Managing Dual Relationships in Rural and Remote Practice Settings

In social work in Ontario, a dual relationship exists when a social worker or social service worker, in addition to the professional relationship, has one or more other relationships with a client. Traditionally, dual relationships have been thought to be a circumstance where boundary violations, coercion, exploitation, or other misuse of power might take place. Social work codes of ethics/standards of practice, therefore, recommend avoiding dual relationships whenever possible. One practice setting where this is not always possible, however, is in rural and remote communities where, in fact, workers are often required to manage dual relationships as part of their day-to-day practice. To provide a better understanding of how non-sexual dual relationships are being managed in these communities there was a clear need for research grounded in social workers’ first-hand experiences with the process. Through the use of qualitative inquiry and grounded theory methodology, this study interviewed 25 social workers and social service workers familiar with rural and remote practice about their professional experiences with dual relationships. Specifically, the study explored the process of managing dual relationships in social work and social service work in small rural and remote communities. From the data/findings a substantive theory emerged that suggests that managing dual relationships in these practice settings is, in large part, an informal, emotional/intuitive process informed by workers’ subjective personal experiences, personal values/beliefs, and personal interpretations of codes and policy, as well as by community and agency expectation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Halverson, Glenn

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Pelech, William

• Social Work

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26822

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/1611