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have reached different conclusions in similar circumstances. A practitioner’s obligation is to consider all the relevant circumstances with as much care as is reasonably possible and to be appropriately accountable for decisions made.
Fidelity:honouring the trust placed in the practitioner
Being trustworthy is regarded as fundamental to understanding and resolving ethical issues. Practitioners who adopt this principle: act in accordance with the trust placed in them; regard confidentiality as an obligation arising from the client’s trust; restrict any disclosure of confidential information about clients to furthering the purposes for which it was originally disclosed.
Autonomy: respect for the client’s right to be self-
This principle emphasises the importance of the client’s commitment to participating in counselling or psychotherapy, usually on a voluntary basis. Practitioners who respect their clients’ autonomy: ensure accuracy in any advertising or information given in advance of services offered; seek freely given and adequately informed consent; engage in explicit contracting in advance of any commitment by the client; protect privacy; protect confidentiality; normally make any disclosures of confidential information conditional on the consent of the person concerned; and inform the client in advance of foreseeable conflicts of interest or as soon as possible after such conflicts become apparent. The principle of autonomy opposes the manipulation of clients against their will, even for beneficial social ends.
Beneficence: a commitment to promoting the client’s well-
The principle of beneficence means acting in the best interests of the client based on professional assessment. It directs attention to working strictly within one’s limits of competence and providing services on the basis of adequate training or experience. Ensuring that the client’s best interests are achieved requires systematic monitoring of practice and outcomes by the best available means. It is considered important that research and systematic reflection inform practice. There is an obligation to use regular and on-
Non-
Non-
Justice: the fair and impartial treatment of all clients and the provision of adequate services
The principle of justice requires being just and fair to all clients and respecting their human rights and dignity. It directs attention to considering conscientiously any legal requirements and obligations, and remaining alert to potential conflicts between legal and ethical obligations. Justice in the distribution of services requires the ability to determine impartially the provision of services for clients and the allocation of services between clients. A commitment to fairness requires the ability to appreciate differences between people and to be committed to equality of opportunity, and avoiding discrimination against people or groups contrary to their legitimate personal or social characteristics. Practitioners have a duty to strive to ensure a fair provision of counselling and psychotherapy services, accessible and appropriate to the needs of potential clients.
Self-
The principle of self-
Personal moral qualities
The practitioner’s personal moral qualities are of the utmost importance to clients. Many of the personal qualities considered important in the provision of services have an ethical or moral component and are therefore considered as virtues or good personal qualities. It is inappropriate to prescribe that all practitioners possess these qualities, since it is fundamental that these personal qualities are deeply rooted in the person concerned and developed out of personal commitment rather than the requirement of an external authority. Personal qualities to which counsellors and psychotherapists are strongly encouraged to aspire include:
Empathy: the ability to communicate understanding of another person’s experience from that person’s perspective.
Sincerity: a personal commitment to consistency between what is professed and what is done.
Integrity: commitment to being moral in dealings with others, personal straightforwardness, honesty and coherence.
Resilience: the capacity to work with the client’s concerns without being personally diminished.
Respect: showing appropriate esteem to others and their understanding of themselves.
Humility: the ability to assess accurately and acknowledge one’s own strengths and weaknesses.
Competence: the effective deployment of the skills and knowledge needed to do what is required.
Fairness: the consistent application of appropriate criteria to inform decisions and actions.
Wisdom: possession of sound judgement that informs practice.
Courage: the capacity to act in spite of known fears, risks and uncertainty.
Conclusion
The challenge of working ethically means that practitioners will inevitably encounter situations where there are competing obligations. In such situations it is tempting to retreat from all ethical analysis in order to escape a sense of what may appear to be un-
Guidance on Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is committed to sustaining and advancing good practice. This guidance on the essential elements of good practice has been written to take into account the changing circumstances in which counselling and psychotherapy are now being delivered, in particular:
- changes in the range of issues and levels of need presented by clients
- the growth in levels of expertise available from practitioners with the expansion in the availability of training and consultative support/supervision
- the accumulated experience of this Association over nearly three decades.
The diversity of settings within which counselling and psychotherapy services are delivered has also been carefully considered. These services may be provided by the independent practitioner working alone, one or more practitioners working to provide a service within an agency or large organisation, specialists working in multidisciplinary teams, and by specialist teams of counsellors and psychotherapists. Most work is undertaken face to face but there are also a growing number of telephone and online services. Some practitioners are moving between these different settings and modes of delivery during the course of their work and are therefore required to consider what constitutes good practice in different settings. All practitioners encounter the challenge of responding to the diversity of their clients and finding ways of working effectively with them. This statement therefore responds to the complexity of delivering counselling and psychotherapy services in contemporary society by directing attention to essential issues that practitioners ought to consider and resolve in the specific circumstances of their work.
