_____________________________________________________________ Managing Professional Boundaries
1. The nature and terms of the relationship should be spelled out in advance including: a. The limits of confidentiality including the mandate for reporting child abuse b. The information that the supervisor can report to the supervisee’s employer c. The limits of what the supervisor can do if there are questions about the nature or quality of the practice being supervised d. The supervisor’s ultimate responsibility to the person receiving supervision 2. Supervisors should be aware of the ramifications of their signature on forms, including insurance forms. 3. Supervisees should make clients aware of the supervisory relationship and get informed consent. 4. When a clinician is providing supervision for persons accruing experience for licensure, no direct payment should be made as this could be considered a conflict of interest and dual relationship. 5. Supervisors should recognize that they might be held accountable and/or charged with professional misconduct for the professional misconduct of a supervisee. 6. It is wise to keep records of each supervisory session. A written agreement that clarifies responsibilities can help to establish clear boundaries including: 1. Purpose and scope of supervision 2. Learning and development needs of the supervisee and plans to address those needs 3. Structure of supervision, including but not limited to
SUPERVISION AND BOUNDARIES Entering into a supervisory relationship constitutes a unique dual relationship. Typically, the supervisor is providing clinical oversight to an unlicensed practitioner who is accruing the necessary hours required for independent licensure. This often occurs in an environment where supervisor and supervisee are also coworkers. This creates numerous opportunities for interactions outside of the supervision session. For example, attending the same administrative meetings, working on the same clinical team, or interacting during lunch in the break- room or cafeteria can lead to a dual relationship. Professional ethics codes provide guidance on navigating these relationships. The ACA Code (2014) states that supervisors must clearly define and maintain ethical professional, personal, and social relationships with supervisees. (Section F). This is also outlined in the NASW Code (2021) which states that at the start of the relationship informed consent, policies and procedures, and mechanisms for due process are outlined. If boundaries are to be extended, precautions are taken to ensure that judgement is not impaired and no harm occurs. Sexual or romantic relationships with supervisees are prohibited (Section 2). The AAMFT Code (2015) additionally states that supervi- sors must remain aware of their influential position, and they avoid exploiting the trust and dependency of the supervisee (Section 4). The APA Code (2017) states that “Psychologists do not exploit persons over whom they have supervisory, evalu- ative, or other authority” and “They do not engage in sexual relationships with supervisees who are in their department, agency, or training center or over whom psychologists have or are likely to have evaluative authority” (Section 7). There is a clear power imbalance in the supervisory relation- ship. The supervisor is ultimately responsible for the quality of work performed by the supervisee and can be held accountable for the professional services provided by the supervisee. This places particular importance on the setting and maintaining of clear professional boundaries. Various states have regulations regarding supervision. For example, the New York Educa- tion Department (2023) lays out guidelines for maintaining appropriate boundaries in supervision. They state that the supervisory relationship is a form of practice and is governed by the same guidance that applies to client relationships with regard to ethical considerations, confidentiality, expectations and responsibilities, and appropriate boundaries. The Educa- tion Department nicely outlines in a professional practice alert the specific areas that should be addressed when entering into a supervisory situation:
A) Expected duration of the supervisory relationship B) Length and frequency of supervisory sessions C) Time and place of supervisory sessions D) Cost (if any) and payment arrangements E) Role expectations of supervisor and supervisee F) Accountability and reporting requirements G) Confidentiality protections
Blalock and colleagues (2021) note that a common boundary issue faced by supervisors includes multiple relationships. Although a multiple relationship may be a boundary cross- ing, it may not necessarily be detrimental or harmful. The specific situation and intent needs to be considered. Asking a supervisee to co-present at a conference is a situation where the boundary of supervision is extended and may actually be helpful to the supervisee’s professional development. It becomes a concern if the supervisee feels pressured to agree to co-present or is subtly threatened with a poor evaluation if they refuse. A common situation in real-world environments is when a supervisor serves simultaneously as clinical and administrative supervisor. In the role of clinical supervisor,
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