Which step is a key component of responding to threats, harassment, or stalking by a client?

• A. Confront the client immediately to calm them.
• B. Increase session length to address issue.
• C. Assess safety risk, document incidents, implement boundaries, and coordinate with supervisor.
• D. Ignore the incidents and continue practice.

Answer: (C)

The important idea here is safety planning and risk management in response to threats or stalking by a client. The best approach is to assess safety risk, document incidents factually, implement clear boundaries, and coordinate with a supervisor. Assessing safety risk helps determine how immediate and severe the danger is and guides the necessary steps to protect the client, staff, and others. Documenting incidents creates a solid record for accountability, legal protection, and ongoing care. Implementing boundaries protects both the therapeutic relationship and the practitioner, reducing opportunities for boundary violations or misuse of the relationship. Coordinating with a supervisor ensures decisions are appropriate, consistent with ethics and laws, and informed by experienced guidance on reporting duties or duty-to-warn requirements. Confronting the client immediately to calm them can escalate danger, increasing risk. Simply increasing session length does not address safety concerns or risk management, and ignoring the incidents fails to meet professional ethical responsibilities and endangers others.