Client and Counselor Safety for Mental Health Counselors...

When mental health counselor’s work at outpatient mental health facilities; it is inevitable they will work with numerous clients who have multiple issues with multiple diagnosis. It is also favorable to say that mental health counselors wear many hats when working with their clients who can experience different crisis on a day to day basis. When mental health counselors work with various clients during their career, they need to practice confidentiality and privacy when conducting one-on-one, group, or any type of counseling services. Like any medical patient, mental health clinicians need to treat their clients with dignity and respect. It is extremely important for the mental health counselor working with his or her assigned caseload†¦show more content†¦Sometimes clients can transfer these feelings onto the therapist also called transference. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2000) shows that 48% of all non-fatal work related assaults and acts of violence have occurred in health care and social service settings. Violence against mental health and health care workers has the potential to cause major physical injuries and psychological trauma. In return this poses serious consequences on employers such as increased turnover, medical and psychological care, increased absenteeism, decreased morale, job dissatisfaction, legal issues, and worker burn-out. Agencies and clinicians are encouraged to evaluate and identify the risks that are potential barriers in their agencies. Safety plans need to be implemented and strategized along with re-evaluations on a continuous basis (Taylor, H. 2013). The counselor should always set boundaries with their clients so they understand what acceptable behavior is and what is not. By placing parameters early in the counseling relationship it will decrease the opportunity for violent escalations. Educating clients on their own warning signs and having them learn about their own violent urges makes the more self-aware of their behaviors may escalate. This also gives the counselor the skills to learn how to work with potentialShow MoreRelatedPsychopharmacology and Mental Health Counseling1035 Words   |  5 PagesPsychopharmacology and Mental Health Counseling Psychopharmacology and Mental Health Counseling It seems that the more human development changes, the more there is a demand to understand the role of pharmaceuticals in daily life with regard to mental health. In the article, The Mental Heath Practitioner and psychopharmacology, a growing challenge for mental health counselors is to understand the potential benefits and limitations of many different types of drugsRead MoreMental Health Counseling Essay example828 Words   |  4 PagesTheories play an important role in how a counselor serves their clients. 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