The art of helping others is a wonderful, God-given gift that one has received.  However, we cannot just go ahead and do whatever we think is right when we are working with people in a counseling setting.  We have Scripture, which gives us guidelines as to how to live a God-centered life.  As humans, we also need guidelines as to how to best help our fellow humans in the counseling setting without creating permanent damage to the person we are helping.  The overriding guideline is “do no harm.”  In addition, ethical guidelines give helpers very specific boundaries to be aware of when dealing with others.  One very obvious example would be to never engage in a sexual relationship with a client one is presently counseling.  However, when dealing with certain clients who are extremely vulnerable, the counselor may even need to avoid any kind of touch, such as a hug that could be misinterpreted by the client as something more than a caring gesture.  In this exercise, we focus on one of those guidelines, as friends and relatives often want us to help them solve their problems.  We need to know why this is often not a good situation.

• Read pp. 48-51 of the textbook by Corey.

• Consider the danger of multiple relationships in counseling.

• Prepare to engage in discussion on what you would say to a good friend who wants to come to you for counseling.

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