“Patient” Versus “Client”: What is the Best Way to Identify Those We Treat?

Recently my organization found itself making the decision on whether to use the term “client” or “patient” in identifying the people we treat. Instinctively I gravitate toward “patient,” but I researched several articles to compare my opinion to others.

The preference of the behavioral health treatment community seems to be to use “client” over “patient.” Further, this preference appears to be rooted primarily in the origin of the words and the associations we have with those origins. It is widely agreed upon that the origin of the term “client” is from the Latin “to lean” and the term “patient” is from the Latin “to suffer” (Harper, 2020). The patient-doctor relationship is also considered to be associated with a power dynamic, with the doctor making all the decisions for the patient. A common conclusion then, is that we do not want to use the term “patient” because people do not want to be thought of as suffering, sick, or powerless, but rather prefer to be considered to be in a collaborative relationship where they are simply “leaning” on another for support. The argument is straightforward and it initially seems a reasonable conclusion to use the term “client.” I wanted to better understand why, despite this reasonable conclusion, I continued to believe that “patient” is the appropriate term for those I have treated. After some discernment, I am grateful and relieved to know that I do not prefer to use the term “patient,” as the “client” proponents would seem to believe, because I am interested in reinforcing suffering and promoting a hierarchical relationship. I am confident that my reasons lie solely in my desire for strong patient advocacy.

About Me

Diane McIsaac, LADC-I

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Diane McIsaac, LADC-I, is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor who has been working in the field of substance use and mental health disorder treatment for thirty years.