Confidentiality policy
Your confidentiality is very important to me. I know that a lot of stuff brought to therapy can be sensitive and difficult to talk about. Trusting that what you bring to sessions will be kept confidential is crucial.
I adhere to the ethical guidelines of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which set out a strict framework for maintaining client confidentiality and the secure handling of any information you share.
Please see my Privacy Notice for detailed information about my adherence to UK GDPR and data protection laws.
I also have a document which discusses how we maintain boundaries in our work.
Limits to your confidentiality
There are some limits to client-therapist confidentiality, however, and I want to be very transparent about what these are.
In essence, what you say in sessions stays between us. I will not disclose any identifiable details about you or about anyone you discuss in therapy except in the following limited circumstances:
My own clinical supervision: Supervision is a required, formal process where a qualified or trainee psychotherapist or psychotherapeutic counsellor regularly presents their client work in a pseudonymised way to a qualified clinical supervisor. This process helps enhance my practice through careful reflection on my work with clients and ensures best practice. My supervisor also is bound by the ethical and confidentiality guidelines of the UKCP, BACP, or similar professional body.
If you or someone else is at risk: This could be if you disclose to me a serious risk of harm to self or others, or I believe that you are having an acute and serious mental health crisis. I will discuss this with you, and we will mutually agree on how to proceed. I do not generally disclose risk without your consent, as this can harm our work and potentially put you at further risk. However, in exceptional circumstances where there is severe risk of criminal harm to others, especially children or vulnerable adults, I reserve the right to share information with the appropriate agency.
If I am lawfully required to disclose information: This typically arises in rare and specific instances, such as being ordered by a court to provide your personal information or client notes. In addition, if you disclose any criminal activities that contravene The Children Act, The Drug Trafficking Act, or The Prevention of Terrorism Act, I am required by law to inform the police without discussing this with you first.
My clinical will: I also have a professional executor in place. This simply means that if something unexpected were to happen to me (due to serious illness, death, or other unforeseen circumstances) and I could no longer continue in practice, a trusted colleague would step in to make sure you are contacted and supported. In that situation, only your name and contact details would be passed on so that my executor can get in touch with you — nothing about what we’ve talked about in sessions or any notes I may hold would ever be shared. Everything would still be handled in line with UK GDPR and data protection law. This arrangement is there to safeguard your confidentiality and to make sure you are not left without support.
Client notes confidentiality
I do not keep notes on individual sessions. However, recording important factual events, such as bereavements, breakups, suicidal thoughts or actions, and other significant incidents that may affect counselling/therapy is sometimes necessary. This type of note would never include any opinion, interpretation, or impression – and would only contain facts as stated to me by you.
This information is pseudonymised and kept in a password-protected electronic document, please see my Privacy Notice for information on how and when this is collected, used, and stored.
Recording of sessions confidentiality
It is a requirement of my ongoing advanced psychotherapy training to record client sessions after obtaining your full informed written consent. The recordings are for the sole purpose of my professional development.
Your name or any other identifying details or the identifying details of other people about whom you might talk during therapy/counselling, will never be disclosed or revealed.
The recordings may be used only for clinical supervision or examination purposes. They may be heard by my supervisor, tutor, peers, and examiners. They will not be heard by anyone not bound by a professional code of ethics and confidentiality.
Please see my Privacy Notice and the Audio Recording Consent Notice for information on how and when the recordings are collected, used, and stored.