Building a collaborative relationship

Collaborative relationships are a vital part of the development of counsellor-client rapport. Strategies for building a collaborative relationship include:

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  Working with clients to meet their needs (as identified by the client).

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  Being aware of personal beliefs, attitudes, prejudices and emotions that may affect the relationship.

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  Maintaining clear and consistent professional boundaries (i.e., ensuring that clients know what they can and cannot expect from you).

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  Showing empathy (not pity).

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  Creating a warm and safe environment.

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  Ensuring that interactions are respectful.

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  Offering non-confrontational support.

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  Instilling hope.

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  Maintaining a non-judgmental attitude.

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  Asking for feedback.

Skills for client interactions

In addition to building collaborative client relationships, the following counselling skills and strategies may be helpful for a variety of client interactions:

• Maintain a needs-based focus

  Focus on the client's problem(s) but remember that they can't all be solved in one session. Be aware of the client's priorities.

• Maintain confidentiality and safety

  Talk to the client in a comfortable place and maintain a safe environment. Start by discussing confidentiality. Do not share information about the client with co-workers, family and community members or authorities without the client's permission.

• Respect clients' self-determination

  Counselling is based on respecting personal freedom and promoting personal determination and choice. Remember that the client's choices and decisions should prevail at all times. (Exceptions to this principle include when a client's actions are putting themselves or someone else at risk of harm.)

• Empower clients

  The service provider's goal should be to enable the client to acquire the skills they need to deal with difficult situations. Focus on the client's strengths. Start small and encourage and acknowledge small “victories” to enhance the client's sense of power and control over their life.

• Keep expectations realistic

  Clients come with a range of complex issues, such as economic, employment, educational, immigration and family difficulties. It is unrealistic for service providers to expect to solve all their problems, and unfair to give the false hope that they can. Service providers and their clients should discuss the expectations they have of each other's roles and of the things that can and cannot be realistically accomplished in their working relationship. Although telling clients that particular things cannot be done may disappoint and frustrate them, the majority of them will appreciate the service provider's honesty, which in turn will help to build strong relationships.