How I Treat My Clients: My Values as a Counselor

A couple questions clients often ask me – “What’s important to you as a counselor?” and “What’s your process for treatment?”

So I thought I would devote a blog to answering these questions and explaining what is important to me as a counselor so that you, the client, can have an idea of what to expect from treatment.

Confidentiality — Everything between us is confidential.

The only reasons I would have to break that is if I found out you were harming yourself or others, if there’s child or elder abuse going on, or if someone’s in imminent danger. 

Promoting Client Well-Being & Autonomy —

You’re in charge of your treatment, period. We will do more of what works for you and none of what doesn’t. I value feedback from you very highly because you know yourself best. In addition, you’ll get as much out as you put in. Transparency and some use of self-disclosure are important to me while maintaining a non-biased stance — that is, I’ll choose not to share certain, specific details of my life if I think it may create a bias in the relationship or turn it into a counseling session for me. Good fit is extremely important to me on both ends because, at the end of the day, I’m in this business to help people. I recognize that I’m not the counselor for every person in the world, so if it’s not working I’d rather talk about it and get you to the person you need. 

An Environment of Non-Judgement, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Empathy –

I want to create a safe environment for you to feel how you need to feel and say what you need to say.  Truly, I do not judge you.  I aim to provide you with understanding and create an environment of safety for us to work through tough stuff together.

The 24-Hr No Show Policy —

I ask for 24 hrs notice for cancellations/reschedules; without it, you will be billed for the entire session. You can reschedule online in your portal or through me. We’re all busy people — of course you don’t want your time wasted, and neither do I. Stuff happens, so if we’re having a hard time connecting during a session, call or text me so that we can get it figured out. Otherwise, I will have to assume it’s a no show. 

Adaptive Coping Skills –

When it comes to coping skills, I am not going to give you a skill which I have not personally found value in.  Different coping skills work for different people, which is perfectly fine, and I am not going to give you one to use which has not personally worked for me.  In addition, I am going to focus on researched, evidence-based skills, and if I give you one to use that is not technically research-based (i.e., mindfulness), I’ll tell you about it first to give you that option. 

Technology Usage —

Telehealth provides lots of opportunity for technology usage, which is great. You can call, text, or email me, and I’ll always get back to you the same day. Of course just know that I will not offer counseling through text and will ask you to make note of the issue for our next session. Too much can be misunderstood through text, but asking about basic info like appointment times and such is okay. When using Telehealth, I will present to you like I would at an in-person session, so I expect that you will do the same (i.e., limiting distractions, no texting, not laying in bed, maintaining confidentiality on your end).  Also, I will never Google you or friend you on social media. 

*Couples Limited Secrets Policy –

This one is specific to people in relationship counseling and states that I am not a secret-keeper for the relationship.  So if Person A calls me and says, “Hey don’t tell Person B but this happened…”, I will find a way to bring that information up therapeutically in counseling.

My Mission —

I provide Sex and Couples Counseling using evidence-based practices in a safe, non-judgemental environment to individuals and couples so that they can experience growth in their relationships and fulfillment in their sex lives. 

These are the basic values which outline how I practice.  At the end of the day, I’m in this business to help people, simply put.  I hold ethics and value highly in treatment, and this is by no means an all-encompassing list, but these are some that I prioritize.  As always, I invite you to reach out to me with questions about how I practice, what you can expect from treatment, etc.

Thanks for reading – have a mindful day, and be well!