The prevention of psychotherapist sexual misconduct: avoiding the slippery slope

Physician-Patient Boundaries: Professionalism Training Using Video Vignettes

INTRODUCTION

The concept of professional boundaries is often not included in medical training. Historically, the field of psychiatry has given much consideration to the topic of boundaries, partially due to the high incidence of sexual boundary violations in psychotherapy practice. And while there is a perception that more formal education is needed in psychiatry, the pressure to adjust the frame of a treatment in clinical practice is ubiquitous. We developed this presentation and discussion, using stimulus videos to depict common boundary issues that crop up in everyday outpatient medical practice.

METHODS

This 90-minute session consists of a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation introducing the concept of professional boundaries and identifies the nine boundary domains as defined by Gutheil and Gabbard. Then the class views and discusses six brief video vignettes (allowing 10 minutes per vignette) with a 10-minute break. Faculty panelists from different specialties and at different stages of training are present to discuss the video vignettes and give examples from their own practice.

RESULTS

This curriculum was implemented in 2009 at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and has been held annually since. Pre and post data were obtained in March 2009 from third-year medical students who participated in the seminar just prior to beginning their clinical clerkships. Statistically significant changes between pretest and posttest means were observed in five of the 10 questionnaire items, including one knowledge-based question about prescriptions to nonpatients.

DISCUSSION

The two learner groups we targeted were medical students during their clerkship year and residents in their first year of training. However, this material could easily be extended to other disciplines in medicine such as nursing.

Perceptions of boundaries and cultural influences in Qatar

BACKGROUND

Boundary issues, which regularly arise in therapy, can present dilemmas for most clinicians. There has been substantial literature on boundary excursions in clinician-patient relationships, however, very little empirical research exists and is documented. As mental health researchers, we need to investigate a wide range of sensitive topics to enhance our understanding of the many issues that arise in the psychotherapeutic frame.

AIMS

We set out to empirically explore perceptions of what may constitute a boundary violation among the mental health staff in the State of Qatar and their views on the subject.

RESULTS

A total of 50 participants (24 psychiatrists, 2 doctorate level psychologists, 24 psychiatric nurses) responded with a response rate of 80%. Participants rated each possible boundary violation according to its degree of harm and professional unacceptability. Three distinct groupings of boundary violations were obtained: (1) core, consisting of the most serious violations; (2) disclosure and greeting behaviour, involving disclosure of information about the therapist and greeting behaviour; and (3) separation of therapist and client lives, involving encounters between therapists and clients outside of therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to ascertain these dilemmas so that these theoretical models can be integrated in clinical practice.

Differences and similarities in cross-cultural perceptions of boundaries: a comparison of results from two studies

There has been substantial literature on boundary excursions in clinician-patient relationships; however, very little empirical research exists. Even less information exists on how perceptions of this issue might differ across cultures. Prior to this study, empirical data on various kinds of boundary excursions were collected in different cultural contexts. First, clinicians from the U.S. and Brazil were asked to rate 173 boundary excursions for both their perceived harmfulness and their professional unacceptability (Miller et al., 2006). In a second study, colleagues from Qatar administered a slightly modified version to mental health care professional staff of a hospital in Doha, Qatar (Ghuloum et al., 2011). In this paper, the results of these two separate studies are compared. The results showed some similarities and some differences in perceptions of the boundary behaviors. For example, both sets of cultures seem to agree that certain behaviors are seriously harmful and/or professionally unacceptable. These behaviors include some frankly sexual behavior, such as having sexual intercourse with a patient, as well as behavior related to doing business with the patient, and some disclosing behavior. There are also significant cultural differences in perceptions of how harmful some of the behaviors are. Qatari practitioners seemed to rate certain behaviors that within therapy mix disclosing or personal behavior with therapy as more harmful, but behaviors that involved interacting with patients outside of therapy as less serious. A factor analysis suggested that participants in U.S./Brazil saw a much larger number of behaviors as making up a set of Core Boundary Violations, whereas Qatari respondents separated sexual behaviors from others. Finally, a Rasch analysis showed that both cultures perceived a continuum of boundary behaviors, from those that are least harmful or unprofessional to those that are highly harmful or unprofessional. One interpretation is that cultural factors may be most influential on those kinds of behaviors that are perceived as relatively less serious. Implications for training and supervision are also discussed.

Enhancing our Understanding of the Potential Violation of Sexual Boundaries in Sport Psychology Consultancy

This article discusses issues surrounding the potential violation of sexual boundaries in sport psychology consultancy and critically evaluates the current state of knowledge in the field. Limited discussion and research relating to this ethical issue exists within sport psychology; the discussion that has occurred has mainly focused on erotic transference and countertransference (Andersen, 2005). Research and knowledge from clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and psychotherapy proffers ideas for discussion and research into the factors that precipitate sexual boundary violations. The relevance of the controversial practice of touch as a therapeutic tool and a stimulus for sexual boundary violations is considered, alongside implications for the training of neophyte practitioners through role-playing, peer support, and supervision.