The term “practitioner” is used generically to refer to anyone with responsibility for the provision of counselling-
Providing a Good Standard of Practice and Care
All clients are entitled to good standards of practice and care from their practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy. Good standards of practice and care require professional competence; good relationships with clients and colleagues; and commitment to and observance of professional ethics.
Good Quality of Care
Good quality of care requires competently delivered services that meet the client’s needs by practitioners who are appropriately supported and accountable.
Practitioners should give careful consideration to the limitations of their training and experience and work within these limits, taking advantage of available professional support. If work with clients requires the provision of additional services operating in parallel with counselling or psychotherapy, the availability of such services ought to be taken into account, as their absence may constitute a significant limitation.
Good practice involves clarifying and agreeing the rights and responsibilities of both the practitioner and client at appropriate points in their working relationship.
Dual relationships arise when the practitioner has two or more kinds of relationship concurrently with a client, for example client and trainee, acquaintance and client, colleague and supervisee. The existence of a dual relationship with a client is seldom neutral and can have a powerful beneficial or detrimental impact that may not always be easily foreseeable. For these reasons practitioners are required to consider the implications of entering into dual relationships with clients, to avoid entering into relationships that are likely to be detrimental to clients, and to be readily accountable to clients and colleagues for any dual relationships that occur.
Practitioners are encouraged to keep appropriate records of their work with clients unless there are adequate reasons for not keeping any records. All records should be accurate, respectful of clients and colleagues and protected from unauthorised disclosure. Practitioners should take into account their responsibilities and their clients’ rights under data protection legislation and any other legal requirements.
Clients are entitled to competently delivered services that are periodically reviewed by the practitioner. These reviews may be conducted, when appropriate, in consultation with clients, supervisors, managers or other practitioners with relevant expertise.
Maintaining Competent Practice
All counsellors, psychotherapists, trainers and supervisors are required to have regular and on-
Regularly monitoring and reviewing one’s work is essential to maintaining good practice. It is important to be open to, and conscientious in considering, feedback from colleagues, appraisals and assessments. Responding constructively to feedback helps to advance practice.
A commitment to good practice requires practitioners to keep up to date with the latest knowledge and respond to changing circumstances. They should consider carefully their own need for continuing professional development and engage in appropriate educational activities.
Practitioners should be aware of and understand any legal requirements concerning their work, consider these conscientiously and be legally accountable for their practice.
Keeping Trust
The practice of counselling and psychotherapy depends on gaining and honouring the trust of clients. Keeping trust requires:
(i) attentiveness to the quality of listening and respect offered to clients
(ii) culturally appropriate ways of communicating that are courteous and clear
(iii) respect for privacy and dignity
(iv) careful attention to client consent and confidentiality
Clients should be adequately informed about the nature of the services being offered. Practitioners should obtain adequately informed consent from their clients and respect a client’s right to choose whether to continue or withdraw.
Practitioners should ensure that services are normally delivered on the basis of the client’s explicit consent. Reliance on implicit consent is more vulnerable to misunderstandings and is best avoided unless there are sound reasons for doing so. Overriding a client’s known wishes or consent is a serious matter that requires commensurate justification. Practitioners should be prepared to be readily accountable to clients, colleagues and professional body if they override a client’s known wishes.
Situations in which clients pose a risk of causing serious harm to themselves or others are particularly challenging for the practitioner. These are situations in which the practitioner should be alert to the possibility of conflicting responsibilities between those concerning their client, other people who may be significantly affected, and society generally. Resolving conflicting responsibilities may require due consideration of the context in which the service is being provided. Consultation with a supervisor or experienced practitioner is strongly recommended, whenever this would not cause undue delay. In all cases, the aim should be to ensure for the client a good quality of care that is as respectful of the client’s capacity for self-
Working with young people requires specific ethical awareness and competence. The practitioner is required to consider and assess the balance between young people’s dependence on adults and carers and their progressive development towards acting independently. Working with children and young people requires careful consideration of issues concerning their capacity to give consent to receiving any service independently of someone with parental responsibilities and the management of confidences disclosed by clients.
Respecting client confidentiality is a fundamental requirement for keeping trust. The professional management of confidentiality concerns the protection of personally identifiable and sensitive information from unauthorised disclosure. Disclosure may be authorised by client consent or the law. Any disclosures should be undertaken in ways that best protect the client’s trust. Practitioners should be willing to be accountable to their clients and to their profession for their management of confidentiality in general and particularly for any disclosures made without their client’s consent.
