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Teacher/client relationship policy

Introduction

Developing strong professional relationships between the dance teacher and the client is an important part of fulfilling Dragonfly Dance’s vision. However, there may be instances where the boundary between a professional relationship and an inappropriate relationship is blurred. It is important that all teachers and clients feel about the nature of the relationship.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide clear expectations to teachers, other contractors and clients regarding the Studio’s expectations when it comes to professional relationships and appropriate boundaries.

Definitions and Acronyms

Dance Activities

Any dance classes, workshops, master classes, video tutorials, practice videos, rehearsals and performances organised by Dragonfly Dance.

Teacher

Anyone contracted to teach dance activities for Dragonfly Dance.

Contractors

Anyone engaged on a Contract For Service basis (ie an independent contractor) to deliver services to for Dragonfly Dance.

Clients

Anyone who participates in Dragonfly Dance activities and events.

Policy

A key element of professional relationships is defining and upholding proper boundaries. With clear boundaries, we have fewer misunderstandings and awkward situations.

Boundaries are the invisible lines of division between the teacher and the client, the social (and sometimes physical) norms and practices that define:

The role of the teacher and the client.
What these roles involve.
The limits of the professional relationship.

With well-defined, strong, healthy boundaries, our 'emotional bank account' is freed up to invest in a robust teaching relationship that keeps teachers safe and sane, while helping clients reach their goals.

Good boundaries mean that clients:

feel safe and secure with their teacher, trusting they’ll act in their best interests.
understand the care a teacher shows is the universal care of an invested, compassionate professional, and not a sign of romantic interest (or some other attachment).
are obligated to show up maturely and responsibly; to regulate their emotions, own their behaviors, and be consistent.

Good boundaries mean that teachers:

avoid ethical breaches or working outside of our scope of practice.
don’t take on more than our share of responsibility for client progress and change.
show our clients clearly who is doing what, when, and how.
recognise the potential power imbalance that is part of teaching, and respect our clients as autonomous individuals.

Appropriate (and also creepy) behaviour is context-dependent.

There’s a green zone: Totally cool almost all of the time. Like smiling and making eye contact as you greet a client.
There are 'grey zones': A little more blurry, and depends on the context and nature of the relationship. Like hugging a client after they just did their first pullup.
And there’s a red zone: Definitely - and always - a hard 'no'. Like, 'Don’t steal from clients' seems pretty intuitive.

But in real life, boundaries aren’t one-size-fits-all.

Therefore (and to make things more complex), the same action can be 'green' with one client and 'red' with another.
With a client you have a secure, trusting relationship with, it might be appropriate to exchange the odd gift, but it might not be appropriate with a newer client.

Context is everything.

With more experience, trust, and maturity you have more freedom - to get close, to joke, potentially to do or say 'inappropriate' things.

With relationships that are newer, more fraught or confused, play by stricter rules.

Examples of team member / client interaction on scale from ‘ok’ to ‘not ok’

Professional calls, emails, or texts that are strictly business related.
Eye contact and handshakes, barring reasons to avoid them (eg cultural norms).
‘Friending’ a client on our professional social media profile.
Giving a small gift or prize (eg book or water bottle) to a client who’s put in extra effort.
Accepting a small gift from a client (like muffins they made).
Casual socialising with clients outside the studio space (eg running into them at the supermarket and saying hello).
Physical contact if it is part of teaching (eg to correct placement so the client knows what ‘correct’ feels like) after you’ve received their consent to do so.
Sharing personal stories to build a relationship or normalise their experience (I had a back injury too and I felt so frustrated).

Grey area

‘Friending’ a client on your personal social media profile.
Socialising outside of work (eg going out for drinks), discussing personal issues that wouldn’t be appropriate in a teaching context.
Telling clients your personal problems.

Not OK

Consensually dating / having sex with a client, doing other business with them.
Assaulting or abusing clients, non-consensual sex, stealing, criminal acts, serious personal infringement.

Responsibilities

Studio Owner

Approve the policy and review it annually.
Consult with contractors and clients as to the relevance of and adherence to the policy and amend the policy as and when required.
Circulate the policy to contractors and clients and publish the policy in a manner that is accessible to members of the general public.
Take reasonable steps to ensure the policy is adhered to in all dance activities overseen by Dragonfly Dance, either directly or through delegated authority.
Address any complaints or concerns about professional behaviour and personal boundaries as soon as possible after they are reported.

Teachers

Be aware of the Client Relationship Policy and related documents, such as the Code of Ethics.
Adhere to the guidelines and procedures outlined in the policy.
Communicate the policy to others if required.
Advise the Studio Owner if the policy requires amendment.

Clients

Be aware of the Client Relationship Policy.
Adhere to the guidelines and procedures outlined in the policy.

Review

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Dragonfly Dance Owner and amended as appropriate.