Therapeutic BDSM Collaborative Network (TBCN)

In the Therapeutic BDSM Collaborative Network, clarity, integrity, and ethical accountability shape how we work with clients. Because of the unique vulnerability and power embedded in both the clinician role and the certified facilitator role, we hold a firm boundary around dual relationships for the sake of client safety and long-term well-being.

No Dual Roles for the Same Client

A clinician will never hold both the clinician role and the certified facilitator role for the same client. This is an absolute boundary.
It does not matter how much time passes or how the client’s needs shift. Clients will almost always relate to the clinician or facilitator in the role they first experienced them in. That imprint shapes the relational dynamic in ways that cannot be ethically reset.

This policy removes the risk of boundary erosion, dependency, and role confusion, and protects the integrity of both forms of work.

Clear Role Distinction Across the Network

Clinicians who are also certified facilitators may practice in both capacities within the network, but never with the same individual. Any client seeking the alternate role must be referred to another practitioner within the TBCN ecosystem or to an external provider.

Informed Consent and Transparency

All clients must be informed up front that:

• the clinician they are working with will never serve as their certified facilitator

• their facilitator will never serve as their clinician

Transparent communication prevents misunderstandings and reinforces the ethical container.

Ethical Documentation and Boundaries

Clinicians must maintain documentation that aligns with their specific role. Since dual roles with the same client are prohibited, documentation remains clean, consistent, and role-specific at all times.

Tetralogical Model  Still Applies

If a clinician chooses to work as a certified facilitator with someone who is not their clinical client, they must still follow the TBCN tetralogical model.
The client must also have an external clinician who is not involved in the facilitation dynamic. This ensures the client receives therapeutic support separate from their facilitator relationship and maintains the structural boundary between roles.

Commitment to Ethical Practice

This policy reflects our commitment to building a community of care grounded in trust, professionalism, and high ethical standards. By removing role switching entirely, we create clarity for clients and sustainable boundaries for practitioners.

The Therapeutic BDSM Collaborative Network exists to model what ethical kink-integrated care looks like. This policy reinforces that foundation and ensures that clinicians and certified facilitators can work with clarity, confidence, and integrity.