The therapy relationship is always professional. In order to be effective in helping clients reach their goals the therapeutic relationship can and should be warm, friendly and accepting but it is never to be confused with a friendship. All professional associations have codes of ethics that govern the way the therapeutic relationship is handled and set professional boundaries around it. We abide by the BACP Ethical Framework and the COSCA Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice. One of the most important rules is a prohibition on developing dual relationships with clients. This means that once we meet a person as a client, we are not allowed to develop any other business, social or personal relationship with him or her. It also means that we cannot work as therapists with our friends and family members.
Clients are often vulnerable when they come to therapy and they need to feel safe and confident that they will be treated respectfully and with care. It is not a client’s job to meet the emotional (or any) needs of his or her therapist. In real life, outside therapy, friendships and personal relationships are mutual. Each person is there for the other. By contrast therapy is a one-way relationship and is there to meet the client’s needs only. Therapists are expected to have appropriate ways to meet their needs outside their therapy work so that clients can feel safe to concentrate on themselves. The only obligations of clients are simple and straightforward: come to sessions on time and observe the therapist’s cancellation policy, pay for the session and respect the therapist’s physical environment.
By Australian standards Canberra is a relatively small city (around 300,000 people). It’s not uncommon to bump into clients in public places or functions, especially if you have been working as a counsellor for many years. In the first session we ask our clients how they wish us to treat them if we do bump into them by chance in the community. Most clients say that they would like to say ‘hello’ and move on but we also have clients who say that they would not acknowledge us and that we should just move on and ignore them. This is the client’s right and we respect it. We understand that clients don’t necessarily want to explain who we are or how they know us to the person they are with at the time. We never take it personally, because we always remember that the therapeutic relationship is strictly for the client.
These rules are there to protect clients, and we are very strict about them. We always explain them to our clients in the first session because we believe that if rules and boundaries are clear from the start, the relationship will progress smoothly, safely and without problems.
In order to maintain our registration and professional standing, therapists are required to attend regular professional supervision, demonstrate ongoing commitment to working on our own emotional issues, and engage in regular professional development activities. These rules are there both to look after the therapist’s wellbeing but also to make sure that clients get the best service possible and are safe from any harm in the therapy process. A healthy, well-informed and well cared-for therapist is also a safe and effective therapist, not to mention a positive role model…!
Therapy is confidential. It takes a great deal of courage to open up your inner world and share it with a complete stranger. Clients need to know that they are safe to do so and that what they say and even the fact that they see the therapist, are going to remain confidential. This means that therapists are not allowed to disclose content of sessions or talk about who they are seeing, outside the strictly confidential setting of professional supervision.
There are some limits on confidentiality. For example, here in Canberra if clients disclose that they plan to harm themselves or someone else, the therapist has the right to report this to the appropriate authorities. In other Australian states reporting harm or intention to harm (including sexual abuse) is compulsory. A second limitation concerns the duty to hand over therapy notes to the courts if the notes are subpoenaed in the context of a court proceedings that involve the client. Once again we always explain these rules to clients in the first session.
Our work in the UK will be governed by and comply with the UK rules of confidentially and limitations to confidentiality as set out by our professional associations and the authorities that govern the work of health and allied health professionals.
If you have any questions about anything you have read here feel free to contact us any time.
