Patient or Client?

I’ve been coming across this a lot lately. And I’m fascinated with the debate.

Should a therapist call the person that pays them money, a patient or client?

When I sit on a sofa in front of a therapist sharing my life, worries, fears, tribulations, joys and desires… I wonder; am I a client or a patient?

When I vision that I’m a client, it feels like I’m paying for a service, help and support. It feels like I have some power in this process.

When I vision that I’m a patient, it feels like I’m sick, or ill. I don’t feel sick or ill. I feel like I’m a human wanting support and guidance on how to make life better. Sick seems too big. It gives me the feeling that I’m too weak to be a partner in this process, and that I should listen to the therapist because he or she “knows best”.

In the APA Dictionary of Psychology, the definition of patient is “a person receiving health care from a licensed health professional”.

So, would this mean that if I receive medication I’m a “patient” and if I don’t, I’m a “client”? And would conversing about my life be considered health care? Would a psychiatrist call me a “patient” and a psychologist or therapist call me a “client”?

Using Etymology, the latin word for patient is patientem, meaning “suffering, injured, or sick, under medical treatment. (This is also the same root work for patience, by the way).

The Marian Webster definition for patient is “an individual awaiting or under medical care and treatment”.

What I do know, is that word choices matters – In mental health and beyond.

Do you have a view on this? I welcome the conversation. I appreciate any comments of which are kept honest and kind.

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Written by Rae Guyer I LinkedIn