The Case of Brent
A psychology professor, Hilda, teaches counseling classes, supervises interns, and provides individual therapy at the university counseling center. One of her graduate students, Brent, approaches her with a request for personal counseling. Even though she tells him of her concern over combining roles, he is persuasive and adds that he trusts her and sees no problem in being both her student and her counselee.
• What are your reactions to this request?
• What issues, if any, ethical or otherwise, do you see in this case?
• Would it make a difference if Brent had approached her for counseling after he had completed the course with her?
• Would the situation take on a different dimension if the professor had a private practice and charged Brent a fee for her service?
• Assume that Hilda was leading a therapy group during the semester and that Brent wanted to join the group. Is being a client in a group different from being an individual client?
• Do you see any potential for exploitation in this case?
• Would it make a difference if there was a lack of availability of other counseling resources in the area?
Commentary. T he code of ethics of both the ACA (2014) and the APA (2010) clearly state that educators, or those who have an evaluative role, do not serve as counselors to current students or supervisees, unless this is a brief role associated with a training experience. Regardless of how persuasive a student or supervisee is about requesting personal therapy from an educator or supervisor, it is the professional’s responsibility to avoid surrendering to this pressure. In Brent’s case, the professor would be acting unethically if she agreed to provide personal counseling for Brent.