Topic > Client and Counselor Safety for Mental Health Counselors

When mental health counselor works in outpatient mental health facilities; it is inevitable that they will work with numerous clients who have multiple problems with multiple diagnoses. It is also favorable to say that mental health counselors wear many hats when working with their clients who may experience different crises on a day-to-day basis. When mental health counselors work with multiple clients throughout their career, they must practice confidentiality and privacy when conducting individual, group, or counseling services of any kind. Like any medical patient, mental health clinicians must treat their clients with dignity and respect. It is extremely important that the mental health counselor working with the assigned caseload promotes the rights of their clients by providing a safe and private place in which to conduct counseling services. This is also where the consultant can begin a professional relationship and establish a respectable relationship with their client. Unfortunately, there are times when customers may lose their temper or feel provoked. When counseling certain populations who may pose potential for violence, counselors must be aware that they themselves may become victims of physical, verbal, and sexual assault and stalking. Counselors working with these populations should take precautions so they can protect themselves and still provide necessary counseling services. The counselor's ability to predict which client will be violent depends largely on the conditions under which the client accepts the terms of counseling. Some clients have a disposition before accessing counseling services if it is court ordered, or if they are engaged in services on some kind of condition such as please… half of the document… liable to the employer to provide post-accident support to the consultant. Following an assault by a client, an estimated 17% met the criteria for PTSD. Posttraumatic stress management must be recognized for immediate treatment and further psychological care with follow-up. While not all mental health patients are non-violent, most if not all community agencies have safety plans in place for preventative measures. Workplace analysis is the main objective to find out which areas can be further dangerous for customers and staff for risk prevention controls. Employer and consultant training on workplace violence and education on preventive measures such as drills, orientation and internal services. Anti-violence prevention and involvement of general staff in community resources so that they are informed and informed about problems, crisis situations and referrals.