Posts tagged: psychological advice

Confidentiality in a Counselling Session

Confidentiality in a counselling session is an important requirement for any client coming to see a psychologist or counsellor.  Psychologists and counsellors are bound by professional ethics against which the client’s story, their identity and any other information is protected.  A client understandably needs to know that their information and disclosures will be confidential, particularly when their secrets, if known outside of their family or close circle, would have a detrimental effect on themselves or others.

There are certain conditions under which confidentiality would be broken.  It relates to information about terrorist activity, abuse of minors, criminal activity and planned injury to others.  It also relates to injury to the client.  If the psychologist believes that their client is, for example, is at  serious risk of suicide, they have a duty of care (and I believe ethical requirement as a human being) to provide safety for that client.

A good psychologist will explain all this to you at the first session when you are agreeing the terms under which you will work – if they don’t, do ask, as it is important that you feel assured of the parameters within which the counselling sessions will work for you.

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categories counselling | Clare Mann | datetime March 9, 2010 8:19 am | comments Comments (0)

Psychology Services in Sydney NSW

When is it relevant to give advice to clients?

Psychologists are not known to give advice to their clients.  They open up opportunities for them, encourage them to look at alternatives and offer strategies to deal with issues facing them. However, advice is something different – after all, how valuable is it really to advise a client who then, seeing the psychologist as the professional, is likely to take the advice without really take responsibility for their choices?

However, there are times when holding back information from a client might not only impede the client’s progress, but is unfair. For example, imagine a client whose self esteem has traditionally been low and now they find themselves in a few job.  They find themselves in unfamiliar territory with certain aspects of the job – new to them – and their self esteem spirals as they bemoan how stuck they are and unable to forge a path through.  However, it might be appropriate to advise the client, not to focus on their limitations are, but on negotiating the job design or ways in which other team members can share the load – each focusing on their own respective strengths.  Psychologists who stringently adhere to the maxim ‘never give advice’ might being doing their client a dis-service.  I suggest psychologists use their sensitivity and knowledge of the client and work with the client appropriately.

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categories Psychology | Clare | datetime June 10, 2009 7:32 am | comments Comments (0)