interaction between counselor and client.
14. All of the following statements regarding dual relationships are true EXCEPT:
a. it can be difficult to recognize potential dual relationships before they occur.
b. the counseling profession has little consensus about their propriety, with the exception
of sexual dual relationships.
c. all dual relationships are avoidable if the counselor practices conscientiously.
d. traditional notions about the propriety of dual relationships are being challenged by
newer, innovative approaches to counseling.
e. the potential outcomes of dual relationships range from beneficial to harmful.
15. Counselors who work in the military may encounter unavoidable dual relationship issues
because:
a. military counselors are rarely asked to evaluate service members whom they counsel.
b. military counselors may have a superior-subordinate relationship with their clients.
c. counselors who work in the military usually practice off-base.
d. it is difficult for someone steeped in military training to feel empathy.
e. they are less comfortable with role blending than are counselors in other settings.
Answer Key