Counseling clients in their homes can be extremely beneficial- but only if you take appropriate cautions.
Comfort
Benefit: Clients are more comfortable in their own homes. Rather than going to an unfamiliar office, clients can open up in the safety of their own living rooms. Not only will they be more likely to share important information (and thus avoid “doorknob therapy”), but you will see family dynamics first-hand.
Caution: Maintain professionalism. It’s much easier for boundaries to be blurred when a counselor is a guest in a client’s home. In addition to the more casual atmosphere, the client is the host. This could lead to role confusion: instead of the counselor taking care of the client, the client is now caring for the counselor by offering them water, making sure they have a comfortable place to sit, etc.
Flexibility
Benefit: In-home counseling is more convenient and flexible for the client. Rather than have to worry about traffic, and making sure all family members arrive on time, counseling begins when all family members are present. There is also no need to get a babysitter or reschedule the cable technician.
Caution: Less structure and more interruptions can negatively affect the counseling process. The therapist and/or client(s) may get distracted by interruptions such as children wandering into the room, dogs barking, the doorbell, etc. Flexibility also makes it more difficult to begin and end sessions on time.
Power
Benefit: Because counseling is done on the client’s “turf,” they have the advantage in the same ways that a sports team has an advantage when they play on the home field. When the client is in charge of such things as phones, TV, doors being locked or unlocked, windows open, etc., they will feel more in control and therefore less anxious.
Caution: The unwilling or reluctant client now has more tools to make the therapist feel uncomfortable. Instead of just clamming up in therapy and staring sullenly at the therapist, clients can now do things to directly affect the counselor’s creature comforts. This unwelcoming atmosphere could throw the therapist off his or her game.
Safety
When appropriate cautions are applied, in-home counseling can be very beneficial to clients. However, I think it is very important to discuss safety. It is my experience that agencies will often send their counselors to clients’ homes without any kind of safety training. Because it is common for in-home counseling to be done in poorer neighborhoods, where crime is more prevalent, it is essential that counselors take precautions.
Safety tips:
- Google the neighborhood. If the client’s home is located in a dangerous neighborhood, then don’t go alone, or don’t go at all.
- Google the client. You need to know if the client has a criminal record.
- Wear flat shoes. You may need to be mobile and move quickly to get out of harm’s way.
- Know your way in and out, and park close to the front entrance of the home, facing your escape route.
- Go early in the day. Do not go to bad neighborhoods at night.
- Don’t allow your agency to dismiss your safety concerns. It is better to risk losing your job than risk losing your life.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Dr. Barbara LoFrisco
