Confidentiality

 

A confidential relationship is at the heart of all counselling/ psychotherapy, with rare exceptions which will be discussed at the initial meeting.

Your visits and what you say are confidential.  To ensure best practice, my work is supervised by a senior colleague who lives outside this area, but your identity is not disclosed.  I always maintain clients' confidentiality during and after our work together and this includes complete discretion should we meet outside.

If you are seeking help on behalf of a person under 16, it may be a surprise to learn that my therapeutic relationship with him or her will be a confidential one.  This is done in the best interests of the young person, within the framework of BACP guidelines and ethics.  Please ask for further details.  

You will be very welcome to attend the first 10 minutes or so of our initial meeting and I trust that this will dispel any understandable anxieties. 

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As a Senior Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, I work within a strict ethical code of practice, which can be viewed at: https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/

 

Data protection

 

Henley Counselling is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and follows the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).   

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Counselling or psychotherapy?

 

Nowadays, these terms are largely interchangeable, although both have associations for people.  Counselling may suggest advice, or crisis support, whereas psychotherapy can also mean a more intensive form of psychoanalytic treatment, several days a week. 

The psychodynamic approach that I offer is neither of these - it lies in-between - so, I often find saying "therapy" and "therapeutic" simpler. 

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has an excellent website which explains how therapy works and answers many of the other questions you may have:  https://www.bacp.co.uk/

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