Confidentiality

Overall principles

The code of Ethics outlines the fundamental values of counselling and psychotherapy and a number of general principles arising from these. This code also bears cognisance to the key ethical principles of:

• • • Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

    • Fidelity and Responsibility

    • Integrity

    • Justice

    • Respect and Dignity

Although these principles may be seen as aspirational in nature, they are the guiding principles for those in the practice of counselling and psychotherapy.

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The Nature of Counselling/Psychotherapy

The overall aim of both counselling and psychotherapy is to provide an opportunity for the client to work towards living in a more satisfying and resourceful way.  The scope of both ‘counselling’ and ‘psychotherapy’ includes work with individuals, pairs or groups of people, often, but not always, referred to as ‘clients’.  The objectives of particular therapeutic relationships will vary according to the client’s needs.

Counselling and psychotherapy may be concerned with developmental issues, addressing and resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insight and knowledge, working through feelings of inner conflict or improving relationships with others.  The counsellor’s/psychotherapist’s role is to facilitate the client’s ways of functioning in ways, which respect the client’s values, personal resources and capacity for self-determination. APCP recognises that Counselling & Psychotherapy can take different forms including directive and non- directive approaches.

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Only when both the user and the recipient explicitly agree to enter into a therapeutic relationship does it become either counselling or psychotherapy rather than the use of ‘counselling or psychotherapeutic skills’. Members who are acting in a management role should note these differences.

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It is challenging to make a generally accepted distinction between counselling and psychotherapy.  There are well-founded traditions, which use the terms interchangeably. Regardless of the theoretical approaches preferred by individual Counsellors and Psychotherapists, there are ethical issues, which are common to all counselling situations.

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Ethical Practice & Competence

Counselling and Psychotherapy are fundamentally non-exploitative in nature.  Both areas of practice are underpinned by basic values of integrity, impartiality, and respect. Counsellors and Psychotherapists should take the same degree of care to work ethically whether the work is paid, voluntary or work related.

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 Counsellors and Psychotherapists do not condone, engage in discrimination or refuse professional service to anyone on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, and socioeconomic or marital status. Counsellors and Psychotherapists make reasonable efforts to accommodate clients who have physical disabilities.

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 Counsellors and Psychotherapists shall take all reasonable steps to monitor and develop their own competence and to work within the limits of that competence.  The Association recognises the inherent value of appropriate and on-going professional supervision/consultative support and continuing professional development for those engaged in practice.

Issues of Responsibility to the Client

The therapist-client relationship is the foremost ethical concern, but it does not exist in social isolation.  For this reason, the Counsellors and Psychotherapists’ responsibilities to the client, to themselves, colleagues, and other members of the Association and members of the wider community are listed under separate headings.

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Client Safety

Counsellors and Psychotherapists should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client suffers neither physical nor psychological harm during counselling and psychotherapy.

Counsellors and Psychotherapists do not normally give advice but this may depend on the role of the counsellor i.e. advocacy.

Counsellors and Psychotherapists are aware of their professional and clinical responsibilities to provide consistent care to clients and do not abandon or neglect clients.  Counsellors and Psychotherapists therefore, maintain practices and procedures that assure undisrupted care.  Such practices and procedures may include, but are not limited to, providing contact information and specified procedures in case of emergency, or therapist absence and conducting appropriate terminations.

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Client Autonomy

Counsellors and Psychotherapists are responsible for working in ways, which promote the client’s control over his/her life, and respect the client’s ability to make decisions and change in the light of his/her own beliefs and values.

Counsellors and Psychotherapists 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.

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Counsellors and Psychotherapists are responsible for setting and monitoring boundaries between the counselling relationship and any other kind of relationship and making this explicit to the client.

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Counsellors and Psychotherapists must not exploit clients financially, sexually, emotionally, or in any other way. Sexual intercourse, sexual contact or sexual intimacy with a client, or a client’s spouse or partner, during the therapeutic relationship, or during the two years following the termination of the therapeutic relationship, is unethical.

Clients should be offered privacy for counselling sessions.  The client should not be observed by anyone other than his/her counsellor(s) without having given his/her informed consent.  This also applies to audio/video taping of counselling sessions.