Counseling Can Be a Dangerous Job

A couple of days ago, I was helping my department with HIV testing and apparently one of our clients carjacked a woman at gunpoint before coming to get tested.  Because they believed he had a gun, the police raided the mobile testing van regardless of whether client confidentiality was going to be broken (yes there were clients testing on the van).  I will say this:  having guns pointed at you does not feel good, especially when it is known that your local police shoots first and asks questions later.  The incident reminded me that working in people who are in need can be very dangerous.  There are many individuals in need who have made decisions that put them in dangerous situations.  There may be times where a mental health professional may be in the middle of the dangerous situation.  Hopefully an employer has whatever means to keep their employees safe.  Unfortunately, this was not the case at mine.  I hope that they will make the appropriate changes needed to keep us safe in the future.  I've been in some dangerous places but my current job takes the cake.  In any case, counseling, like any job, has its risks.  If you are a counselor or working with individuals in need and unaware of these risks, you need to reevaluate your life because you'll be in for a very rude awakening.

-Kimmy