Confidentiality is a key part of any therapy. There is no legal protection for therapist confidentiality. I am a member of the BACP and as such I am bound by their ethical framework. Ethically, I am bound to protect your confidentiality, but there are a few exceptions which are important to understand.
Danger to self or others
If I believed you were a danger to yourself or to anyone else, I am ethically bound to take steps to protect vulnerable people. In order to keep people safe, I may have to breach your counselling confidentiality. Should I have any concerns in this area, I would always try to address them with you directly.
Therapist Supervision
As part of my BACP membership, I am required to have regular supervision. I discuss my case load with my supervisor. Both my supervisor and myself are bound by the BACP ethical framework.
Court Orders
As I mentioned above, therapists’ confidentiality is not protected in law. Therefore should a therapist be asked by a court to provide information they are legally obliged to do so.
Confidentiality is a one way street
While your therapist is ethically bound by confidentiality, the same restrictions do not apply to clients. You are free to discuss (or not discuss) anything about your therapy with anyone you like. Some people find it useful to discuss
Sometimes the world can seem like a very small place. If you were to see me outside of the therapy room, I would not approach or acknowledge you. I’m not ignoring you, just leaving it up to you whether you would like to say hello.
If you have any questions regarding the confidentiality of therapy, please contact me and I would be happy to discuss these with you.