The Therapist and Dating
“avoid dual or multidimensional relationships that could
impair professional judgment or result in the exploitation of
the client or employees and/or co-workers.”
NCBTMB Standards of Practice V ( d )
“refrain from participating in a sexual relationship or sexual conduct with the client, whether consensual or otherwise, from the beginning of the client/therapist relationship and for a minimum of six months after the termination of the client/therapist relationship”
--NCBTMB Standard of Practice VI a
A multidimensional relationship is one in which the therapist and client interact in ways outside the therapist/client paradigm. This naturally makes things more complicated.
The Standard does not necessarily prohibit a relationship/friendship/existence with the client outside the therapist/client model but it requires two tests be met. The multidimensional relationship must not impair professional judgment and it must not exploit the client or someone else.
There is a tendency to break the rules for friends. A teenager working at a liquor store suddenly becomes very popular as all his underage friends try to buy alcoholic beverages without the need to show identification. But the multidimensional relationship client must be treated, ethically, the same as a regular client. Similarly, a therapist should not ask employees or co-workers for favors for a multidimensional relationship client which would violate any ethics.
The therapist must see the multidimensional relationship client as a client when that role is being enacted. All the usual rules apply. Even when the multidimensional relationship client is in the non-client role, the therapist still has additional responsibilities above and beyond those of a normal business relationship or friendship. The therapist may still not exploit the client. There are many friendships in the real world where one party exploits the other and the other party, for whatever reason, remains in the friendship. In a multidimensional relationship, the therapist cannot be the exploiter.
The therapist should not take advantage of the disparity between therapist and client. Threatening to divulge the client’s status as a client unless allowed to participate in a business deal violates this Standard (as well as others.)
The relative intimacy of the massage setting may engender romantic ideas and it may be necessary to establish boundaries in the non-massage relationships—massage is what the therapist does for a living and does not suggest the therapist has inappropriate feelings or emotions about the client. Any outside-of-massage relationship should be “non-damaging” to the client. If the therapist becomes interested in moving beyond the multidimensional relationship into a sexual relationship, the multidimensional relationship must be ended. In other words, The NCBTMB requires the other person must cease to be a client and the couple must then wait six months to pursue a more intimate relationship. (See NCBTMB Standards of Practice VI ( a ).)
One author claims that certain other professions have ethics which forbid socializing or any non-professional interaction with clients. That is not the ethical standard in massage but it is also true the existence of multidimensional relationship makes the therapist’s life more challenging.