QUESTION:
I have a Client who has paid for or booked a Mentoring Session/
Reading with me. When we started they began to tell me about their
current situation and it involved depression, self-harm, harm of
others or other forms of direct abuse. What do I need to do, and how
can I intervene and manage the session so that I am abiding by my
ethics and maintaining the safety of my client?
Disclaimer:
These are my options, and my approach as a Practioner of Tarot,
Shadow Mentoring and Divination healing. I always like to set up a
short introductory assessment for all my Mentoring clients to ensure
they feel they are in the right mental and physical health and space
to be able to fully engage in the sessions and or readings.
“I
need your help.”
There is a number of
ways you can take the request. In this post we are going to look at a
scenario where a client has asked us to take part in a session that
requires more assistance and support then we can offer, and how to go
about determining whether the session can continue, how to handle the
let down and where to go from there professionally.
It is no surprise
that when it comes to determining whether your client wants your
support or to be rescued it’s not always black and white, there are
always going to be shades of grey and splashes of color in between.
They gray areas may be fuzzy depending on the person, especially if
they are a regular client or work in your close network tree.
You may feel the
empathetic tug when someone comes to you seeking your guidance, and
instead brings you into the victim stories. Often these are the
clients that need more than the resources you can ethically offer.
After all, when supporting someone on their path you want them to be
empowered and for them to take responsibility for the part that they
play in their own lives.
How
do you do that when you are unsure whether they are seeking
validation, clarification or supposition?
How
can you feel into the real truth of what they are asking, needing, or
their overall intent?
When
do you know if their issues are heart centered or dangerous?
When
do you cease being a Mentor or practioner, and become a confidant
into something that is deeply personal and could harm your client or
other people?
You
want to support them, give them the guidance that they seek while
maintaining your ethics, and business practice.
Your
First call of action is to use your common
sense. Go
into your own body, center yourself, and then reach out into the
energetic field of your client. You can do this verbally as well,
calling upon the universe to ground you both, or you might even take
your client into meditation while you work on processing their
question and needs.
You
want to make sure your own protective shield is active and supported,
so that you can feel the energy of your client, but you do not draw
low vibration or negative energy into yourself.
This
is where you work through the question asked. If it was as vague as
“I need your help”, ask for more clarity in the area they need
help with, go deeper with the questions. This is a time to also draw
on your strong foundations and healthy boundaries that comprise of
your ethics, skills, resources and guidelines of practice.
Say
your client comes to you and asks you one of these two things [This
is an example]
“I
need help with a banishing ritual to get rid of my Ex-
Boyfriend/Girlfriend.”
Or
“I
really need your guidance and help to get stop my Boyfriend from
abusing me and others. What should I do?”
Both
of these are serious requests, and look similar in the way they are
both reliant on you giving them the validation, confirmation or power
they need to step up to their own life path.
You
might accept their request to aid them with a banishing spell because
you have had experience with it yourself, and to do so would be in
alignment with your ethics. Remembering you don’t want to just give
them the answer. Mentoring, Shadow Work and Readings are always about
pulling your client back into the driver’s seat, not giving them
the answers to life’s overarching quizzes.
With
the second request this is where you would need to take a breath, a
few deep breaths, and question where you can intervene. You have
stepped outside the lines of comfort, and if you choose to continue
your service while remaining conscious of your clients issues you are
about to abuse your position, and possibly compromise your clients
mental and physical well being by offering a service that you are not
qualified to assist with [unless of course you are trained as a
professional in the mental health or authorities department.] You are
participating in third party engagements by proxy. You know that this
request is now something that cannot be ignored as it affects your
client and others, and your client has made the decision for you to
bring to the table private details about this third, or even fourth
parties behavior.
You
may have a multitude of ways you can respond, from experience, or by
using advice you have heard or been given yourself in diverse
situations revolving around abuse.
Your
own opinions and desire to take away the suffering, or to enlighten
them with suggestions on how to walk a healthy path will come to the
surface. How could they not? We have all been there at some part in
our lives, on our paths.
You
could be five minutes into the reading or thirty, the time doesn’t
matter. This is where I would call to attention that I cannot offer
the support that they need, and either lead them towards support that
I was educated and aware of that could, or refund their money and let
them know that the avenue they are requesting guidance from is not
suitable for their direct needs.
They
paid me for a service and I cannot give it to them? What about the
time that I invested in the reading?
The
simple reality for me as a Mentor/Reader is that I do not feel
obligated to accept their money if I have not been able to provide
them with a stable service. Keeping in mind I am conscious of the
client coming into the session, their strengths and weaknesses and
the areas they want to work on. Make note that this is different to
when a Client is not engaged or dissatisfied with a reading, and
usually it does not get past the five or ten minute marker for me to
have invested to much of my resources.
Be
strong, say no. There is bound to be frustration and anger, or the
client may feel duped or unsatisfied, the harshness of reality and
also the blessing is that you are allowing them to have power over
their situation.
What
if I can see that a Client is injured or shows signs of fear of
disassociation?
Accept
that this is part and parcel with your healing work and it can
happen.
Simply
help to center them for a moment and then lead them into the
direction of a number they can contact or service they can
investigate. [It helps to have these on hand even as a Tarot reader]
The
same can be said for self harm, depression, suicidal confessions or
behavior, whatever the disconnection, or injury. It is paramount that
you are clear of what your own boundaries are. When you are, you
allow yourself the resources to actually give to your client.
Their
work is a deeper seated than Shadow work [which should always be
explored with full mental consciousness to the practice –
Physically and mentally]
Be
kind, compassionate and assertive. Remember that while it may
frustrate you, you have the power to assist by not making their
decisions for them. People living in fear often reach out to the most
unlikely places due to desperation, or a need for a different avenue
or perspective.
Supporting
a Client is always a two sided experience. You want your client to be
consciously participating alongside you, even if they only ask
questions and comment on the resonance of your cards.
QUESTIONS
TO CONSIDER
How
could you handle a situation like this one? Would you intervene?
What
are your ethics around low vibration requests and Client harm?
~
Share your responses down below. I would love to hear back from you
Sacred Soul ~
