Formal Counseling or Talking to a close friend with counseling experience

Imagine you are now a licensed counselor with a thriving career. A close friend has asked to meet with you one or two times a month to discuss some personal challenges they’ve been experiencing. Your close friend expresses they don’t want to go through formal counseling but would prefer instead to talk to a close friend with counseling experience.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Describe some differences between friendships and therapeutic relationships.
• How should the counselor and client relationship differ from that of a counselor and a friend?
• What kinds of counseling skills might be used in therapeutic relationships that would not be used when talking to a friend?
• How might ethics play a role in therapeutic relationship boundaries?