Dear Nikki,
I understand the dilemma of a situation where an lc. would like to do
volunteer counselling.  I was in that position.  I started off as a
breastfeeding counsellor with the local breastfeeding support group (more
than 15 years ago) and later went on to be the first lactation consultant (9
years already)in Singapore.
When I became certified and was still working in the local hospital, it was
alright to be a breastfeeding counsellor, because nobody would think that I
would "profit" from the two different roles.  The situation became more
sensitive when I became an l.c. in private practice.  I found myself in a
situation where others started questioning about my ulterior motive.  In the
end, in order to reduce any misunderstanding, I decided that I will continue
to serve as a counselling trainer and shy away from publicity. If I'm too
much in the forefront as a professional and a private practitioner, it just
invited a lot of unwarranted comments.  In this way, I hope that others will
not accuse me of trying to get "business" for my private practice.  To me,
it is best to think of the overall interest of the group and breastfeeding
promotion as a whole.
Now, the group only refers the mothers to me.  I am happier with this
arrangement.  The other contribution which I have been making is to speak on
behalf of the group at their workshops.  Even then, I made it clear that I
was there to volunteer my time.  If the participants had any questions, they
were to call the group's hotline number to get help and not to call me
directly.
I hope the sharing of my experience will help those of you in this dilemma.
Doris Fok, IBCLC in private practice in Singapore
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