Which scenario represents an inappropriate dual relationship?

• A. A therapist dating a current client.
• B. A therapist volunteering at a community event with client present.
• C. A therapist meeting with a client for coffee after sessions.
• D. A therapist consulting with another clinician about a case.

Answer: (B)

Dual relationships arise when a therapist takes on more than one role with a client, risking harm to the client and interference with objectivity. Volunteering at a community event while the client is present places the therapist in a non-therapeutic role in a public setting. This can blur boundaries, shift the power dynamic, and raise confidentiality concerns. The client might feel pressured to disclose more or to respond as if the therapist’s volunteer status signals personal endorsement or friendship. Those dynamics can undermine the trusted, professional frame of therapy and threaten the client’s welfare, making this scenario inappropriate for a therapist.

Dating a current client is a clear ethical violation because it creates an intimate, unbalanced relationship that exploits the power differential and disrupts therapeutic neutrality.

Meeting for coffee after sessions is a boundary crossing that some clinicians avoid to preserve objectivity, though it can be permissible in certain contexts with strict boundaries and no discussion of therapy. Consulting with another clinician about a case is standard professional practice that supports competent care and does not create a dual relationship.