Confidentiality

Confidentiality

Discretion and confidentiality are critically important to our service. The client’s privacy is paramount and clients can be assured of confidentiality.  All our staff members sign confidentiality agreements, in addition to adhering to the IACP Code of Ethics and Practice.

What you say to your counsellor will stay between you and your counsellor. There are a number of occasions, however, when this cannot happen:

• If children, or other vulnerable members of society are in danger and this has not been reported
• If you are a danger to yourself or others

 

Limits of confidentiality also operate within the law. This means that we must report:

• Unreported child sex abuse where the abuser is still alive.
• Involvement in criminal activity.

Clients Files

Client names and addresses are kept separate to case notes to ensure the privacy of the client at all times. Case notes are kept on each session. These are a brief factual account of what happened in the session. These files are strictly confidential and do not contain personal data of the client. They are the property of Cork Counselling Services and are kept in secure filing cabinets. Only counsellors have access to this information. Files are kept for seven years. Clients of course have the right to access their own files under the Data Protection Act (1998). There is a procedure in place which is followed when clients request a copy of their files.