Rebecca Brashler, LCSW
Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Faculty, Medical Humanities & Bioethics Graduate Program
Member, Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities
Professional Boundaries: Working in Hospitals During the Holidays
This workshop will review the ways clinicians can balance their desire to fully engage clients emotionally with the need to maintain appropriate boundaries. Our client’s problems, pain, anxiety and loneliness can feel overwhelming to us as clinicians if we over-identify with their situations or lose sight of our role as helping professionals. But if we are too detached, we may risk losing precious opportunities to relieve their suffering. These issues are often heightened between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day when both patients and staff struggle with not being at home with their families – whether due to illness or professional obligations. The realization that both patients and staff may share feelings of being deprived of normal family/social interactions over the holidays is a great starting point for a deeper discussion about our shared experiences and our need to thoughtfully construct caring relationships.