Jillian Hart MA, CCC 604-‐616-‐1462 Agreement for Counselling and Informed Consent Counselling
Counselling provides a safe space and opportunity for you to explore thoughts and feelings, behaviours and relationships that may be troubling you or causing difficulty in your life. Counselling also offers a source of support in times of crisis and during difficult times such as you may be experiencing now. There are many times in life when we need someone to walk alongside in working through difficult, challenging, or confusing situations. Counselling works best when both counselor and client are actively committed to the process. Benefits and Risks associated with counselling Counselling can be beneficial in that it can bring about some deeper personal insights and increase your self-‐awareness. Counselling may also help you find better ways of coping with problems, change unwanted behaviours, and develop new skills. With this however, there is also the potential for strong emotions, uncomfortable feelings, or difficult memories to surface due to the nature of the conversations. Through counselling you may discover different ways of relating to people which may cause some relationships in your life to change in ways you may not be expecting. It should also be mentioned that if you choose not to participate in counseling, the struggles that may have brought you here could potentially continue to exist you in life. Confidentiality and the disclosure of personal information Confidentiality is of vital importance to the success of counselling. The counseling relationship is built on trust between counselor and client therefore anything that is shared in session will remain confidential. There are some limits to the counselor maintaining confidentiality which include: a) If a child is or may be at risk of abuse or neglect, or in need of protection; b) If the counsellor believes that you or another person is at clear risk of imminent harm; c) For the purpose of complying with a legal order such as a subpoena, or if the disclosure is otherwise required or authorized by law. In any of these cases, you will be informed about the counselor’s actions before confidentiality is broken. Conversations about confidentiality will occur throughout counseling as to ensure the integrity of the relationship is maintained. I can ensure confidentiality in face-‐to-‐face communication, however please be aware that I cannot ensure that electronic communication over the Internet will be kept confidential. Please be aware of this if you choose to communicate through e-‐mail.
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