Your Rights as a Counselling Client
If you are receiving professional counselling services at the Wellness Centre, you have a right to expect and receive:- Knowledge about the Counsellor with whom you will be working. If you have a question about ‘who’ your Counsellor is, his/her training, competence, experience, background, values, etc., please ask.
- Counselling from a professional who has acquired up-to-date training in mental health treatment principles and knowledge of counselling procedures, to at least a Master’s level, from an accredited institution. Ethically Counsellors must pursue on-going professional competence in the areas of knowledge, ability, experience, and judgment.
- Counselling practice of a high ethical standard, where the dignity and worth of each person is respected, free from discrimination.
- Service where the primary responsibility is to the client more than to those indirectly involved, except where the condition, nature or statements of the client present a clear and present danger to the welfare of others.
- Full and active participation in decisions which affect you, and freedom of choice based on open disclosure of relevant information. The client is the primary decision-maker as to the direction of therapeutic undertaking. Clients have the right to accept or reject any task, exercise, or procedure suggested by the Counsellor alternatives to any and all counselling interventions.
- Appropriate referral to other resources as needed.
- A counselling relationship free of dual roles where this might compromise the Counsellor’s objectivity or professional judgment.
- The Counsellor’s personal needs or issues must not intrude into the counselling relationship at the expense of the client’s needs.
The Rights of the Counsellor
Within the counselling relationship, the Counsellor has a right to:
- Refer a client to the best available resources if the client’s issues exceed the Counsellor’s level of professional competence.
- Decline to commence or continue service if the client is also receiving counselling services from another practitioner without the informed consent of the initial service provider
- Decline to commence or continue service if in the Counsellor’s professional opinion the client is unable or unwilling at the present time to take reasonable actions to strive toward therapeutic goals
- Refer a client to the best available resources in the event of incompatible personal values held by the Counsellor and the client.
- Expect the client to keep appointments, or make reasonable effort to provide cancellation notice at least 24 hours in advance. In the best interest of other students seeking counselling, clients who fail to provide such notice may lose their regular appointment time.
- Expect the client to be fully honest in their counselling disclosures. Counselling can only be effective if the client’s disclosures are honest and complete.
- Wrap-up the counselling relationship if, in the Counsellor’s professional opinion, the presenting issues have been reasonably addressed.