The purpose of confidentiality Ethical behaviour is fundamental to the counselling practice and one of the ethical concepts that are at the core of the profession is confidentiality. It is important to ensure all work, client interactions and documentation needs follow the appropriate laws and the privacy and confidentiality requirements of your organisation. When clients…
Client autonomy is allowing and encouraging an individual’s freedom of choice and action. It addresses the responsibility of the counsellor to support clients, when appropriate, to make their own decisions and to act on their values. Counselling is mainly voluntary and needs a certain level of engagement from the client for it to work effectively.…
What is duty of care Ensuring clients and colleagues are safe and treated appropriately is the vital obligation of every counsellor, which is why duty of care must be heavily considered. Duty of care is legally written into the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and is your responsibility to protect the safety and wellbeing…
A scope of practice is a profession’s full spectrum of roles, responsibilities, actions, and decision-making capacity that individuals within that profession are authorised to carry out. Scope of practice is the area in which you as a counsellor can practise in a competent, safe, and lawful way that adheres to counselling standards and does not…
A counsellor’s job is to observe people and their behaviours, and it is equally important they make the same observation on themselves. One of the best ways to be an effective counsellor is to have self-awareness. This will help in relating to clients and will produce better counselling. Having an objective knowledge and clarity about…
When you reach the end of a client-counsellor relationship, it can be difficult for the client to adjust. Working closely with the client through their concerns and having this type of relationship establishes strong feelings of support and understanding between counsellor and client. For some, breaking these connections can be akin to feelings of grief…
Professional counsellor advocacy is the act of promoting the profession with an emphasis on the removal or minimisation of barriers that are harming or limiting counsellors’ abilities to provide services. At CPCA, our existence is dedicated to advocating for and on behalf of counsellors in addition to their clients. We look to promote and raise…
In counselling, transference is when the client unknowingly redirects feelings onto their counsellor that are about an entirely separate individual. This is a normal occurrence that can happen to clients when they are being counselled and represents a complicated mix of emotions, memories, and subconscious behaviour. A client can unconsciously transfer anger, fear, affection, attachment,…
Professional supervision is a supportive experience available for all counselling practitioners where a counsellor has a fellow professional as a mentor and provider of emotional support, information, and guidance. It is a reflective process that can include self-care, ethics, theories in practice, and professional growth. This is a valuable experience for the supervisee who is…
Once you become a counsellor you cannot afford to rest on your laurels. Professional development means maintaining, improving, and broadening knowledge and expertise to further develop in your profession. Counsellors need to learn and grow throughout their careers to ensure they continue to conduct their work safely, ethically, and legally within their evolving practice. Continual…