11.7 Platonic Relationships

Platonic relationships occur between people who have a social bond without a sexual relationship. In relevant ethical codes and legal statutes, platonic relationships may be synonymously called non-sexual relationships. Counselors have professional relationships with their clients; any additional platonic connection or relationship with a client constitutes a non-professional dual relationship. These can occur when counselors are friends or acquaintances or have a social or community connection with clients (Zur, 2014). The ACA code specifies that dual relationships that would “not reasonably be expected to cause impairment or risk exploitation or harm are not necessarily unethical” (Barnett, 2007, pg. 403).

Counselors are responsible for consulting ethical codes and legal statutes for guidance, adherence to virtue ethics, and documenting thorough ethical decision-making procedures.

One important question is whether to proceed with a platonic relationship with former clients and who is technically considered a former client. In other words, how long do services need to be terminated to consider the person a “past client”? As stated above, some state statutes specify a time frame from ending services to ethically engaging in a dual social relationship with a former client. While this is encoded, there are better practices than this. The counseling relationship and bond exist indefinitely, and their influence can impact clients longer than any specified time frame (Zur, 2009). Clients hold their version of their counselor in their mind, and counselors may wish to honor that illustration and protect ideas about future clinical work by avoiding dual platonic relationships with clients regardless of time passed. Counselors consider this and weigh it in their considerations of dual relationships. They must also strategically ponder the specific boundary crossings and violations that contributed to developing a dual platonic relationship. Counselors engage in ethical decision-making processes, including supervision and consultation with risk management strategies outlined earlier in this chapter, to evaluate the impact of a dual relationship on clients and dutifully examine alternatives.

Considerations for Substance Use Counselors

For counselors who work with substance use or with co-occurring disorders, there are special considerations for dual relationships with their clients. The recovery community is relatively small, and its people may encounter familiar, recognized people. Attendance at Twelve-Step-oriented meetings (i.e., Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon, etc.), other self-help groups, or other community events may attract the same people. Typically, people have specific meetings or groups that they like to attend to support their recovery. Current ethical guidelines, including the ACA and NAADAC, have incomplete guidance on how to proceed; so much is left up to the counselor’s judgment and commitment to virtue ethics.

Counselors who identify as being in recovery may find themselves in the same support groups as their clients. Attendance at the same meeting can threaten client confidentiality and privacy and can cause discomfort for both parties (Doyle, 1997). Clients may not feel open to sharing what they would if their counselor did not attend. The counselor’s anonymity is also jeopardized in this scenario, and what they share in the meeting impacts the client’s perception of them. Often, work is a stressor for people, and a counselor discussing issues at work or thoughts of leaving the field has a dual impact- the counselor may not share what is truly going on, meaning they do not get the space they deserve. The client could reasonably feel discouraged and disappointed, among other emotions (Doyle, 1997). Clients could discover they have a more extended recovery period than the counselor. It is evident how this type of dual relationship in self-help groups harms the counseling alliance. Due to their fiduciary duty, the counselor must exit that meeting or self-help group and find another one to safeguard the client’s well-being, confidentiality, and the counseling relationship.