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What should counselors do when dual relationships exist?

User Vittorio
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Final answer:

Counselors must carefully navigate dual relationships by adhering to ethical standards, revising practices to be inclusive, and balancing the need for additional staff with logistical concerns. They should also understand the impacts of integrated services and foster effective communication in professional settings.

Step-by-step explanation:

When counselors find themselves in dual relationships with clients, they need to handle such situations with great care and ethical consideration. For instance, a relationship counselor who served only straight couples but observes an influx of LGBTQ people moving into the town should revise their policies to be inclusive and non-discriminatory to meet the needs of the changing population dynamics. Counselors in educational settings, such as a college where the International Association of Counseling Services recommends one full-time equivalent staff member for every 1,000 to 1,500 students, may need to advocate for more hiring if the student population's needs exceed the current capacity. In such cases where Powell College South considers hiring more counselors, it's vital to weigh the potential benefits, such as accommodating more students needing counseling services, against logistical considerations like the need for additional office space in Pennington Hall. Furthermore, counselings after integrating health services require counselors to understand the structure, rationale, and possible impacts on their interactions with clients. Similarly, understanding the larger context of relationships in a professional setting, like with a manager, prompts an emphasis on responsive and collaborative approaches to cultivate a successful working relationship.

User Krzysztof Platis
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