Paper Example on Professional Counseling to a Suicidal Client

Introduction

The activity of working with suicidal clients should contribute to the general good for the client; however, this may not be the case. Under normal circumstances, with respect to the expectations from a professional counseling to a suicidal client, the exercise should reduce harm to the patient while increasing the benefits associated with it. Nevertheless, this may not be case where the assessment undertaken by a counselor may rather cause more problems to the client rather effecting appropriate solutions to the troubling situation. This may happen if the counselor in question fails to offer professional assessment and therapy. Subsequently, the counselor may fail to connect the attempt to commit suicide and the probable causes. Consequently, the client may opt to commit suicide in the future owing to the inappropriate measures to help him or her out of the given situation.

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Informed Consent

A mental health counselor is bound to an aspect of ethical considerations which provides that an official message should reach the suicidal client prior to the assessment or therapeutic session. The communication should clarify what the meeting will entail and how it matters to the client. The counselor will consider the aspect of communication as a way of developing a significant rapport and trust with the client. It will, therefore, be used to ethically influence the client to provide the necessary piece of information honestly and freely. Besides, it will also give the client the opportunity to reorganize and the mental health counseling sessions, or decide whether to turn up or not.

Interpretation of the Data Privacy

McGillivray, Rosenfeld, McKinlay Gardner and Gillam (2012) argued that the suicidal client should be assured of data privacy since he or she will be revealing a sensitive piece of information regarding a suicide attempt. Schuhmann (2015) added that the counselor is expected to let the client know that the personal information will only be used for the recommended uses and not revealed to any other person who is not connected to the context I question. It applies as a strategy through which a psychiatric can ensure that the client opens up and talk freely concerning his or her psychological problems which make them think of committing suicide. Soderlund (2017) emphasized that the counselor has a further task of considering what may result concerning the recommended use of the clients' confidential information; this call for a balance between the professional requirements and the one's personal considerations.

Interpersonal Boundaries

It is the responsibility of a counselor to ensure that the personal relationship with the client does the professional guidelines on the same. As much as the client and the counselor will develop the friendship in the course of trying to assist the client, he or she should be able to define the boundaries of their relationship. Thompson (2017) argued that the mental health practitioner can accept small gifts which may lead to personal relationships which may be beyond the acceptable level regarding ethical requirements. The counselor should, therefore, be careful of any sexual or romantic feeling that a client may develop towards him or her. The client him/herself should be ethical enough to control their feeling on the same.

Personal Problems and Conflicts

A counselor, just like any other person, is liable to experiencing personal problems and conflicts. The ability to manage the issues demonstrates considerable ethical competencies of the given health practitioner. If one is undergoing a problem which may prevent him or her from handling a situation with a suicidal client, he or she should hand over the task to another professional individual. Alternatively, they can carry forwards the exercise to another time when they feel they are psychologically prepared to undertake it (Uzunboylu & Evram, 2017).

Adult Physical Illness and Adolescent Psychological Illness

The assessment of the psychological illness is growing to be an issue of concern just like the physical health problems. Physical illness in adults may have been different to the psychological health in the adolescent individual based on their impacts on the patients and probably the approaches to be adopted in helping the clients out of the difficulties they are experiencing. One criterion that can be used to assess the different situations is the ease of working with the respective categories of the patients. Uzunboylu and Evram (2017) argued that working with a physically ill adult is relatively easier than handling the situation of a psychological ill adolescent. Brownstein (2018) noted that diagnosing physical illness posse fewer challenges to a health practitioner since there are appropriate instruments designed for such exercises. Besides, adults are less aggressive therefore it is relatively easy t manage their situations. On the hand, a significant level of difficulty arises when there is need to understand what a teenager is experiencing in a psychological context. For instance, it may cost a psychotherapist a lot regarding convincing an adolescent individual to turn up for assessment and subsequent therapy.

References

Brownstein, M. (2018). Self-Control and Overcontrol: Conceptual, Ethical, and Ideological Issues in Positive Psychology. Review Of Philosophy And Psychology. Doi: 10.1007/s13164-018-0390-7

Lerman, A., & Bleakley, A. (2015). 146. Using the Internet to Meet People and Adolescent Sexual Risk. Journal Of Adolescent Health, 56(2), S76. Doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.10.152

McGillivray, G., Rosenfeld, J., McKinlay Gardner, R., & Gillam, L. (2012). Genetic counseling and ethical issues with chromosome microarray analysis in prenatal testing. Prenatal Diagnosis, 32(4), 389-395. Doi: 10.1002/pd.3849

Schuhmann, C. (2015). Stories of crime, stories of suffering: A narrative perspective on ethical issues in criminal justice counseling. European Journal Of Psychotherapy & Counseling, 17(1), 21-38. Doi: 10.1080/13642537.2014.996172

Soderlund, P. (2017). Effectiveness of motivational interviewing for improving physical activity self-management for adults with type 2 diabetes: A review. Chronic Illness, 14(1), 54-68. Doi: 10.1177/1742395317699449

Thompson, N. (2017). Ethical issues in counseling and therapy practice: walking the line. Asia Pacific Journal Of Counseling And Psychotherapy, 8(2), 165-166. Doi: 10.1080/21507686.2017.1342676

Uzunboylu, H., & Evram, G. (2017). Understanding Children's Paintings in Psychological Counseling with Children. New Trends And Issues Proceedings On Humanities And Social Sciences, 3(3), 449-463. Doi: 10.18844/gjhss.v3i3.1621

Vyskocilova, J., & Prasko, J. (2014). EPA-1336 - Ethical questions and dilemmas in psychotherapy. European Psychiatry, 29, 1. Doi: 10.1016/s0924-9338(14)78553-0