Practitioners should normally be willing to respond to their client’s requests for information about the way that they are working and any assessment that they may have made. This professional requirement does not apply if it is considered that imparting this information would be detrimental to the client or inconsistent with the counselling or psychotherapeutic approach previously agreed with the client. Clients may have legal rights to this information and these need to be taken into account.
Practitioners must not abuse their client’s trust in order to gain sexual, emotional, financial or any other kind of personal advantage. Sexual relations with clients are prohibited. ‘Sexual relations’ include intercourse, any other type of sexual activity or sexualised behaviour. Practitioners should think carefully about, and exercise considerable caution before, entering into personal or business relationships with former clients and should expect to be professionally accountable if the relationship becomes detrimental to the client or the standing of the profession.
Practitioners should not allow their professional relationships with clients to be prejudiced by any personal views they may hold about lifestyle, gender, age, disability, race, sexual orientation, beliefs or culture.
Practitioners should be clear about any commitment to be available to clients and colleagues and honour these commitments.
Teaching and Training
All practitioners are encouraged to share their professional knowledge and practice in order to benefit their clients and the public.
Practitioners who provide education and training should acquire the skills, attitudes and knowledge required to be competent teachers and facilitators of learning.
Practitioners are required to be fair, accurate and honest in their assessments of their students.
Prior consent is required from clients if they are to be observed, recorded or if their personally identifiable disclosures are to be used for training purposes.
Supervising and Managing
Practitioners are responsible for clarifying who holds responsibility for the work with the client.
There is a general obligation for all counsellors, psychotherapists, supervisors and trainers to receive supervision/consultative support independently of any managerial relationships.
Supervisors and managers have a responsibility to maintain and enhance good practice by practitioners, to protect clients from poor practice and to acquire the attitudes, skills and knowledge required by their role.
Researching
The Association is committed to fostering research that will inform and develop practice. All practitioners are encouraged to support research undertaken on behalf of the profession and to participate actively in research work.
All research should be undertaken with rigorous attentiveness to the quality and integrity both of the research itself and of the dissemination of the results of the research.
The rights of all research participants should be carefully considered and protected. The minimum rights include the right to freely given and informed consent, and the right to withdraw at any point.
The research methods used should comply with the standards of good practice in counselling and psychotherapy and must not adversely affect clients.
Fitness to Practice
Practitioners have a responsibility to monitor and maintain their fitness to practise at a level that enables them to provide an effective service. If their effectiveness becomes impaired for any reason, including health or personal circumstances, they should seek the advice of their supervisor, experienced colleagues or line manager and, if necessary, withdraw from practice until their fitness to practise returns. Suitable arrangements should be made for clients who are adversely affected.
What Should Practitioners Do If Things Go Wrong with Clients
Practitioners should respond promptly and appropriately to any complaint received from their clients. An appropriate response in agency-
Practitioners should endeavour to remedy any harm they may have caused to their clients and to prevent any further harm. An apology may be the appropriate response.
Practitioners should discuss, with their supervisor, manager or other experienced practitioner(s), the circumstances in which they may have harmed a client in order to ensure that the appropriate steps have been taken to mitigate any harm and to prevent any repetition.
Practitioners are strongly encouraged to ensure that their work is adequately covered by insurance for professional indemnity and liability.
If practitioners consider that they have acted in accordance with good practice but their client is not satisfied that this is the case, they may wish to use independent dispute resolution, for example: seeking a second professional opinion, mediation, or conciliation where this is both appropriate and practical.
Clients should be informed about the existence of the Professional Conduct Procedure of this Association and any other applicable complaints or disciplinary procedures. If requested to do so, practitioners should inform their clients about how they may obtain further information concerning these procedures.
Responsibilities to All Clients
Practitioners have a responsibility to protect clients when they have good reason for believing that other practitioners are placing them at risk of harm.
They should raise their concerns with the practitioner concerned in the first instance, unless it is inappropriate to do so. If the matter cannot be resolved, they should review the grounds for their concern and the evidence available to them and, when appropriate, raise their concerns with the practitioner’s manager, agency or professional body.
If they are uncertain what to do, their concerns should be discussed with an experienced colleague, a supervisor or raised with this Association.
All members of this Association share a responsibility to take part in its professional conduct procedures whether as the person complained against or as the provider of relevant information.
