Describe how professional and personal relationships differ, including four unique aspects of a client–practitioner relationship.

Professional relationship exists between people leading a common activity. These relations are regulated by the norms of law, ethics of business relations, goals, and professional interests of people. Personal relationships are built around emotions, be it mutual interests and understanding or hostility and dislike.

Professional relationship revolves around the common work that needs to be done as well as the benefits this work may bring to a company as a whole, employees in particular and society at large. An example of a business relationship can be the relationship between a student and a teacher, and an example of a personal relationship is the relationship between students at school.

The four aspects of a client–practitioner relationship include time-limitedness, goal-orientation, fiduciary character of a relationship, and the responsiveness to client’s needs. A client–practitioner relationship is always time-limited in a sense that both parties understand that once the clients’ needs are met, the relationship will be broken. No party should cherish a special attachment to the other side to make the practitioner’s advice truly beneficial for the client.

Moreover, for the advice to be helpful, these relationship must be goal oriented. The practitioner should focus on the clients’ needs and elaborate the best way through which these needs can be met. The fiduciary character of the relationship presupposes that the practitioner is competent to advice the client.

The practitioner should not only have in-depth knowledge on the best strategies in different situation, he or she must also be approachable and compassionate so that a clint may confide in him or her. Such qualities as compassion, warmth, and kindness are invaluable for this profession.

Finally, practitioner must respond to the clients needs, and not seek to resolve issues not indicated by the client. Once all four aspects of a client-practitioner relationship are embraced, the professional relations of a client and a practitioner are likely to be truly beneficial for both sides.