Understanding Transference and Countertransference: Risk Management Strategies for Preventing Sexual Misconduct and Other Boundary Violations in Social Work Practice.

Within social work, significant emphasis has been placed on the importance of ethical behavior. As professionals, social workers are expected to adhere to particular standards of practice clearly delineated in professional codes of ethics. Professional social workers have had an ongoing concern about their role as professional gatekeepers. As clients have become more informed about standards of practice and have joined forces with members of the legal profession, the profession has grown increasingly challenged by the need for monitoring and controlling the behavior of members. One ethical challenge of major concern involves boundary violations in the form of both sexual misconduct as well as dual relationships of a non-sexual nature. To facilitate the seeking of help, the social work profession must not only teach about key psychoanalytic concepts, it must also teach about humility and inherent vulnerabilities of clinicians. By presenting an open, nonjudgmental approach to seeking supervision, the profession hopefully will encourage clinicians to recognize the need for seeking guidance, especially in those clinical situations posing serious risks of sexual misconduct.