Co-Creating Boundaries
with Your Clients
In-home work requires a thoughtful balance between connection and professionalism. Unlike office settings, the home is a deeply personal space where roles and expectations can feel fluid. Co-creating trust and structure with clients helps establish a shared understanding, ensuring that care is both effective and respectful of the family’s values, routines, and boundaries.
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Social workers have a responsibility to protect their clients by setting clear, supportive, and culturally sensitive boundaries that foster trust and safety in the therapeutic relationship.
(NASW, 2024)
Entering a client's home can present some unique challenges when establishing boundaries, such as:
Environmental Challenges
Ex: In a cramped, cluttered apartment, a social worker struggles to find a quiet, private space for confidential conversations due to persistent background noise and disorganized spaces.
Emotional Over-Involvement
Ex: After repeatedly hearing a client's traumatic experiences, a social worker begins sharing personal stories of loss, risking emotional entanglement that compromises professional objectivity.
Safety Concerns
Ex: During a visit, a social worker hears raised voices and notices the client flinch at the sight of their partner. Recognizing signs of domestic violence, the worker discreetly initiates a safety protocol by noting the incident and planning a follow-up in a secure environment.
Time Management
Ex: A client consistently extends sessions by 15–20 minutes beyond the scheduled time, disrupting the social worker's day and making it challenging to honor other appointments.
Blurred Relationships
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Ex: In a small community, a social worker attends community events with a client and starts receiving personal invitations, making it hard to maintain a strictly professional relationship.
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Cultural Boundaries
Ex: A client insists on having several extended family members present during sessions due to cultural norms, complicating confidentiality and the establishment of one-on-one dialogue.
Client-Centered Strategies for Co-Creating Boundaries
1
Involve Clients in Setting
Expectations Early
Boundaries feel more natural when clients help to shape them. You want to avoid listing rules, but rather invite them into the conversation. This helps cultivate trust and client buy in.
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This can sound like:
"I want to make sure our time together is helpful for you. What works best for your family’s routine?
2
Acknowledge Power Dynamics
Clients may look to you as the "expert" and expect you to take charge of the sessions. Shift the power dynamics by encouraging active participation and collaboration.
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This can sound like:
"I see myself as a guide in this process, not someone who comes in with all the answers. Let’s work together to create a plan that fits your needs."
3
Adapt to Cultural Norms While Maintaining Professionalism
Different cultures have varying expectations about personal space, hospitality, and authority figures. Instead of rigidly enforcing your idea of boundaries, consider cultural nuances and adjust as needed.​
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This can sound like:
"I see myself as a guide in this process, not someone who comes in with all the answers. Let’s work together to create a plan that fits your needs."
4
Normalize Conversations About Boundaries
Instead of waiting for a boundary issue to arise, proactively bring it up in a way that feels natural and nonjudgmental.
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This can sound like:
"Sometimes, working in home comes with unique challenges— like interruptions, privacy, or even balancing other responsibilities. If anything comes up that makes it hard to focus, we can work together to find a solution"
Boundary Challenges &
Client Centered Approaches
Incorporating Cultural Humility in Co-Creating Boundaries
Co-creating boundaries is about building trust, not just setting limits or rules. Cultural humility reminds us to stay open and curious, recognizing that each client may have different ideas of what safety, respect, and their goals looks like. When we invite clients into the process, we create space for boundaries that center their autonomy and needs.
Stay Curious and Ask Questions!
Be Aware of Your own Triggers!
Always Honor Client Autonomy
Revisit Discussing Boundaries Often!
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