Please note that counsellors are professionally and ethically bound not to continue with therapy if it appears not to be beneficial to the client and reserve the right to decline clients if the counsellor feels that a client's needs may be best met elsewhere.
The contract
The counselling contract outlines the confidentiality and boundaries that a counsellor offers. This has certain legal exceptions ie if you threaten to seriously hurt or kill others (if the counsellor feels you really mean it) or if you tell the counsellor that you have seriously hurt someone, sexually abused a child or killed someone already. In this case, the counsellor must inform the appropriate authorities and will tell you that he/she is obliged to do so. This is to protect the counsellor, yourself and others and is a legal requirement. The contract also specifies that after the session, confidential notes may be made by the counsellor about the content and process of the counselling sessions but that you will not be identified in any way. The notes are to help the counsellor follow the counselling process and identify patterns etc. Also, the counsellor will explain that he/she has supervision, either with one supervisor or within a confidential peer group setting. Supervision is something that every practising counsellor must have to maintain client and counsellor safety during counselling. The supervisor will not be told anything which identifies the client - it is the counselling issues that are discussed - perhaps there are problems with client/counsellor transference or the counsellor is having difficulty dealing with certain issues because they impinge upon his/her own experiences.