Commentary: doctors without boundaries: the ethics of teacher-student relationships in academic medicine

Possessed of both instinct and intellect, physician teachers are required to be respectful exemplars of professionalism and interpersonal ethics in all environments, be it the hospital, classroom, or outside the educational setting. Sometimes, even while protecting the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship, they may surreptitiously find themselves in the throes of consensual intimacy, boundary violations, student exploitation, or other negative interpersonal and/or departmental dynamics. One may question how an academic can consistently resolve this tension and summon the temperance, humility, charity, and restraint needed to subdue lust, pride, abuse, and incontinence in the workplace. One important answer may lie in an improved understanding of the moral necessity of social cooperation, fairness, reciprocity, and respect that is constitutive of the physician-teacher role. Although normative expectations and duties have been outlined in extant codes of ethics and conduct within academic medicine, to date, few training programs currently teach faculty and residents about the ethics of appropriate pedagogic and intimate relations between teaching staff and students, interns, residents, researchers, and other trainees. This essay highlights examples from history, literature, and medical ethics as one small step toward filling this void.

Faculty-student boundaries in associate degree nursing programs

Professionals are called to high standards of behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate nursing faculty beliefs about appropriate behaviors for nurse educators. Nursing faculty are generally conservative in their beliefs and even more conservative in their actions. Three behaviors of educators are universally viewed as inappropriate: telling a student of the educator's sexual attraction; sexual involvement with a current student; and making deliberate or repeated sexual comments, gestures, or physical contact that are unwanted by the student. Insulting or ridiculing an absent student and insulting or ridiculing a present student were considered appropriate by few respondents (5% and 2.1%, respectively). Little guidance exists for nursing faculty in determining the appropriateness of various behaviors. This exploratory research gives an introductory view of faculty perceptions of appropriate teacher behaviors.

The Relevance of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy to Understanding Therapist–Patient Sexual Abuse and Treatment of Survivors

Regardless of the therapy modality, research continues to point to the therapeutic relationship as a major salient factor in clinical success or failure. When a patient is sexually abused by his or her therapist, this therapeutic relationship is cynically exploited in a way that does not properly serve the essential needs of the patient. When this patient then seeks reparative therapy, the subsequent therapist needs to pay close attention to issues of the relationship which were breached by the previous clinician. In this article, two case studies showing very different dynamics will be presented in order to demonstrate: (1) relevant factors related to transference, countertransference, projective identification, and the analytic third pertaining to the former, abusive therapy; and (2) needs versus wishes, and issues related to boundaries and self-disclosure in the corrective therapy.

Ethical issues in therapy: therapist self-disclosure of sexual feelings

Although therapist sexual attraction to clients is common, and therapist self-disclosure is an often-used intervention, therapist self-disclosure of sexual feelings to clients is an understudied phenomenon. In this article, I critically review the small base of literature on therapist self-disclosure of sexual feelings, including information on prevalence rates, empirical research, and case studies. By incorporating these findings with information from relevant sections of the American Psychological Association (2002) Ethics Code, my intent is to evaluate different aspects of therapist self-disclosure of sexual feelings and arrive at conclusions regarding therapists' use of these disclosures. It appears that direct, explicit disclosure of sexual feelings can run the risk of harming clients and may therefore be unethical. Therefore, the use of this technique is discouraged. I discuss the issue of using less explicit interventions.

Intimacy Boundaries: Between Mental Health Nurses & Psychiatric Patients

This was the first research study in Canada to explore intimacy boundary violations and sexual misconduct between nurses (both RNs and registered psychiatric nurses) and patients. Using a researcher-generated survey, a total of 923 mental health nurses commented on their sexual attraction to patients, and dating and sexual intercourse patterns with patients. The findings indicated that very few nurses had dated or engaged in sexual intercourse with discharged patients, and the few nurses who had done so tended to be younger men prepared at the registered psychiatric nursing diploma level. A small number of nurses believed it was permissible to have a sexual relationship with a patient while the patient was hospitalized, but none reported having a current relationship. Given the severity of this intimacy boundary violation, nurses need to be educated regarding the serious and dangerous psychiatric effects that can result for patients from engaging in a sexual relationship with nurses. The Code of Ethics of the Canadian Nurses Association and nurses' obligation to follow it needs to be reinforced. Nurses engaging in intimacy boundary violations are vulnerable to patient-initiated lawsuits.

