Loyalty requires that counselors maintain independence of judgment in matters related to their clients' welfare, interests, and needs. Where a coun-selor's independence of judgment is compromised by a conflict of interest, the welfare and dignity of clients are likely to suffer. However, dual-role relationships that involve conflicts of interest are invariably morally problematic. Dual-role relationships may also be morally problematic because they involve a public appearance of conflict of interest. Let's consider these in order.
Counselors have a primary respon-sibility to look out for the welfare of their clients.
They must encourage their clients to make self-disclosures without fear of reprisal or of being rejected because of their ideas or feelings. Professors, on the other hand, have a primary responsibility to provide fair and competent instruction and evalua-tion. The counselor-educator should instead make a suitable counseling referral. Because counseling former students is a consecutive dual-role relationship, it avoids the simultaneous, discordant responsibilities discussed above. However, such relationships may have the potential to create future conflicts of interest if former students later decide to enroll in further courses taught by the same instructor.