Ethics & Professional Boundaries Flashcards

A LEAP therapist who has personal experience with mental illness is considering sharing this with a client who feels alone. What ethical principle should guide this decision?

Answer: Self-disclosure should be clinically purposeful and primarily serve the client's needs

Ethical self-disclosure in therapy is client-centered — it should serve a clear clinical purpose rather than meet the therapist's own needs.

In LEAP therapy, which of the following situations would most clearly justify breaking confidentiality?

Answer: A client describes a specific, credible plan to harm an identifiable third party

Under Tarasoff-type duty-to-protect obligations, a specific, credible threat to an identifiable person requires the therapist to breach confidentiality.

A newly certified LEAP therapist feels unqualified to treat a client with a co-occurring personality disorder. The ethical response is to:

Answer: Consult a supervisor and consider referral to a more specialized clinician

Competence ethics require therapists to practice within their skill set, seeking supervision or referral when a case exceeds their current training.

Which is the most ethically appropriate way for a LEAP therapist to handle a client's request to be Facebook friends?

Answer: Decline and use the request therapeutically to explore the client's relational needs

Social media connections with clients blur professional boundaries; declining while exploring the meaning of the request serves both ethics and clinical work.

A LEAP therapist is practicing in a rural community where they are also the client's neighbor. This situation is best described as:

Answer: An unavoidable dual relationship requiring careful management and documentation

Rural settings often produce unavoidable overlapping relationships; ethical management involves transparency, documentation, and ongoing monitoring rather than automatic termination.

A LEAP therapist who is also a certified trainer uses a real client case (with permission) in a training workshop. To remain ethical, the therapist must:

Answer: Obtain written consent specifying what will be shared, with whom, and for what purpose

Using a client's case in training requires specific, written informed consent that details the scope of disclosure and the audience involved.

What is the primary ethical concern when a LEAP therapist accepts barter (goods or services) instead of a fee from a client?

Answer: Barter can create power imbalances and conflicts of interest that compromise objectivity

Barter can create exploitation risks and role confusion that undermine the therapeutic relationship and therapist objectivity.