11.9 High-Profile Clients

People who participate in counseling, hold some social position or celebrity status, or are involved in prominent news stories are considered high-profile clients. Counselors may quickly encounter publicly available information about high-profile clients, which introduces an unavoidable dual relationship. They engage in ethical decision-making processes about how to proceed in these cases. The primary counseling relationship is contained in data gathered in that specific space. When choice is involved, counselors avoid searching for clients’ personal information on social media and other internet sites to respect privacy, build autonomy, and promote trust (Kolmes, 2012). In high-profile cases, access to personal client information may occur by chance. For example, a counselor could start working with a client who was mandated to treatment following a horrific, publicly discussed accident involving substance use. The counselor is responsible for bracketing information from the social sphere, as this is a secondary relationship to their primary counseling. Further, information from external news sources usually comes through biased journalism lenses, violates client privacy, and can expand power differentials in the relationship. Through self-monitoring, counselors maintain awareness of their biases and acknowledge when they come up to avoid harm and shift their objective stance. Dual relationships can impose risk on the client due to the compromise of the counselor’s objective stance, and counselors may need to consider alternative treatment options or new intake options to provide adequate care to high-profile clients. They also demonstrate equity in working appropriately and thoughtfully with every client and seek out supervision and consultation as needed.