As a client, what rights do you have?
By: Kiersten Williams, LPC, NCC
Honor you as the client, and be treated with dignity and respect. As clinicians, we strive to not only honor your rights, but make you aware of those rights from the very beginning! However, it never hurts to be refreshed on the rights you have as clients! Here at Owens, we do our very best to provide caring, humane service that will help you meet your goals. If ever you feel that your therapist is not doing so, please bring it up to your clinician or the administration. Most clinicians will do their best to rectify this error and continuous strive to learn how best they can help you while utilizing tested and true methods that have served many people in the past.
Ensure your input in treatment. Many clinicians welcome your feedback and work with you to form goals, as well as discuss how you can meet those goals together. Always feel free to ask your clinician about treatment, progress, or any other questions you have during the process.
Abuse and neglect free treatment. All code of ethics that clinicians are given explicitly state that there is to be no abuse within the counseling setting. All clinicians at Owens and Associates have a deep respect for the person across from them and strive to do no harm. We ask that if you feel like this has happened, to let us know so that we may take steps to rectify the situation.
Right to confidentiality (with some legal exceptions) Confidentiality is a question that often comes up, and can be a great fear among people who seek counseling services. We understand, and we know that in many places, the stigma in seeking mental health services still exists. One of the amazing things about counseling services is that the counseling services are confidential! There are very few exceptions to confidentiality, and each exception is deliberately set in place to ensure the safety of our clients or people around them.
- For those who are new to the process, the exceptions to confidentiality are
- Abuse under the age of 18, over 59, or those who are unable to look out for themselves such as people with disabilities.
- Serious concern of killing oneself
- Serious concern of killing someone else
- On special occasions, there may be court-ordered items that require some disclosure, and if you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to ask your counselor!
Should you want your counselor to disclose more information, we are able to do so and advocate for you as well! We have special documents that can be signed to ensure we are respecting your wish for what information which would be shared.
Right to know your clinician’s credentials. Our clinician’s credentials are displayed on our website, but should you have any questions about our credentials and what that means, please feel free to ask! The roles of counselors, of psychologists, psychiatrists may have some overlap, but services provided are different between counselors/social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists.
We hope that you feel that all your rights and needs are met, and we strive to ensure all the above are met and exceeded while in the care of Owens and Associates. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out, as we would love to hear from you! Our number is 847-854-4333, and you can email us at admin@owenscounseling.com