Who is a Client?

Who is a Client?

• A. Any person who, either currently or in the past, has received or is receiving services.
• B. A counselor.
• C. A person who files a complaint.
• D. A PCB board member.

Answer: (A)

In service and counseling contexts, a client is the person who receives help from a professional or program. This includes someone currently in treatment or someone who has used services in the past, because the essential relationship is between the person and the service provider, not the provider themselves or a bystander. The other roles don’t define a client: the counselor is the professional delivering services, not the recipient; someone who files a complaint may or may not have been a client, and filing a complaint alone doesn’t establish client status; and a PCB board member is unrelated to receiving services.

In service and counseling contexts, a client is the person who receives help from a professional or program. This includes someone currently in treatment or someone who has used services in the past, because the essential relationship is between the person and the service provider, not the provider themselves or a bystander. The other roles don’t define a client: the counselor is the professional delivering services, not the recipient; someone who files a complaint may or may not have been a client, and filing a complaint alone doesn’t establish client status; and a PCB board member is unrelated to receiving services.