Pro Bono Counseling Discussion

¶ … Pro Bono, or Not to Pro Bono That is the Question Doing pro bono work is a serious question and there are benefits and disadvantages that are associated with doing this kind of work. For me personally, the thought of doing pro bono work is definitely appealing. However, it should also be noted that there are some legal considerations that need to be overcome before pro bono work can be pursued.

For example, there should be an agreement signed between the pro bono recipient to wave liability in the event that something bad should happen. Yet, without consideration of any legal requirements that might be applicable, I believe that I would like to do pro bono work for many reasons that are both idealistic and pragmatic as well. For example, one pragmatic reason for doing pro bono work is that it would allow for me, or anyone else, to continue to refine their skills.

There are a variety of different reasons that someone might pursue counseling and many of these reasons require many different approaches to treatment. A counselor will be most effective if they have the opportunity to build real world experience before they can be considered an expert. Thus, by taking on pro bono clients, a counselor can exchange their time and their training to clients in exchange for the opportunity to build experience.

Since the clients are charged any money, they are more likely to be open to accepting a counselor with little, or no, experience because they are not responsible for paying the normal counseling rates. Therefore, in such cases the pro bono relationship can pragmatically be a win-win for both parties. Beyond whatever pragmatic benefits there might be to providing pro bono work, there are also moral and altruistic reasons that can also be relevant to such a decision.

Personally, I did not get into this line of work for the money. Although financial considerations are important, my primary consideration was finding a route in which I could effectively serve people and make the largest contribution to humanity that I can possibly make. Basically, I really feel the need to help people; especially people who are troubled and really need the help. Furthermore, another advantage to doing pro bono work is that you can be selective with the clientele that you select.

Thus you can effectively weed out anyone who might be able to afford the normal client fees that are charged and ensure that the people who are accepted for pro bono relationships are truly in need of professional help. There are also advantages that can be both pragmatic and altruistic in nature. For example, when beginning to build a clientele, there will likely be many scheduling openings until the counseling practice becomes more established and gets up and running. Therefore, by accepting clients.