Counselors often use the term client instead of patient. The reasoning behind it comes from a metaphysical belief that was started in the 60s by Carl Rogers who believed that the term ‘Patient’ pathologized someone where ‘Client’ came off more as a collaborative approach. To be honest, what ever a person want’s to be called should be the norm.
That being said, Client comes off more as an expense or coaching term than Patient which is referred to in the clinical approach. When a Clinical Mental Health Counselor calls someone a patient, they are saying that they have clinical training and that the person receiving care has a real disorder/problem.
At the end of the day, Counseling is an approach that seeks to help individuals heal from mental disorders, improve their coping mechanisms, and improve their well-beling.
As a Clinician who studied Clinical Mental Health Counseling, I will generally use the term ‘Patient.’ It is aligned with the clinical healthcare model and aims to provide evidence-based treatment plans that collaborate with other healthcare professionals.