Resources for Ending a Professional Relationship & Self-Care

After recent research on "how to end professional relationships," thought it might be good to share the resources I found helpful and why:

1. Ready, Aim, Fire! How to professionally end your working relationship with a client

• Kevin Lawrence provides clear information and insightful situations, along with step by step scripts on how to handle. 
• My favorite piece of advice (that helped today): Tell the client about the dilemma you face and the discomfort you are in.

2. Ending a relationship

• The way this is written (by Elly Prior) feels like it's from a place of loving kindness.
• She writes in a way that helps laypeople understand behavioral patterns and how to move forward with ease. - Example: [she writes] Your previous experience of ending a relationship - particularly a couple relationship - can become the template those that follow. I so hope that you won't need to go through that painful and stressful process too often.

3. Breaking Up With a Client: What to Say

• Amy S. Choi brought in some excellent examples, such as: the late payer, the diva, the family friend, the jerk, and how to tell them you're moving on.

4. Ending your professional relationship with a patient (2013)

• General Medical Council published this online specifically for medical practitioners in the UK. They gave some outstanding examples for reasons to end professional relationships (see below) [replaced the word "patient" to "professional acquaintance" when I read it - helpful indeed]:
• In rare circumstances, the trust between you and a patient may break down, for example, if the patient has:been violent, threatening or abusive to you or a colleague†
• stolen from you or the premises‡
• persistently acted inconsiderately or unreasonably
• made a sexual advance§ to you.

Here's a great resource for self-care for those who may work in social services (whether as employees or volunteers):

1. Self-Care Tips: Advice from Professional Clinicians

• Example of a self-care tip that I appreciated today: For me, the most important aspect to a social worker’s self care is having and maintaining good boundaries. - Cathy Hanville, LCSW