Boundaries, Ethics and Self Care
David Convirs
Elizabeth “Liz” Peoples
Boundaries
PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL
Personal Boundaries
• Guidelines, rules or limits
• Created to identify what are reasonable, safe
and permissible ways for other people to
behave around the creator
• How they will respond when someone steps
outside those limits
Professional Boundaries
• Professional boundaries define effective and
appropriate interaction between professionals and the public they serve
• Boundaries exist to protect both the volunteer and the client
• Do you know how to treat all staff members
fairly without positive or negative feelings
influencing your decisions
Oregon’s Expectations (Mandatory)
• Represent all aspects of professional capabilities and services honestly and accurately • Ensure that all actions with a client are based on understanding and implementing the
core values of caring, respect, compassion, appropriate boundaries, and appropriate
use of personal power
• Develop alliances with the client, colleagues, other health care providers, and the community to provide care and services that are safe, effective, and appropriate to the
client’s needs
• Develop and incorporate respect for diverse client backgrounds including a client's clinical diagnosis, lifestyle, sexual orientation, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, and socioeconomic background when planning and providing services
• Act as an advocate for client and client’s needs
• Respect the client's right and responsibility for self-determination in making health care choices
• Base decisions and actions on behalf of a client on sound ethical reasoning and current principles of practice
• Maintain client confidentiality • Recognize and protect a client’s rights
Client Rights
• Be treated with dignity and respect
• Be free from theft, damage, or misuse of personal property • Be free from neglect of care, verbal, mental, emotional,
physical, and sexual abuse
• Be free from financial exploitation • Voice grievances or complaints regarding services or any other
issue without discrimination or reprisal for exercising their
rights
• Be free from discrimination in regard to race, color, national
origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion
• Have client information and records confidentially maintained.
International Association of Peer
Specialists (Aspirational)
• Peer support is voluntary
• Peer supporters are hopeful • Peer supports are open minded • Peer supporters are empathetic
• Peer supports are respectful
• Peer supporters facilitate change • Peer supporters are honest and direct • Peer support is mutual and reciprocal
• Peer support is equally shared power
• Peer support is strengths-focused • Peer support is transparent • Peer support is person-driven
Professionalism
Self-Care
Lee, J. J., & Miller, S. E. (2013). A self-care
framework for social workers: building a
strong foundation for practice. Families in
Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 94(2), 96-103.
“a process, an ability, but most often an
engagement in particular behaviors that are
suggested to promote specific outcomes, such
as a ‘sense of subjective well-being,’ a healthy
lifestyle, stress relief, and resiliency for the prevention of empathy fatigue”
Exercise
Sleeping/napping
Take time for yourself
Recreational reading
Hobbies
Spending time away from technology
Ask for help
Express anger and frustrations
Find things that make you happy
Dance
Pray
Meditate
Spend time in nature
Treat yourself
Reflect on what is important to you
Prevents burnout, empathy fatigue
It’s beneficial to your health
Allows for better outcomes for your clients/peers
It’s individualized to be the most beneficial for you
Self-care is not selfish