Dual Relationships In Counseling

Improved Essays
What is a dual relationship?
A dual relationship is when a counselor/therapist and their client have another relationship in addition to the professional client/therapist relationship. When boundaries are crossed in the counseling relationship it may result in ethical problems. There are several types of potential relationships such as: physical, social, financial and psychological. Ethical violations may have negative effects on the client.
Dual relationships are not always a problem but they have more potential to be, that’s why it is not recommended. One of the main reasons why this becomes an issue is because of the power difference between the client and the counselor. The client may look up to the counselor and desire their approval.
…show more content…
Counselors and therapists are professionals who help their clients face issues that friends or family members may not be able to help with. They give educated, well thought out suggestions in areas where the client may not know what to do or how to handle certain life’s situations. Clients sometimes need help seeing things in a different light so they rely on the wisdom of their therapist’s or counselors.
Life comes with many ups and downs. Some downs may be overwhelming, causing confusions. At times, life can become overwhelming so people opt to seek guidance from an outside source.
Tragedies are a common reason for people making the initial decision to see a therapist in the first place. For example, divorce, death, and unemployment are some of the difficulties of life that may steer someone to feel like the need help. There are a variety of counseling options for that such as grief counseling and mental health
…show more content…
Discuss at length what makes a competent counselor.
Competence in counseling is critical. It is vital for professional counselors to have the ability to help their clients successfully and efficiently. This includes knowing the ethical rules and boundaries of the profession. Counselor competence decreases helps with good decision making. Generally, a counselor is considered to be competent when they are qualified, capable and have the ability to comprehend and accomplish things in an appropriate and effective manner. An effective professional has a systematic approach, which ensures a high level of quality work.
Being a competent counselor involves having the abilities of critical thinking and good decision making. These skills are essential when counseling clients. Counselors need to be able to communicate well, they need to have good values, they need to be efficient in clinical reasoning, they need to be emotionally sound and most importantly counselors need to poses a wealth of knowledge in the field.
Competence is something that develops over time and continues to develop all throughout the counselor’s career. That is why counselors must assess themselves continuously to keep themselves in check. It is important to stay professional in order to avoid unethical situations with

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    This is accomplished by the client’s need to resolve frustration of unsettled feelings from incongruences in their lives (Henderson & Thompson, 2011). The counseling process continues with the counselor being genuine, accepting, and empathetic in order to help the client self-examine, understand where they are and where they would like to be, and act towards a goal (Henderson & Thompson,…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mental Health Counselor Being a Mental Health Counselor has many important things that you have to do and many skills that you have. The educational requirements for this job are; you have to have a Master’s degree and you have to be state licensed. It requires six years of college education. The first four years you go to school to get your Bachelor’s degree and then the next two years it is to get your Master’s degree.…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The first occupation that I will examine is that of a substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselor. According to O*Net Online, the substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselor’s major role is to provide counseling services to people that experience problems associated with drugs, alcohol, gambling, and a variety of behavioral disturbances. A counselor in this field is expected to perform the following duties: record-keeping, compiling detailed reports, providing counseling services to a diverse population, and collaboration with other professionals for treatment of clients. The minimal education requirement for this position is a master’s degree and the highest is a doctoral degree. I think this career would be a good fit for me, because this work style matches my personality.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The book tells us that the best way a counselor can help ones in crisis is to lead by example and show them the light of God. Dr. H. Norman Wright (2011) tells us that counselors are the hands of God doing His work. (pg 27.)…

    • 2012 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The counselor is expected to act ethically, providing the client with complete, accurate and non-prejudiced information. They are required to measure the efficiency of the treatment and provide referral options to the client if need…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why it is important to understand the role(s) of the lay counselor. Nevertheless, in positions that present suicidal intention, mania, clinical depression, personality and/or anxiety disorders and schizophrenia must be consulted immediately to a qualified professional. Counselors have to undergo extensive training and have an understanding of different background behaviors. Counselling requires a sympathetic ear to emotional issues and troubles on countless stages.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Counselors have the responsibility of working with clients one on one, and also collaborating with other professionals that could benefit the best interest of their clients. Counselors need to acknowledge and respect the professionals that have their own specializations and understand that often times in human services, we never solely work on our own. In this situation, a Child Life Specialist would be an example of a professional with whom I could collaborate with in the future. Child Life Specialists (CLS) would be an excellent group of professionals to collaborate with as Mental Health Counselors. CLS have the difficult role to work with children in hospitals and support them through the process of fighting diseases and illness while trying to cope with many other factors that affect them within this process.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The meaning of the word ethics can be interpreted different ways depending on who you ask as it deals with an individual’s moral code. The dictionary states that ethics is an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior; rules about what is morally right or wrong; the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethics). On any given day, we all make decisions based on our individual moral code and things such as dual relationships have no right or wrong way to go about them. This case study examines dual relationships and the ethical dilemma they can present within the confines of a counselor’s role.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction Throughout this course, this writer has been challenged to practice counseling skills on either herself or volunteers to get use to the practice and implementing various techniques. This writer has gained additional awareness into what the counseling relationship looks like as well as how to challenge the client, problem solve, collect and reframe the story, identify possibilities, set goals, implement a plan, and ultimately lead the client to termination and maintenance. This paper is a reflection of what she has learned throughout this course. Skills and Strengths…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Counsellors need to be aware of their skills and any personal factors…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Intentional Interviewing

    • 1624 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Counseling skills are used throughout the therapeutic process, and some skills are used more frequently than others depending on the chosen method or theory.…

    • 1624 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    A counselor must be a friendly person who has empathy for not only the people in crisis but for the problems that caused the crisis for the client. They must be able to distance themselves from the crisis and the client to objectively see the problem and figure out the solution or solutions using all the information given, while still making sure the client is capable of functioning and upholding their part of the treatment. They must be able to remain ethical during the treatment. Having the ability to feel empathy but not overstep and allow them to become personally involved with the…

    • 1014 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Active Listening Skills

    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages

    As a trained counselor, he should possess a set of skills to counsel his client. Out of this set of skills, five of them are, attending skills, active listening skills, responding skills, questioning skills and unconditional…

    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Courses that can be taken for counseling psychology include behavior analysis, abnormal psychology, personality theory and systems, and many more courses. According to O*NET some of the skills needed to become a counseling psychologist are active learning, giving and paying special attention to what someone else is saying. Another skill is service orientation, where you actively looking for ways to help people. A third skill is social perceptiveness, where you are aware of other’s reactions and being able to understand why they behave and react the way the way that we do (2012). That’s only a few of the skills needed, O*NET lists at least twenty skills needed for this…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A counselor applies, evaluates and researchers to reflect on their own work. They are professionals who want to have a full comprehension of the domains of psychology and the understating of linking the knowledge to the real realm of the society. A counselor’s knowledge impacts the life of professionals…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays