The Client-Counselor Relationship

Counselling is not only about exploring core issues and gaining a different perspective on problems and psychological difficulties. It is also about building a rapport and trust with the counselor, so that a client feels comfortable enough to open up and voice their worries. This relationship is built on trust and confidentiality, and can make all the difference between a positive and negative counselling experience.

Behaviour Pattern

A counsellor will never impose their own values or beliefs on a client, and will remain impartial and non-judgmental. The counselling process is an opportunity for the client to explore their own values and beliefs, and to understand how to challenge him/herself to make positive changes in their life.

All counsellors are bound by a Code of Ethics and Practice, as well as by whichever professional body they belong to. The clauses state that:

• No information is exchanged with a third party, unless with prior client consent.
• The content of the meeting remains private and confidential.
• In extreme circumstances, where the counselor becomes concerned for the personal safety of the client, the client is informed that confidentiality may be broken. A Risk Help Plan can be created to provide additional support for the client.

Developing a Relationship

In order that the client feels comfortable in expressing him/herself in an uninhibited way, the relationship between the client and the counsellor needs to be built on reciprocal trust. It is the counsellor’s responsibility to provide a safe, confidential environment, and to offer empathy, understanding and respect.

The counselor’s tone of voice, and the words they choose to greet the client with, will also affect the relationship. Offering the client enough time to collect thoughts and express concerns and difficulties will encourage the client to relax and talk freely. Allowing sufficient delay in responding also gives the client more opportunity to open up further.

Maintaining a Comfortable Relationship

Some clients may be more reluctant than others, when it comes to explaining their difficulties, and counsellors must be aware that these individuals require a sensitive approach. By offering reassurance, empathy and genuineness, clients will become more comfortable in a counselling environment. Engaging the client is only possible once they are sufficiently relaxed and comfortable.

Using open-ended questions also encourages a response from a client, and should form a major part of the counselling script.

Seeking Advice

The relationship between a counsellor and client is based on a one-sided discussion. It is the counsellor’s job to actively listen and gently challenge the client, where appropriate. It is not a counsellor’s responsibility to offer advice, unless the client specifically asks for it. Support, understanding and a sympathetic ear is all that a client really wants to receive.

Boundaries

As with any professional relationship the setting of boundaries is important. All relationships should be limited to a therapeutic setting, and all social contact between a counsellor and client should be avoided. A counsellor should also never accept a friend or family member as a client, or enter into a sexual relationship with a current or former client.

These boundaries form part of the contractual agreement between a counselor and client and must be adhered to at all times.

A Therapeutic Alliance

Most counselors have a particular theory, method or school of thought that they embrace, whether it is cognitive behavior therapy, solution-focused therapy, strength-based, holistic health, person-centered, Adlerian or other. Yet all of these approaches and techniques have at least one thing in common — their potential effectiveness is likely to be squelched unless the counselor is successful in building a strong therapeutic alliance with the client.

The crucial nature of the therapeutic alliance is not a new idea. In 1957, Carl Rogers wrote an article in the Journal of Consulting Psychology outlining the factors he considered necessary for achieving constructive personality change through therapy. Four of the six items directly addressed the client-therapist relationship. Rogers asserted that the therapist must:

• Be genuinely engaged in the therapeutic relationship
• Have unconditional positive regard for the client
• Feel empathy for the client 
• Clearly communicate these attitudes 

In the decades since Rogers’ article was published, many other studies have explored the therapeutic alliance. In 2001, a comprehensive research summary published in the journal Psychotherapy found that a strong therapeutic alliance was more closely correlated with positive client outcomes than any specific treatment interventions.