Are you permitted to counsel someone with whom you had sex in the past?

• A. Yes, after a cooling-off period.
• B. Yes, if the client agrees.
• C. No.
• D. No, only if there was a formal prohibition.

Answer: (C)

Boundaries and dual relationships are essential in ethical counseling. If you’ve had sex with someone who becomes or seeks to become your client, the situation creates a power imbalance and a potential for exploitation that undermines safety, objectivity, and trust in the therapeutic process. Even after the relationship ends, the past intimate involvement can bias your judgment and affect the client’s welfare, making it inappropriate to provide counseling. Therefore, the appropriate course is not to counsel that person and to refer them to another qualified professional to protect both parties and uphold ethical standards.