Counselling Boundaries and Dual Roles
Hidden Dragon Holistics offers counselling alongside other wellbeing, community and creative activities. These may include Tang Soo Do, meditation, therapeutic groups, public events, podcasting, social media and other future HDH projects.
Because of this, there may occasionally be situations where someone knows me, or could come into contact with me, in more than one role.
I have a Boundaries and Dual Roles Policy to help protect the counselling relationship when this happens. Its purpose is to protect your confidentiality, autonomy and welfare, reduce the possibility of blurred or confusing relationships, and make sure that counselling remains a clearly defined and professionally boundaried service.
What is a dual role?
A dual or multiple role happens when I have more than one relationship or role with the same person, either at the same time or at different points.
For example, this could mean being someone’s counsellor as well as their Tang Soo Do instructor, meditation facilitator, group facilitator, podcast host, professional contact or another person they meet through Hidden Dragon Holistics.
Sometimes the connection may be indirect — for example, where a counselling client’s partner or family member is involved in another HDH activity.
My general approach
My primary professional responsibility within counselling is to the counselling client.
I will not knowingly create or continue another role where I believe it could compromise your confidentiality, therapeutic safety, freedom to speak openly, autonomy, or the integrity of our counselling work.
If an overlapping relationship is unavoidable, develops unexpectedly, or already exists, I will consider the circumstances carefully. Where appropriate, I will discuss this with you and use professional supervision to help decide the safest and most ethical way forward.
What this means in practice
As a general rule:
- Current counselling clients will not normally take part in other HDH services that I personally teach, facilitate, assess, host or directly manage while counselling is active. This includes my Tang Soo Do classes, meditation groups and therapeutic support groups.
- If you already know me through another HDH activity and later enquire about counselling, I will consider whether the existing relationship would affect confidentiality, power, therapeutic freedom or my professional judgement. Sometimes this may mean that another counsellor would be more appropriate.
- Counselling clients will not be invited to become podcast or livestream guests, public contributors or promotional voices, and I will not use identifiable client experiences in public content.
- I do not ask current or former counselling clients for testimonials, reviews, endorsements or promotional statements.
- I do not connect socially with current counselling clients through my personal social-media accounts or provide counselling through social media. You are free to view or interact with public HDH pages, although you should be aware that doing so may affect your privacy.
- Current and former counselling clients should not donate to, sponsor, subscribe to or otherwise financially support HDH, Chatty Geek, Hidden Dragon, Chatty’s Sidequests or related fundraising beyond the agreed counselling fee.
- Counselling information remains separate from other HDH activities. Something you tell me in counselling will not be used in martial arts, meditation, groups, podcasting, social media or another HDH setting.
- If we meet unexpectedly in public, I will not identify or acknowledge you as a counselling client. If you choose to greet me, I will respond normally and respectfully, but I will not discuss counselling in public.
- Ending counselling does not automatically remove every professional boundary. Any later involvement in another HDH service will be considered carefully rather than assumed to be appropriate.
If you already know me through Hidden Dragon Holistics
Knowing me through another HDH activity does not automatically prevent you from enquiring about counselling.
I will consider the particular relationship rather than applying a blanket rule. Important factors include how well we know each other, whether I hold another position of authority or influence, whether you would be able to speak freely in counselling, whether confidentiality could be affected, and whether I could maintain appropriate professional judgement.
Where an existing relationship is significant, ongoing, hierarchical, emotionally close or particularly visible within the community, I will normally suggest counselling with another practitioner instead.
Public events and accidental meetings
HDH is intended to be part of the wider community, so occasionally we may find ourselves in the same public place or event.
If I see a current or former client outside counselling, I will normally allow them to decide whether to acknowledge me. I will not reveal that somebody is or has been a counselling client.
If an unexpected meeting feels important, awkward or affects the counselling relationship, we can talk about it together during a later session.
Former counselling clients
The significance of a therapeutic relationship does not necessarily disappear when counselling ends.
For that reason, I remain careful about new relationships with former clients, including friendship, martial arts, meditation, group participation, collaboration, media involvement or other HDH activities.
I will consider factors such as how long ago counselling ended, the nature and duration of the work, any continuing vulnerability or power imbalance, confidentiality and whether the new relationship could create pressure, obligation or confusion.
If a boundary concern arises
Boundaries are my professional responsibility.
If an unexpected overlap, mistake or boundary concern occurs, I will take it seriously. Depending on the circumstances, this may involve discussing the issue with you, seeking supervision, clarifying or changing the arrangement, ending an additional role, providing alternative signposting, apologising where appropriate, and taking steps to reduce or repair any harm.
Significant boundary decisions are considered carefully and recorded proportionately as part of my professional practice.
Questions or concerns
You are welcome to ask about boundaries or possible overlapping relationships before counselling begins or at any point during our work.
If you believe that a professional boundary has not been handled appropriately, you can also raise this with me or use the Hidden Dragon Holistics Counselling Complaints Procedure.