Archetype Home

 

Psychology Ethics: Multiple Relationships

Dual or multiple relationships (ethics outside site) with a client are a no-no.

That means you can only have one kind of relationship with someone you have a therapy relationship with.

If you're a therapist, you can't also be the person's friend, relative, teacher, student, or exercise buddy. And you can't be a friend, relative, teacher, student, or exercise buddy to someone who's very close to your client—say, a parent, best friend, or sibling.

You can, however, see clients who know each other as long as doing so doesn't interfere with your ability to be objective about each person's treatment.

That means that no matter how much fun he was, the character in What About Bob? really shouldn't have been on vacation with Dr. Marvin. And Dr. Marvin really does do his best, he just keeps getting undercut by his family.

Bob's sudden and overbearing attachment to Dr. Marvin is a good example of someone with Axis II features, including Dependent Personality Disorder and maybe Histrionic Personality Disorder.