One of the ethical principles that counselors should abide by is the defense of public health, safety, welfare, and the best interest of the client. It is essential that the counselor make known to the client his/or her code of ethics, professional loyalties, and responsibilities. If there is no growth in the client-counselor relationship, then it is the duty of the counselor to end it. Above all, the wellbeing of the client is extremely important, and all decisions should be based on that supposition. This means that when the counselor is coordinating services for the client, he/or she should ensure that this is happening in private and safe environments.

Client confidentiality is a principle stating that the counselor should not reveal without consent any of the client's information received during teaching, practice, or investigation. Before beginning treatment, the counselor should let the client know in writing the rights he/or she has regarding confidentiality and the extent of areas (such as session recordings or observations) that may enter into confidentiality. When the counselor does discuss the client's information, it should only be in appropriate circumstances for professional reasons. However, the counselor must still follow state and federal laws that dictate when confidentiality must be broken to report clinical information to the correct authorities. It is allowable for the counselor to use the client's information for teaching or writing reasons if no identifying information is released.