Counselling is a safe place for you to talk about what is important to you and so confidentiality is essential for you to feel secure and for us to work effectively together.
Therefore, everything said or that happens in therapy is strictly private and would not normally be shared, except in circumstances where:
- I use the material from our sessions for my supervision or training, however, your identity is always protected.
- I record personal details and basic information; GDPR covers this information (please see privacy statement) and normally would not be seen by anyone else. I also take notes about our sessions, which are always anonymised.
- If I feel that you or somebody else is at risk of serious harm, our confidentiality clause would be broken, and I would inform an appropriate person of the risk, as a part of my duty of care. This may be a family member, your GP, the NHS crisis team, line manager, or relevant authority figures. In the case of this occurring, I would strive to let you know.
I have a legal duty to:
- Report terrorist activity, drug trafficking or serious criminal activity. I am legally required not to inform you.
- Disclose information of the driver of a vehicle if an offence has taken place.
- Report a safeguarding issue if children, young or vulnerable adults are at risk.