CIP Ethical Standards & Professional Boundaries 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CIP practitioner's long-term client begins sharing romantic feelings during a session. What is the most ethical first step?
- Reciprocate if feelings are mutual
- Acknowledge the feelings and clearly restate the professional nature of the relationship (Correct answer)
- Immediately terminate the client relationship without explanation
- Refer the client to another practitioner without discussion
Correct answer: Acknowledge the feelings and clearly restate the professional nature of the relationship
Acknowledging feelings while clearly restating professional boundaries preserves the therapeutic relationship and models healthy limit-setting.
Question 2: Which practice best protects a CIP practitioner when a client disputes the content of a session?
- Rely on the client's memory of events
- Maintain contemporaneous session notes stored securely (Correct answer)
- Record sessions without informing the client
- Avoid documentation to protect client privacy
Correct answer: Maintain contemporaneous session notes stored securely
Secure, contemporaneous session notes provide an accurate record and protect both the practitioner and client if disputes arise.
Question 3: A practitioner discovers that a new client is also seeing a colleague for the same issue. What is the ethical course of action?
- Immediately cease working with the client
- Discuss the situation with the client and, with consent, coordinate care with the colleague (Correct answer)
- Contact the colleague without the client's knowledge
- Ignore the overlap as it is the client's choice
Correct answer: Discuss the situation with the client and, with consent, coordinate care with the colleague
With client consent, coordinating care prevents conflicting approaches and demonstrates collaborative professionalism.
Question 4: Under the CIP ethical framework, 'scope of practice' primarily means:
- The geographic area in which a practitioner may work
- The specific modalities and populations a practitioner is trained and credentialed to serve (Correct answer)
- The number of clients a practitioner may see per week
- The fee range a practitioner may charge
Correct answer: The specific modalities and populations a practitioner is trained and credentialed to serve
Scope of practice defines the boundaries of competence based on training, credentials, and recognized standards for intuitive practice.
Question 5: A client asks a CIP practitioner to provide a diagnosis for a physical symptom they are experiencing. The practitioner should:
- Offer an intuitive reading as a substitute for medical diagnosis
- Decline and refer the client to a licensed medical professional (Correct answer)
- Provide a disclaimer and then give an opinion
- Ask the client to sign a waiver and then diagnose
Correct answer: Decline and refer the client to a licensed medical professional
Diagnosing physical conditions falls outside the scope of intuitive practice; referral to a licensed provider is ethically required.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of exploiting the power differential in an intuitive practice setting?
- Charging a standard market-rate fee
- Encouraging a vulnerable client to purchase extensive additional sessions they cannot afford (Correct answer)
- Setting clear session start and end times
- Providing a written service agreement
Correct answer: Encouraging a vulnerable client to purchase extensive additional sessions they cannot afford
Leveraging a client's vulnerability or the practitioner's perceived authority to drive unnecessary purchases constitutes exploitation of the power differential.
Question 7: When must a CIP practitioner break confidentiality without client consent under US ethical and legal standards?
- When a family member requests information about the client
- When the client discloses credible imminent harm to themselves or others (Correct answer)
- When a colleague asks for a case consultation
- When the practitioner believes the information would benefit a research study
Correct answer: When the client discloses credible imminent harm to themselves or others
Duty-to-warn obligations require breaking confidentiality when there is a credible, imminent threat of harm to the client or a third party.
CIP Ethical Standards & Professional Boundaries 2
A CIP practitioner's long-term client begins sharing romantic feelings during a session.
What is the most ethical first step?