Ethical Statement

All counsellors at Online Counselling hold professional qualifications in Counselling or Psychotherapy, as well as further training in online counselling, and work to the highest ethical standards. We will respect your privacy and culture at all times. Your communications will remain confidential between us, and all records will be destroyed at the end of our work together.

Each of our counsellors follows the ethical guidelines of their professional bodies, and they can provide you with more information on this before you begin working together.

We will always protect your identity and personal details. The only exceptions to that are where your counsellor believes that there is a serious risk to yourself or others, or when we are compelled by law to reveal information. In the rare event that your counsellor breaks confidentiality, this will be done with your prior knowledge, if it all possible, and only to people who absolutely need to know (for example, your doctor). All of our counsellors undertake regular supervision, but they would in no circumstances reveal the identity of a client to their supervisor.

In some cases, your employer may have asked for there to be other specific occasions when they would require to be notified. For example your job may require you to use heavy machinery, drive or handle large amounts of money. If you disclose something that may seriously impair your ability to do your job safely, or endanger your colleagues or the public, your counsellor may be obliged to pass this on. You will be made aware of these restrictions in your first session. Please note that your counsellor will always discuss the situation with you before taking any action.

It is not always possible to know if working online is the most appropriate way for you to receive support. If your counsellor came to believe that face-to-face counselling would be a better option for you, she would help you to find a counsellor in your local area and continue to support you while you made the change to face-to-face counselling. If your counsellor felt that another online counsellor might be better placed to help you than they were (for instance, because they have a specialised skill or experience) they would suggest a change and support you while you made this change.