Providing bodywork, massage and therapeutic services to people across a number of communities where I am involved, raises questions about professional boundaries. In these comparatively small communities, it may not be possible to uphold the strict separation between professional and personal/community life that is desired and usually afforded to clients who do not know me before working together.
During our professional relationship, it is possible that you as the client and me as the practitioner will see each other, or bump into each other; perhaps at a party, workshop, festival, dance or other gathering. And so, there is a need to be clear about ethical practice, boundaries and confidentiality in these circumstances.
Confidentiality:
- All the usual safeguards for confidentiality and secure record-keeping will be strictly adhered to
- What happens during professional interactions, will not be shared with anyone else, without a signed release of information from you or in the unlikely instances as required in law or by court order
- I will not out anyone’s interests, activities or even presence at events and gatherings to anyone
- If we meet in public, I will take my cue from how you acknowledge me, and/or what we have talked about and agreed upon. Otherwise, I may make eye contact, smile or nod, but not go beyond that. However, if you choose to identify me to others by the way we work together, I will still not talk about what we have or are working on
- To protect the integrity of the professional work we are doing together. We cannot connect and have direct contact in these spaces outside of our work together. This includes any social activities such as going for coffee, and in workshop spaces where touch and eros may be present
- These boundaries will remain in place for a minimum of 6 months after our professional work together completes and may be extended according to individual circumstances
- And in the same way as I am bound to protect you, your data and your confidentiality at all times, I request that you also maintain confidentiality for me in terms of my contact details, home address or any other personal information you discover during the course of our work together
Friends and Acquaintances:
- If we know each other as good friends, it is unlikely that I will take you on as a paying client. However, I would be happy to have a coffee, as friends and talk
- If we are casual acquaintances, but do not know each other well, it may be appropriate to work together as practitioner and client. We will need to discuss and agree the implications of working together before our professional engagement begins
- In the distance between good friends and casual acquaintances we would need to take time to discuss how a professional relationship may or may not work
- And I am happy to refer you to a suitable colleague if any overlap or complications can be foreseen
If you are considering working with me and want to clarify how that would look, please get in touch.
Adapted with thanks from similar by Dominic Davies, CEO of Pink Therapy