Discussion Topic:
Many people who seek case management services are survivors of serious trauma. Some have survived emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, and others have been mistreated or abused by insensitive caregivers or previous interactions with misguided health care professionals. Many have been subjected to stigma, shame, or harmful stereotypes. In addition, people who are members of minority cultures or minority groups are often subjected to prejudice and discrimination just for being a member of a certain race, ethnicity, or other group.
As a result, the people who need services are often mistrustful of human service workers and protective of themselves and their families. Case managers have an ethical responsibility to create warm, welcoming, and culturally sensitive environments for clients. It is your job to help reduce the effects of previous trauma and to begin to re-build the trust that is essential for client recovery and goal achievement.
With this in mind, and considering the information covered in Chapters 4 and 5, please respond to the following topics:
1. What does the term healthy boundary mean to you? Why is it so important for case managers to create and maintain healthy and safe boundaries for clients? Please provide an example of a case management boundary that exists primarily to protect the client. Be specific and describe the boundary and how it protects the client from physical or emotional harm. You may find the Code of Ethics helpful as you are preparing your response to this question. The link for Code of Ethics is located below.
2. Describe an example of transference or countertransference between a case manager and a client. Please be specific and describe what your reaction would be as a case manager if you sensed this transference or countertransference was occurring. What can you do as a case manager to discover your potential trigger areas and better prepare yourself for potential countertransference experiences with clients?
National Organization for Human Services. (2015). Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalhumanservices.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43