Although I will do my utmost to provide you with confidentiality, there are certain circumstances where this is not possible. This includes disclosure of any involvement with money laundering, terrorism and drug trafficking and any disclosure of a child (under 18) being harmed, which would be considered a child protection issue. When working with under 18's I also have a duty of care to keep you safe and therefore when and what I may share needs to be considered differently and based on immediate/ high risk. Please refer to the confidentiality section in the counselling agreement for more information.
This is a difficult question to answer in that it depends on what you want to work on in therapy and how we do that. Anxiety, for example, can be explored and strategies put in place to effectively manage it within a 6-12 session timeframe. Depression/trauma can be a much longer process where initially we may need to work on safety and stability. There is no set time frame and this is something we will discuss before and during our work together.
For young people/ vulnerable adults, I encourage a parent/ guardian to attend for part of the first session. This is so the client and parent/ guardian have the opportunity to share with me and for us to confirm how the relationship between all of us, will be managed. I understand counselling can feel daunting but I will encourage you to attend on your own, after the first session, so you can get the most benefit out of the space. If for any reason you wanted to bring a 3rd party to the sessions, this is something we would talk about together to understand the need and benefit.
This is a really good question and one that we will talk about together. Everyone is different and I consider how we would manage this on an individual basis. I live in the area and it is likely you will see me out. In this case, I generally would not approach you but I may smile or acknowledge you in some way that is not direct or obvious. You are welcome to do the same but I would encourage our interaction to be brief. I would maintain your confidentiality regardless of where we are or who we are with. Our counselling relationship is based on joint boundaries, therefore this is something we will maintain. It may sound strict, but actually it is for the benefit of our counselling relationship and work that we do. It may also occur that we know of the same people, again, we would talk about this and how we would manage this. If this was a close friend or a place I went to regularly, then we would need to consider options based on the beneficence of us both and the counselling relationship. That is always the first and main priority.
As much as I am an advocate for counselling and the positive impact it can have on us, I would never force anyone to attend or engage in counselling. In fact, I would say that doing so would be highly unproductive, unsafe and unhelpful. For counselling to work there are 3 main factors that need to be present;
1. The client needs to be in a place where they are open and ready to engage in counselling.
2. The counsellor and client are connected and can build a safe and boundaried relationship.
3. The counsellor can offer the client respect, empathy and their authentic self.
Based on how I work with clients and the person centred approach I align with, I believe that without these factors, counselling will likely not be effective.
Abraham Maslow