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.:. Code of Practice
Introduction
This code applies these values and ethical principles outlined above
to more specific situations which may arise in the practice of
counselling. No clause or section should be read in isolation from
the rest of the Code.
1. Issues of Responsibility
1.1 The counsellor-client relationship is the foremost ethical
concern. However, counselling does not exist in social isolation.
Counsellors may need to consider other sources of ethical
responsibility. The headings in this section are intended to draw
attention to some of these.
(a) 1.2 Counsellors take responsibility for clinical/therapeutic
decisions in their work with clients.
(b) 1.3 Responsibility to the client
Client Safety
1.3.1 Counsellors must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the
client does not suffer physical, emotional or psychological harm
during counselling sessions.
1.3.2 Counsellors must not exploit their clients financially,
sexually, emotionally, or in any other way. Suggesting or engaging
in sexual activity with a client is unethical.
1.3.3 Counsellors must provide privacy for counselling sessions. The
sessions should not be overheard, recorded or observed by anyone
other than the counsellor without informed consent from the client.
Normally any recording would be discussed as part of the contract.
Care must be taken that sessions are not interrupted.
Client self-determination
1.3.4 In counselling the balance of power is unequal and counsellors
must take care not to abuse their power.
1.3.5 Counsellors do not normally act on behalf of their clients. If
they do, it will be only at the express request of the client, or
else in exceptional circumstances.
1.3.6 Counsellors do not normally give advice.
1.3.7 Counsellors have a responsibility to establish with clients at
the outset of counselling the existence of any other therapeutic or
helping relationships in which the client is involved and to
consider whether counselling is appropriate. Counsellors should gain
the client's permission before conferring in any way with other
professional workers.
Breaks and Endings
1.3.8 Counsellors work with clients to reach a recognised ending
when clients have received the help they sought or when it is
apparent that counselling is no longer helping or when clients wish
to end.
1.3.9 External circumstances may lead to endings for other reasons
which are not therapeutic. Counsellors must make arrangements for
care to be taken of the immediate needs of clients in the event of
any sudden and unforeseen endings by the counsellor or breaks to the
counselling relationship.
1.3.10 Counsellors should take care to prepare their clients
appropriately for any planned breaks from counselling. They should
take any necessary steps to ensure the well being of their clients
during such breaks.
1.4 Responsibility to other Counsellors
1.4.1 Counsellors must not conduct themselves in their
counselling-related activities in ways which undermine public
confidence either in their role as a counsellor or in the work of
other counsellors.
1.4.2 A counsellor who suspects misconduct by another counsellor
which cannot be resolved or remedied after discussion with the
counsellor concerned, should implement the Complaints Procedure,
doing so without breaches of confidentiality other than those
necessary for investigating the complaint.
1.5 Responsibility to Colleagues and Others
1.5.1 Counsellors are accountable for their services to colleagues,
employers and funding bodies as appropriate. At the same time they
must respect the privacy, needs and autonomy of the client as well
as the contract of confidentiality agreed with the client.
1.5.2 No-one should be led to believe that a service is being
offered by the counsellor which is not in fact being offered, as
this may deprive the client of the offer of such a service
elsewhere.
1.5.3 Counsellors must play a demonstrable part in exploring and
resolving conflicts of interest between themselves and their
employers or agencies, especially where this affects the ethical
delivery of counselling to clients.
1.6 Responsibility to the Wider Community Law
1.6.1 Counsellors must take all reasonable steps to be aware of
current law as it applies to their counselling practice.
1.7 Resolving Conflicts Between Ethical Priorities
1.7.1 Counsellors may find themselves caught between conflicting
ethical principles, which could involve issues of public interest.
In these circumstances, they are urged to consider the particular
situation in which they find themselves and to discuss the situation
with their counselling supervisor and/or other experienced
counsellors. Even after conscientious consideration of the salient
issues, some ethical dilemmas cannot be resolved easily or wholly
satisfactorily.
