The desire to help struggling clients succeed is always at the forefront when making decisions

As a human services professional, the desire to help struggling clients succeed is always
at the forefront when making decisions that can affect the client. Ethical lines can
become easily blurred when trying to help a client land that important job or get
approved for that much-needed apartment for her and her young children. However,
ethical violations can significantly impact professional prestige in many professions,
including counseling (Oramas, 2017). Counselors instinctively want to see their clients
thrive. When a client faces a dilemma, the natural response is to help. However, the APA
(2017) general principles state, "Psychologists uphold professional standards of conduct,
clarify their roles and obligations, and seek to manage conflicts of interest that could lead
to exploitation or harm" (Principle B). Thus, counselors should be mindful when
interacting with clients so there are no misunderstandings, or a false sense of
expectation being conveyed to the client.
Kitchener's Model
Kitchener's model of ethical behavior serves as a guideline for making client-first
decisions (Martin, 2018). Kitchener's model highlights the need for autonomy,
beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and fidelity (Martin, 2018). Maintaining these
professional behaviors when working with clients is essential to minimize the danger of
boundary crossing (Oramas, 2017).
Clothing Assistance Scenario
I will begin this part of the discussion by stating that when a client has any level of
success, it should be celebrated. The client in the scenario was selected as a candidate
and invited to participate in the next step of the hiring process, which is an in-person
interview. While this is exciting, the main concern is whether this client has the
appropriate attire to make an excellent first impression, win out over the competition,
and secure the job. As a human service professional, my first obligation is to build
confidence in my client using a strength-based approach. I would remind my client of
how far she has come thus far, and landing this job would be the culmination of
everything she has worked so hard for. Be proud of yourself! Strategies such as roleplaying, focusing on body language, and mirroring (practicing your "interview") will
increase my client's confidence and self-esteem- attributes the employer seeks. To assist
with professional business attire, I would
recommend ThredUp: https://www.thredup.comLinks to an external site.. My client can
find affordable business and business casual attire, and the site is even interactive. Just
type in your desired style and price range, and suggestions, ideas, and options are
automatically generated.