1) Reamer describes 5 case examples at the beginning of the article. Choose one and answer these questions:
“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a clinical social worker began
serving clients remotely using video software, which generated novel privacy
and boundary issues. During counseling sessions, the social worker often saw
the interiors of clients’ homes and, on occasion, met clients’ children, spouses,
partners, and pets who entered the room where the client was located and were
on camera briefly. On two occasions, the social worker’s four-year-old child
wandered unannounced and uninvited into the social worker’s home office and
introduced herself to clients who appeared on the social worker’s computer screen” (Reamer, 2023, p. 376).
A. Why did you choose this example?
I picked this example because it felt like a situation that could easily happen. It also struck me as extremely unprofessional, but also reflective of the curiosity of children. They don’t understand the ethical issues or dangers at hand. I was curious about how social workers should handle situations like these when it is clear that no one is trying to pry into your personal life or cause ethical dilemmas. As far as the client exposing their own private life, it might be a case of them simply not understanding the boundary especially with this being so new during the pandemic.
B. What is your assessment of the situation Reamer outlines?
It was the beginning of the pandemic, so I do think that there was a huge learning curve. We were also faced with the issue of children not being able to go to daycare or school. On top of this, you couldn’t hire a babysitter during that time either unless that person was in your pod.
C. What do you think should be the remedy or response?
I think this wasn’t an issue of misconduct, but a mistake that happened. The social worker should apologize to her clients, speak with the child, and make sure the situation is remedied with another caretaker. The social worker should have childcare taken care of during appointment times. The door should be locked, French doors should have curtains, and windows should be covered so that people can’t see in. I think that the home office shouldn’t have personal family photos within eyesight and nothing that could really give a client to the exact location of the social workers’ home. I think that the social worker should send out a privacy statement about meeting family members, etc. I think this should be reiterated at the beginning of any new client session as well.
2) Pick one of the boundary dynamics Reamer discusses and answer these questions:
Unanticipated Circumstances
a. Explain why you selected this dynamic.
I picked this dynamic because I grew up in a small town where my dad was a family therapist.
b. Do you know of examples where this dynamic has occurred in a professional
relationship?
I had countless experiences where people would find out who my dad was, and they would tell me that my dad was their therapist. It was a completely awkward situation every time. My dad did speak to my sisters and I about confidentiality and his job, so we were all educated on what we needed to say or do, but a lot of times people didn’t care and kept right on sharing!
c. Find one additional article (peer reviewed) that discusses this dynamic and explain what you learned from the article.
The article I read explained, “Although avoiding dual relationships is often the most prudent course of action, the NASW Code does not place an outright ban on dual relationships. It recognizes that some dual relationships may be unavoidable, unintentional, or even desirable. In a small town or a community, for instance, it may be unreasonable to expect that workers would never see clients outside their professional capacities; workers may develop relationships with clients through interactions in their neighborhoods, schools, houses of worship, cultural organizations, online social networking, or other community activities. If you are the sole social worker in a small, remote town, then refusing to serve particular clients because of prior relationships could mean that those clients would be denied access to social work services” (Barsky, n.d. Ethics Alive! Anticipatory Dual Relationships in Social Work).
I learned that my dad did everything possible to follow confidentiality. He never discussed clients around us or with us. If he took a phone call, he always went to a private space and shut the door. However, we lived in a small town, and it was impossible not to run into people that would say hello to him or introduce themselves to us. He did talk to us about confidentiality and how important it was for us to never repeat anything if someone did come up to us. He also tried hard to steer us away from clients when he saw them out. I also had experiences as I got older that people found out who I was and they would offer up information about their professional relationship with my dad. I learned in this article that he really did handle this exactly how he needed to. He couldn’t control what other people did, but he managed and anticipated conflicts of interest.
3) Reamer suggests developing a social media policy and sharing it with clients.
a. What do you think of this strategy?
I think this is a great idea! You head off any issues or the awkwardness of confronting a client if they do something inappropriate on social media. You can simply refer to your social media policy. I also think it is important that everyone has a good understanding of the ethical rules and boundaries.
b. What are some things you think would be included in a social media policy?
A client shouldn’t follow a social workers personal account and vice versa. A social worker should employ privacy tools with personal pages. I think that the policy should outline where a client can contact a social worker. The client can’t direct message questions about sessions or therapeutic needs. I think a social worker should show judgement by identifying aspects of their profile. If a client sees where the social worker is posting comments or if the social worker is being tagged in personal photos.
c. How effective or ineffective do you think this strategy would be and why?
I think it would be effective. I think if clients understand that a social worker isn’t going to be your friend online then it sets the expectations. I do think that social workers really need to make sure their personal information is as protected as possible because we all google the people we see for appointments!
Barsky, A. (nd). “Ethics Alive! Anticipatory Dual Relationships in Social Work” https://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/ethics-articles/anticipatory-dual-relationships-social-work/
Reamer, F. (2023). Social Work Boundary Issues in the Digital Age: Reflections of an Ethics. Advances in Social Work, 2(23), pg. 375-388.
Hello LizP,
You did a great job analyzing the challenges of remote work during the pandemic and the unanticipated circumstances that can arise in small communities. I agree that the social worker’s situation with her child wandering into sessions wasn’t misconduct, but a learning moment that highlighted the importance of planning for privacy and setting clear boundaries. Your suggestions (like using a dedicated workspace, sending privacy statements, and reinforcing guidelines and clients) are practical ways to prevent similar issues. I also like how you connected personal experience with the boundary dynamic of unanticipated circumstances, show that dual relationship can’t always be avoided, but can be managed thoughtfully. How do you think social workers can prepare for unanticipated circumstances in larger urban settings, where boundaries might seem easier to maintain but privacy challenges still exist?