2. Anti-Discriminatory Practice
Client Respect
2.1 Counsellors work with clients in ways that affirm both the
common humanity and the uniqueness of each individual. They must be
sensitive to the cultural context and worldview of the client, for
instance whether the individual, family or the community is taken as
central.
Client Autonomy
2.2 Counsellors are responsible for working in ways that respect and
promote the client’s ability to make decisions in the light of
his/her own beliefs, values and context.
Counsellor Awareness
2.3 Counsellors are responsible for ensuring that any problems with
mutual comprehension due to language, cultural differences or for
any other reason are addressed at an early stage. The use of an
interpreter needs to be carefully considered at the outset of
counselling.
2.4 Counsellors have a responsibility to consider and address their
own prejudices and stereotyping attitudes and behaviour and
particularly to consider ways in which these may be affecting the
counselling relationship and influencing their responses.
3. Confidentiality
3.1 Confidentiality is a means of providing the client with safety
and privacy and thus protects client autonomy. For this reason any
limitation on the degree of confidentiality is likely to diminish
the effectiveness of counselling.
3.2 The counselling contract will include any agreement about the
level and limits of confidentiality offered. This agreement can be
reviewed and changed by negotiation between counsellor and client.
Agreements about confidentiality continue after the client's death
unless there are overriding legal or ethical considerations.
3.3 Settings
3.3.1 Counsellors must ensure that they have taken all reasonable
steps to inform the client of any limitations to confidentiality
that arise within the setting of the counselling work, e.g. updating
doctors in primary care, team case discussions in agencies. These
are made explicit through clear contracting.
3.3.2 Many settings place additional specific limitations on
confidentiality. Counsellors considering working in these settings
must think about the impact of such limitations on their practice
and decide whether or not to work in such settings.
3.4 Exceptional Circumstances
3.4.1 Exceptional circumstances may arise which give the counsellor
good grounds for believing that serious harm may occur to the client
or to other people. In such circumstances the client's consent to
change in the agreement about confidentiality should be sought
whenever possible unless there are also good grounds for believing
the client is no longer willing or able to take responsibility for
his/her actions. Normally, the decision to break confidentiality
should be discussed with the client and should be made only after
consultation with the counselling supervisor or if he/she is not
available, an experienced counsellor.
3.4.2 Any disclosure of confidential information should be
restricted to relevant information, conveyed only to appropriate
people and for appropriate reasons likely to alleviate the
exceptional circumstances. The ethical considerations include
achieving a balance between acting in the best interests of the
client and the counsellor's responsibilities to the wider community.
3.4.3 Counsellors hold different views about the grounds for
breaking confidentiality, such as potential self-harm, suicide, and
harm to others. Counsellors must consider their own views, as they
will affect their practice and communicate them to clients and
significant others e.g. supervisor, agency.
3.5 Management and Confidentiality
3.5.1 Counsellors should ensure that records of the clients identity
are kept separately from any case notes.
3.5.2 Arrangements must be made for the safe disposal of client
records, especially in the event of the counsellors incapacity or
death.
3.5.3 Care must be taken to ensure that personally identifiable
information is not transmitted through overlapping networks of
confidential relationships.
3.5.4 When case material is used for case studies, reports or
publications the clients informed consent must be obtained wherever
possible and their identity must be effectively disguised.
3.5.5 Any discussion about their counselling work between the
counsellor and others should be purposeful and not trivialising.
3.5.6 Counsellors must pay particular attention to protecting the
identity of clients.
4. Contracts
4.1 Advertising and Public Statements
4.1.1 Counsellors who hold accredited qualifications and who are
members of recognised bodies are encouraged to mention this.
4.1.2 All advertising and public statements should be accurate in
every particular.
4.1.3 Counsellors should not display an affiliation with an
organisation in a manner which falsely implies sponsorship or
validation by that organisation.
4.2 Pre-Counselling Information
4.2.1 Any publicity material and all written and oral information
should reflect accurately the nature of the service on offer, and
the relevant counselling training, qualifications and experience of
the counsellor.
