Professional Boundaries that Promote Dignity and Rights in Social Work Practice

Course overview

This course is based upon material published in the journal Ethics and Social Welfare and is available as an open-access article. Abstract: In this essay I present some of my thoughts on the issue of boundaries in the professional relationship between service users and social workers. As a graduate student of social work, I had an opportunity to discuss ethical dilemmas in an international perspective in one of my courses. A guest professor, who provided international perspectives, was Prof. Kim Strom from UNC at Chapel Hill in North Carolina, USA. The lectures offered a fresh perspective that raised many questions about thick and thin boundaries in social work especially when approaching social work by following prevailing guidelines for social work in Slovenia requiring us to co-create solutions through dialogue with service users, keeping in mind that service users are actually the ones who are the experts from experience. In this way, the working relationship seeks to foster a sense of partnership between social workers and service users. In this essay I would like to challenge the idea of rigid boundaries in social work and explore the possibility of fluid boundaries, keeping in mind that boundaries should reflect their main purpose, which I believe is to protect human dignity. This course on boundaries and rights in social work practice is specifically designed for social workers. It may also be useful for other behavioral health professionals such as professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work and need continuing education in boundaries and client rights topics that are appropriate for all areas of behavioral health practice. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to enhance their skills in the area of boundaries. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require ethics continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. Authors: Kapelj Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding boundaries, dignity and rights in social work practice. Specifically, a professional will: Describe ethical dilemmas from an international perspective. Identify the differences between thick and thin boundaries. Recognize the benefits of fluid boundaries. Identify the main purpose of boundaries in behavioral health Citation: Ana Kapelj (2022): Professional Boundaries that Promote Dignity and Rights in Social Work Practice, Ethics and Social Welfare, DOI: 10.1080/17496535.2022.2033396