Current client wants to join a book club I am running on my recent book

[truthtopower]

So, I recently wrote a book, about healing trauma. I am starting a paid psychoeducational "book club" on it / about it. It is intended to be psychoeducational. My current client wants to join the book club. I am not sure if that is a conflict of interest? Any thoughts?

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[R. Matey]

I assume you're a psychologist? It sounds like the book club isn't intended to be therapeutic (i.e., it's not a 'group') so I would call it a no-go. Typically, you want to minimize dual-relationships as much as possible. I would have concerns about how your interactions in a non-therapeutic setting impact your work with this person.

 

[singasongofjoy]

yeah I would not be comfortable with that at all- absolutely not ever while still in a client/therapist relationship. Maaaaaaybe I would consider including a former client in a book club several years after terminating therapy on good terms and with a lot of caveats (including but not limited to a less-heavy topic - idk maybe improving your strategies for executive functioning skills or something )

I can't imagine a circumstance where I would be comfortable having a former client in a group that discussed such a weighty topic even if it had been a long long time. I am curious to know how you plan to clearly delineate psychoeducational group versus therapy-but-not-calling-it-that group for participants given the topic and that it is a workbook which i associate more with therapy -- genuine curiosity. Have you run a similar group before? If so how did you do this and maintain that boundary? Feels like given the overlap with professional role it could be a slippery slope? But I have no experience with book clubs beyond the "BYOB and eat snacks while talking animatedly with interesting people for fun" sense so maybe I'm just having a hard time imagining something between that and therapy group.

 

[MCParent]

yeah I would not be comfortable with that at all- absolutely not ever while still in a client/therapist relationship. Maaaaaaybe I would consider including a former client in a book club several years after terminating therapy on good terms and with a lot of caveats (including but not limited to a less-heavy topic - idk maybe improving your strategies for executive functioning skills or something )

I can't imagine a circumstance where I would be comfortable having a former client in a group that discussed such a weighty topic even if it had been a long long time. I am curious to know how you plan to clearly delineate psychoeducational group versus therapy-but-not-calling-it-that group for participants given the topic and that it is a workbook which i associate more with therapy -- genuine curiosity. Have you run a similar group before? If so how did you do this and maintain that boundary? Feels like given the overlap with professional role it could be a slippery slope? But I have no experience with book clubs beyond the "BYOB and eat snacks while talking animatedly with interesting people for fun" sense so maybe I'm just having a hard time imagining something between that and therapy group.

Agree. What is a book club that’s not a therapy group for a book that’s a therapy workbook and is run by the author who is a therapist? Who joins but ppl with trauma? What do they talk about other than their trauma?

 

[coffee&CBT]

Curious how the client even heard about the book club? Are you advertising it on a professional social media page or something?

Agree that it would be a dual relationship and should be avoided.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Why not just call it a therapy group because that is likely what it would be considered as posters above alluded to. Then you could invite all of your patients who could benefit to join.

 

[PsyDr]

Is this the plot to....