The following is the basis of the agreement between the counsellor and client prior to the beginning of counselling; all counsellors working with Catalyst undertake to comply with these provisions.
BACP ethical framework
I am an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, work within the BACP’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, and am subject to its complaints procedure. Any counsellor working with Catalyst complies with these guidelines. A copy of the ethical framework can be found on the BACP’s website.
Client / counsellor relationship
The counselling relationship will remain a professional relationship. In accordance with BACP guidelines, I and my colleagues will honour the trust placed in us by the client, will respect the client’s right to be self-governing, will commit to promoting the client’s well-being, and avoiding harm to the client, and will strive to treat all clients fairly and impartially.
Confidentiality
The content of our sessions is confidential to you the client and to me the counsellor, although on occasion I will need to discuss our work together with my professional supervisor. This is standard practice and helps me to work as well as I can with you. In this process your identity is not revealed. My supervisor is bound by the BACP and UKCP's ethical framework for good practice.
In exceptional circumstances, where I am concerned for your well being, or that of others, I may find it necessary to seek help outside the counselling relationship; I would always and in the first instance seek to gain your agreement to this.
In the case of a disclosure concerning acts of terrorism, or the disclosure of incidents within the remit of the Children Law, confidentiality will be broken and such disclosures will be passed to the relevant authority without delay, as Catalyst could be liable to civil or court proceedings if information was not disclosed.
In exceptional circumstances, where I am concerned for your well being, or that of others, I may find it necessary to seek help outside the counselling relationship; I would always and in the first instance seek to gain your agreement to this.
In the case of a disclosure concerning acts of terrorism, or the disclosure of incidents within the remit of the Children Law, confidentiality will be broken and such disclosures will be passed to the relevant authority without delay, as Catalyst could be liable to civil or court proceedings if information was not disclosed.
Supervision and Continuing Professional Development
It is a requirement for all accredited members of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy to be in professional, monthly supervision, and to undertake on-going training and self-development. As a qualified and accredited member of the BACP, I take this commitment seriously and undertake regular monthly supervision, and a minimum of thirty hours' continuing professional development each year.
Counselling Aims
The aim of counselling is to provide you, the client, with a confidential opportunity to explore personal issues in safety. My role as counsellor is to help you through this process without judgement, and without telling you what to do. I may on occasion give information or prompt the exploration of different ways of thinking. We will agree on goals to be worked towards in counselling, and we will assess progress and address any obstacles at each session.
Counselling Process: what to be prepared for
While the aim of counselling is to work with you through the difficulty, and to help you to develop new ways of coping, some people find that they feel worse for a short time before they start to feel better. In these circumstances it is best to discuss the difficulties, rather than abruptly end counselling, in order to have the chance to discuss the decision and to complete the process adequately. The client is always in charge of the decision to continue or to stop counselling, and will not be under any pressure to continue at any point
End of the contract
In the normal course of events you will probably know when you are ready to finish counselling, and we will agree together on the work we need to do to prepare for this; this will include an appraisal of future challenges, and planning alternative strategies to manage these.
Session length
Sessions will last 45 mins, and are normally available on weekdays during working hours.
Contract length
The counselling contract is usually short term, often between one and twelve sessions, but may be longer by arrangement. It is helpful to attend regularly, and to keep absences to a minimum, as too many gaps may slow down the progress of the counselling. Intervals between sessions may lengthen as the counselling progresses, but this will be by agreement between client and counsellor.
Fees and cancellations
Fees will be agreed prior to the initial session, and are payable at the beginning of each session, by cheque or in cash; or in advance of the session by online transfer. Cancellations with less than one working day's notice will incur the full charge for the session. Fees are reviewed once a year, and any change will take place on January 1st.
Insurance cover
A number of private health insurance policies (though not all) will cover counselling costs; clients are strongly advised to check their cover with their insurer.
Feedback
Feedback is always welcome, and is invaluable in guiding development and improvement of the counselling service delivered by Catalyst.