ABSTRACT
Sexual boundary violations occur in secret and are difficult to detect. This chapter argues that additional success will come about when, clinicians recognize that they are on the Boundary Violation Cycle and disclose to a colleague or preferably a supervisor before irreversible damage occurs, and when colleagues and patients report the concerning behavior of a clinician. Organizations can absolve themselves of responsibility for a violation by claiming its employees should know better; after all, there are written policies, ethical statements, known consequences, and annual, or possibly even bi-annual, training. Supervision is another organizational deterrent for sexual boundary violations. Organizations may choose to proliferate a statement that romantic and sexual relationships between staff and patients are always forbidden due to its detrimental outcome for patients and staff. Sexual boundary violations are engaged in furtively, and the very features and dynamics that lead to success in therapy also make violations almost impossible to detect.
