How much do counsellors have to stick to confidentiality?

[fuschiagroan]

I know that in theory counsellors are supposed to keep everything they hear from clients confidential, unless you are about to top yourself or kill someone. But how black and white is that? E.g. f I told a counsellor something confidential, and they told someone else, could I sue them? Can they be struck off?

If they are a member of a professional organisation then you could complain to them (like BACP) however they do discuss case work with their supervisor so others do hear of issues -it's just that they are not linking details to particular clients names.

Hope that helps

What happened?

Oh, nothing has happened it's just something I'm wondering about in advance. Some of the things I want to talk about are pretty sensitive as they have to do with other people, and could be very damaging to them if it got out.

Rest assured that details that happen to other people are not as interesting to the therapist as their impact on you and your experience of what happened and your relationship to what happened.

it's all about you - no one else.

As it sounds like a concern for you, you might also, at booking or your first session, want to ask your counsellor to restate their position on confidentiality. The one I saw volunteered his policy up front (hadn't even occurred to me at that stage).

Hi, For counsellors here in Australia everything between the counsellor or client is confidential HOWEVER counsellors are required by law to mandatory report child abuse under the children's and young persons Act, also counsellors are bound to keep personal information confidential under privacy laws. It may be the same in British law.

If you need to speak to a counsellor they can also provide you with referrals should you need legal or medical advice also. Just remember the counsellor always has the clients safety and rights to protect but in saying that they do have laws such as child protection to stay within.

But if something is worrying you seeking professional support is always best.

Confidentiality is everything. Unless you feel secure that whatever you say will go no further then it won't work- you have to be 100% honest.

Counsellors work within a code o f ethics ( like drs) of the BACP if they are any good and a member- and you shouldn't touch any counsellor who isn't a member.

They do have supervision which means they discuss cases with another more qualified counsellor but this is more to offer them support etc than find answers about you. Again, they would not give so much info as to reveal your identity.

Just ask at your 1st session so they can explain.

Doctors get struck off if they breach their code of ethics. Would a counsellor get chucked out of the BACP if they breached the confidentiality thing? I'm just wondering if there are any actual consequences if they reveal stuff. And yes, I realise I sound totally paranoid!

Yes they can be chucked out of BACP, we have a counsellor in the family who often talks about how careful they have to be because of this.

If a counsellor is with the BACP or another regulating body they can (and some do) be thrown out for breaching their ethical code. If they're not with any body however there's almost no comeback. They should discuss their policy on confidentiality with you the first time you see them, and be prepared to discuss/explain it, if not that would be a large red flag for me for starters about that counsellor. Also, any counsellor worth their salt would speak to you first if they wished to break confidentiality for some extreme reason (such as if they were concerned you might harm yourself) - they'd want to keep you in on the process (such as asking if they could speak to your gp etc).

It depends on the severity of the breach when the BACP (or relevant body) decide what to do, if it was something relatively minor they might be ordered to compile a report showing they knew what their mistake had been and would avoid it in future. If it was something more significant, such as something that showed a desire to exploit you and/or a failure to protect your interests adequately then the BACP would have very few qualms about ending their membership and do so monthly.

I don't counsel but have done something similar- the only way I would breach confidentiality is if it was something illegal and likely to harm others, such as paedophilia or murder.