Making Sure You Are Safe

 

I recognise that it takes courage for people to risk opening up to me and I take very seriously my responsibility as a counsellor to provide a safe, non-judgemental and supportive space for this to happen.  I will check with you regularly to make sure that you are comfortable with what is happening in our sessions.  Difficult feelings often come up in therapy, but I will never push you to go further than you are ready to.

 

The fact that I belong to a professional association, the New Zealand Association of Counsellors, helps to assure that I will provide safe and appropriate therapy, in a number of ways.

 

• I am bound to follow the association's Code of Ethics.  At the very least, this means that I have spent time thinking about ethical practice in counselling.

• I have completed counselling training which meets the association's minimum standard

• I am expected to have regular supervision for my counselling work.  This process supports me in my counselling, helps me think through difficult issues and brings awareness of alternative possibilities and ways of seeing .

• I am expected to take part in regular professional development.

 

In the event that something does go wrong, my membership of a counselling association also gives you somewhere to go to complain.

 

Don't take my word for it.  Check that I am a current member of the NZAC by going to the website.  Anyone can call themselves a counsellor.