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Boundaries in Psychotherapy: Ethical and Clinical Explorations, by Ofer Zur. American Psychological Association, 2007, 267 pages (ISBN 978-1-59147-737-2, US $59.95 Hardcover)
Reviewed by ANTHONY T. DUGBARTEY and MARlEL MILLER
DOI: 10.1037/a0014803
The definition of boundaries and its educai and clinical applications in psychotherapy is a common dilemma for mental healdi professionals. In this book, Dr. Zur outlines a number of die salient boundary issues in psychotherapy. As such, this book provides a valuable resource for practising mental health professionals regardless of theoretical orientation. Specifically, this book aims to shed light on the definition and use of psychotherapeutic boundaries by providing a context-based and comprehensive discussion of diverse boundary issues. In this regard, Dr. Zur aims not only to fill the vacuum that cunently exists in the field (p. xiii) by providing a broader view of therapeutic boundaries in all their diversity, but also to help the reader navigate these complex issues and make informed decisions in ethically and clinically appropriate ways. The autiior's inspiration for writing this book arose from an encounter with acquaintance who sought him out as his therapist primarily because of their preexisting social affiliation. Furthermore, it is quite noteworthy for a book on boundaries that the author discloses a fair amount, early in the text, of his personal Ufe history: He is a Jewish war veteran, his mother was a psychologist, he is an oceanographer and limnologist, he enjoys playing basketball, and he has lived and worked in eastern and central Africa.
The book is divided into four parts, and each of the first three parts is made up of four chapters. Part 1, "Boundaries in Context," addresses an assortment of topics concerning boundaries in psychotherapy. Although no single conceptually coherent theme underpins the chapters in this section, each chapter provides valuable information. Chapter 1 defines and describes dual relationships in a variety of settings and highlights the salient point that although all multiple-role relationships are boundary crossings, the converse is not necessarily true. The author...