Informed consent is an important part of psychotherapy as it intertwines the profession of therapy with the safety standards for those who utilize the services. It has been said that "informed consent to therapy is invaluable as it ensures that a patient's decision to take part in psychotherapy is informed, voluntary, and rational" (Martin et al., 2015). I think this could get confusing when a client becomes a friend, or a current friend wants you to also play the role of counsellor in their life. The CCPA suggests minimizing all multiple relationships to strictly be professional when possible. When speaking with a friend or client I think it would be important to continue to check in and make sure you have their consent to be a psychotherapist at that moment. Within the therapeutic relationship the process of consent is often a confusing topic. The client is required to acknowledge or give consent prior to counselling however it is an active process that could be withdrawn from at any time.

What are ways that we could tell a friend or family member that we want to keep client-counsellor relationships strictly professional?