Development of a training module on therapeutic boundaries for mental health clinicians and case managers

This article describes the development of a training model to teach mental health clinicians and case managers about therapeutic boundaries. Awareness of boundary transgressions is vital for establishing and maintaining the moral and ethical integrity of mental health treatment. Our structured teaching model was presented to staff from many different treatment settings throughout our mental health organization. A major portion of each session was utilized for exploration of common boundary dilemmas in the clinical setting as they relate to current policies and ethics codes. Efforts were made to mention the variety of boundary transgressions that may occur in various settings. Participants reported a broadened perspective in their work with clients, having learned about types of boundary issues that they had not previously recognized. Maintaining an understanding of boundary issues among staff requires ongoing educational efforts in training. The health organization's policies on boundaries must be clear and specific to guide the staff. Although training was given in a mental health setting, these lessons can be extended beyond the mental health arena. Safe therapeutic boundaries must be practiced in all settings.

Exploring boundaries in the nurse-client relationship: professional roles and responsibilities

TOPIC

The creation and maintenance of boundaries as they pertain to the nurse-client relationship.

PURPOSE

To challenge readers to reflect on their fiduciary responsibilities by identifying boundary crossings and violations.

SOURCES

Review of the literature and the authors' clinical and teaching experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Although self-awareness and monitoring, debriefing, and availing oneself of supervision and education are important tools in creating and maintaining boundaries, in the final analysis, the nursing profession needs nurses who have the ability to make decisions about boundaries based on the best interests of the clients in their care.

The concept of appropriate professional boundaries in psychiatric practice: a pilot training course

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to design and run a three-session training module for psychiatric registrars on professional practice with particular emphasis on boundary setting. This included the concept of boundary transgression, an understanding of how it occurs and how it may be avoided.

METHOD

Drawing on North American experience a curriculum was designed and trialed for trainees at all levels. A variety of media were employed to present a range of common clinical and professional issues. Evaluated were trainee satisfaction, trainee responses to target vignettes at the beginning and at the end of the course, and supervisor awareness and involvement in the process.

RESULTS

High attendance and high satisfaction ratings in most areas confirmed that a course such as this is attractive and relevant for psychiatric trainees. Vignette responses suggested some change may have occurred by the end of the course, with a more limited tendency to avoid potentially challenging situations and a higher capacity to explore them. Supervisor involvement remains largely unaddressed despite interest and enthusiasm.

CONCLUSION

The area of interpersonal relatedness in psychiatry, including the issue of sexual attraction and the possibility of sexual misconduct, can be introduced as a training package in a way which is acceptable to trainees and their supervisors in an Australian setting. The impact of the training module on actual registrar behaviour is uncertain.

Physicians' experiences with patients who transgress boundaries

BACKGROUND

Boundary violations have been discussed in the literature, but most studies report on physician transgressions of boundaries or sexual transgressions by patients. We studied the incidence of all types of boundary transgressions by patients and physicians' responses to these transgressions.

METHODS

We surveyed 1,000 members of the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) for the number of patient transgressions of boundaries which had occurred in the previous year. Categories were created by the investigators based on the literature. Physicians picked the most important transgression, and then were asked about their response to the transgression and its effect on the patient-physician relationship. Attitudinal questions addressed the likelihood of discharging patients who transgressed boundaries. The impact of demographic variables on the incidence of transgressions was analyzed using analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Three hundred thirty (37.5%) randomly selected SGIM members responded to the survey. Almost three quarters of the respondents had patients who used their first name, while 43% encountered verbal abuse, 39% had patients who asked personal questions, 31% had patients who were overly affectionate, and 27% encountered patients who attempted to socialize. All other transgressions, including physical abuse and attempts at sexual contact, were uncommon. Only gender affected the incidence of transgressions; female physicians encountered more personal questions (P = .001), inappropriate affection (P < .005), and sexually explicit language (P < .05) than male physicians and responded more negatively to boundary transgressions. Respondents dealt with transgressions by discussion with the patient or colleagues or by ignoring the incident, but such transgressions generally had a negative impact on the relationship. Most physicians would discharge patients who engaged in physical abuse or attempts at sexual contact, but were more tolerant of verbal abuse and overly affectionate patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Boundary transgressions by patients is common, but usually involves more minor infractions. Female physicians are more likely to encounter certain types of transgressions. The incidence and outcomes of such transgressions are important in assisting physicians to deal effectively with this issue.

Educating the Paraprofessional Staff on the Psychiatric Unit: A Neglected Topic

Upon deinstitutionalization, a mentally ill person's awareness of the stigma attached to his or her illness can negatively influence any effort to become a productive member of society. Support systems are vital in that they facilitate such efforts. The family is perhaps the most important support system because it provides emotional support, which is crucial because it promotes a sense of self-esteem and decreases depression, anxiety, sickness, and mortality. An awareness of stigma on the part of the family could undermine its role as a support system for a relative with mental illness.