General Counselling l Livejournal

General Counselling l Livejournal

What should I expect from therapy?

You should expect one or a series of confidential appointments of up to an hour in length in a suitable professional setting.

The process should also provide you with the opportunity to:

• make sense of your individual circumstances
• have contact with a therapist who will help identify the choices for change
• feel supported during the process of change
• reach a point where you are better equipped to cope with the future

Is counselling and psychotherapy confidential?

Everything you discuss is confidential between you and the counsellor or psychotherapist. There can be certain legal exceptions and the practitioner should clarify this with you prior to the establishment of any agreed contract for working.

You may have specific queries about confidentiality depending on the format of the therapy. For example, with online counselling, you may wish to ask the following questions to your therapist:

• Are the notes from therapy protected by passwords and encrypted?
• Are printouts held in a secure cabinet?
• What happens when there are technical problems?

Should my therapist carry liability insurance?

Professional liability insurance is not currently a legal requirement. However, a number of professional associations, strongly recommend that therapists take out appropriate insurance coverage.

Examples of insurance policies which a therapist might have are professional indemnity, public and products liability, libel and slander to name a few. It is suggested that you check your therapist has appropriate and adequate insurance in place before engaging their services. If you are unsure then you should consult an insurance professional or a legal expert for further guidance.

The insurance is not only intended to protect the therapist but offer peace of mind that if something should go wrong, there are funds in place to compensate you in such an event.