At Personal Risk: Boundary Violations in Professional-Client Relationships

This book addresses boundary violations through the lens of the professional-client relationship, drawing examples of misconduct from law, medicine, religion, education and psychotherapy. The first three chapters cover the social context of the relationship, the inherent power differential that delineates the relational boundaries, and professionals’ difficulty with managing that power appropriately. Also discussed are the four characteristics of a boundary violation—a reversal of roles, a ...