The multiple relationship issue in therapy is crucial for a health therapeutic process to take place. It has been conceptualized and developed to be one of the basic ethical standards in therapy. In the beginning, multiple relationship was a strict ethical code that therapist had to refrain oneself from having any extra-therapy interactions with the client, which may lead to anything other than therapist-client relationship. However, in 1980s and 1990s the issue and demand for redefining this multiple relationships have been raised by many psychologists (Pope & Vetter, 1992). Questions about boundaries were discussed from various perspectives including therapeutic approach, value system and professional discipline, etc (Pope, Tabachnick & Keith-Spiegel, 1987). In 2002, such debates contributed in bringing amendment in APA Ethical Standards on multiple relationships and additional statement was provided as following: "Multiple relationships that would not reasonably be expected to cause impairment or risk exploitation or harm are not unethical (http:// www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html)."
Music therapy being both discipline and profession, there are situations where teacher’s role encompasses clinical trainer, supervisor, and sometimes therapist. I teach music therapy theories, train clinical techniques and educate models. In such process, my students who are entering into the advanced clinical training, say GIM, I often encounter situation having to develop new or additional relationship other than teacher-student relationship. It starts with educational intention but substantially develops into therapist-client relationship along the training, and during certain period, such relationship is maintained.
In the process, I am very much amazed with how well my trainees or graduate students deal with the relationship. The identified concerns and issues deriving from dual relationships, such as breaking trusting ground, crossing boundaries, etc., never seem to affect the quality of our relationships. Maybe it is not articulated openly, but I can feel that for both side, me and students, having additional relationship does not challenge the initial quality of our relationship, instead it expands its dimension. I started to think what may contribute to this, and came up with the idea that the cultural factor and its perspective may play into it.
In Confucianism saying, there is a phrase "king, teacher, parent are one." What this means is that one’s mentor is equal to parental figure and so is the royal figure. What this also implies is that teacher should be served as parents, and so must be the ruler, vice-versa. This does not exactly relate to what I am trying to say in this column but provides some understanding of how one’s role can be perceived as various figures in cultures with Confucianism influence. I am often convinced that the students are more comfortable with this situation than I am, and I could see that they have the wisdom in dealing with one’s dual role and multiple relationships. Of course this is not the case for all students. Some do better than the other.
What I am intending to present in this column is not to insist on the dual relationships between teachers and students. What I would like to share is that depending on the culture, multiple relationships can actually be resource if it is worked out well. Psychotherapy was originated in the West and dual relationship issues are identified in western cultural context. In Eastern culture, teachers have been mentors and counselors. How can I utilize this wisdom which is so unique to Eastern culture to benefit the multiple relationships? And how can I work it out to make it into resource for the additional relationships with my students?
American Psychology Association (2002). http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html
American Psychology Association (1992). http://www.apa.org/ethics/code1992.html
Pope, K.S. & Vetter, V.A. (1992). Ethical dilemmas encountered by members of the American Psychological Association: A national survey. American Psychologist, vol. 47, 397-411.
Pope, K.S., Tabachnick, B.G., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (1987). Ethics of practice: The beliefs and behaviors of psychologists as therapists. American Psychologist, vol. 42, 993-1006.
Chong, Hyun Ju (2008). Can Multiple Relationships in Therapy be Resource in Certain Culture?. Voices Resources. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://testvoices.uib.no/community/?q=colchong210708