4.2.2 Counsellors should take all reasonable steps to honour
undertakings made in their pre-counselling information.
4.3 Contracting with Clients
4.3.1 Counsellors are responsible for reaching agreement with their
clients about the terms on which counselling is being offered,
including availability, the degree of confidentiality offered,
arrangements for the payment of any fees, cancelled appointments and
other significant matters. The communication of essential terms and
any negotiations should be concluded by having reached a clear
agreement before the client incurs any commitment or liability of
any kind.
4.3.2 The counsellor has a responsibility to ensure that the client
is given a free choice whether or not to participate in counselling.
Reasonable steps should be taken in the course of the counselling
relationship to ensure that the client is given an opportunity to
review the counselling.
4.3.3 Counsellors must avoid conflicts of interest wherever
possible. Any conflicts of interest that do occur must be discussed
in counselling supervision and where appropriate with the client.
4.3.4 Records of appointments should be kept and clients should be
made aware of this. If records of counselling sessions are kept,
clients should also be made aware of this. At the clients request
information should be given about access to these records, their
availability to other people, and the degree of security with which
they are kept.
4.3.5 Counsellors must be aware that computer-based records are
subject to statutory regulations. It is the counsellors
responsibility to be aware of any changes the government may
introduce in the regulations concerning the clients right of access
to his/her records.
4.3.6 Counsellors are responsible for addressing any client
dissatisfaction with the counselling.
5. Boundaries
With Clients
5.1 Counsellors are responsible for setting and monitoring
boundaries throughout the counselling sessions and will make
explicit to clients that counselling is a formal and contracted
relationship and nothing else.
5.2 The counselling relationship must not be concurrent with a
supervisory or training relationship.
With Former Clients
5.3 Counsellors remain accountable for relationships with former
clients and must exercise caution over entering into friendships,
business relationships, training, supervising and other
relationships. Any changes in relationships must be discussed in
counselling supervision. The decision about any change(s) in
relationships with former clients should take into account whether
the issues and power dynamics presented during the counselling
relationship have been resolved.
5.4 Counsellors are prohibited from sexual activity with all current
and former clients for a minimum of two years from cessation of
counselling.
6. Competence
6.1 Counsellor Competence and Education
6.1.1 Counsellors must have achieved a level of competence before
commencing counselling and must maintain continuing professional
development as well as regular and ongoing supervision.
6.1.2 Counsellors must actively monitor their own competence through
counselling supervision and be willing to consider any views
expressed by their clients and by other Counsellors.
6.1.3 Counsellors will monitor their functioning and will not
counsel when their functioning is impaired by alcohol or drugs. In
situations of personal or emotional difficulty, or illness,
counsellors will monitor the point at which they are no longer
competent to practice and take action accordingly.
6.1.4 Competence includes being able to recognise when it is
appropriate to refer a client elsewhere.
6.1.5 Counsellors should take reasonable steps to seek out peer
supervision to evaluate their efficiency as counsellors from time to
time.
6.1.6 Counsellors must recognise the need for continuing education
in their chosen profession to maintain a professional level of
awareness of current scientific and professional information and
education in their particular fields of activity.
6.1.7 Counsellors should take steps to maintain their level of
competence in the skills they use, be open to new procedures and
keep up to date with all dangers that are relevant to their area of
expertise.
6.1.8 Counsellors are responsible for ensuring that their
relationships with clients are not unduly influenced by their own
emotional needs.
6.1.9 Counsellors must consider the need for professional indemnity
insurance and when appropriate take out and maintain adequate cover.
6.1.10 When uncertain as to whether a particular situation or course
of action may be in violation of the Code of Ethics and Practice,
counsellors must consult with their counselling supervisor and/or
other experienced practitioners.
Definition: A client: a person or
persons who agrees to be counselled or being counselled by a person
who has represented themselves to be a qualified counsellor,
regardless of place, time or payment of fees.
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