Working with Colleagues
The increasing availability of counselling and psychotherapy means that most practitioners have other practitioners working in their locality, or may be working closely with colleagues within specialised or multidisciplinary teams. The quality of the interactions between practitioners can enhance or undermine the claim that counselling and psychotherapy enable clients to increase their insight and expertise in personal relationships. This is particularly true for practitioners who work in agencies or teams.
Working in Teams
Professional relationships should be conducted in a spirit of mutual respect. Practitioners should endeavour to attain good working relationships and systems of communication that enhance services to clients at all times.
Practitioners should treat all colleagues fairly and foster equality opportunity.
They should not allow their professional relationships with colleagues to be prejudiced by their own personal views about a colleague’s lifestyle, gender, age, disability, race, sexual orientation, beliefs or culture. It is unacceptable and unethical to discriminate against colleagues on any of these grounds.
Practitioners must not undermine a colleague’s relationships with clients by making unjustified or unsustainable comments.
All communications between colleagues about clients should be on a professional basis and thus purposeful, respectful and consistent with the management of confidences as declared to clients.
Awareness of Context
The practitioner is responsible for learning about and taking account of the different protocols, conventions and customs that can pertain to different working contexts and cultures.
Making and Receiving Referrals
All routine referrals to colleagues and other services should be discussed with the client in advance and the client’s consent obtained both to making the referral and also to disclosing information to accompany the referral. Reasonable care should be taken to ensure that:
- the recipient of the referral is able to provide the required service;
- any confidential information disclosed during the referral process will be adequately protected;
- the referral will be likely to benefit the client.
Prior to accepting a referral the practitioner should give careful consideration to:
- the appropriateness of the referral;
- the likelihood that the referral will be beneficial to the client;
- the adequacy of the client’s consent for the referral.
If the referrer is professionally required to retain overall responsibility for the work with the client, it is considered to be professionally appropriate to provide the referrer with brief progress reports. Such reports should be made in consultation with clients and not normally against their explicit wishes.
Probity in Professional Practice
Ensuring the probity of practice is important both to those who are directly affected but also to the standing of the profession as a whole.
Providing Clients with Adequate Information
Practitioners are responsible for clarifying the terms on which their services are being offered in advance of the client incurring any financial obligation or other reasonably foreseeable costs or liabilities.
All information about services should be honest, accurate, avoid unjustifiable claims, and be consistent with maintaining the good standing of the profession.
Particular care should be taken over the integrity of presenting qualifications, accreditation and professional standing.
Financial Arrangements
Practitioners are required to be honest, straightforward and accountable in all financial matters concerning their clients and other professional relationships.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest are best avoided, provided they can be reasonably foreseen in the first instance and prevented from arising. In deciding how to respond to conflicts of interest, the protection of the client’s interests and maintaining trust in the practitioner should be paramount.
Care of Self as a Practitioner
Attending to the practitioner’s well-
Practitioners have a responsibility to themselves to ensure that their work does not become detrimental to their health or well-
Practitioners are entitled to be treated with proper consideration and respect that is consistent with this Guidance.
Professional Conduct Procedure
It is the responsibility of Members Complained Against and Complainants to ensure that they fully understand the Professional Conduct Procedure and the associated protocols. This procedure forms an essential part of BACP’s commitment to the protection of the public. Members are required to inform any client who indicates that they have a complaint or grievance about the existence of this procedure and any other applicable complaints or disciplinary procedures. If requested to do so, practitioners should inform their clients about how they may obtain further information concerning these procedures. Further information may be obtained by contacting BACP directly.
1. Introduction
1.1. Aim
The aim of the Professional Conduct Procedure is to afford protection to the public and to protect the name of BACP and the profession of counselling and psychotherapy as conducted by both individual and organisational members of the Association.
1.2. Bringing a complaint
A complaint can be brought by either:
a) a member of the public seeking or using a service provided by a member of the Association or
b) a member against another member
1.3. Complaints against non-
The Association cannot deal with complaints against individuals or organisations who were not members of the Association at the time of the alleged breach of professional conduct.
1.4. Timescale
1.4.1. A complaint must be lodged within three years of the alleged breach.
1.4.2. All records, save for details of the formal complaint, the formal response, the decision of the Professional Conduct Panel, Appeal decision and sanction which are kept for five years, will be kept for a period of two years only.
1.5. Administration
The administration of the Professional Conduct Procedure will follow protocols laid down from time to time by the Association. These will be administered by the Head of Professional Conduct.
1.6. Expenses
The Association is not responsible for travel or any other expenses incurred either by the Complainant or the Member Complained Against (or any support person/representative) in connection with any stage of the complaint. The Association cannot order one party to a complaint to pay another party’s costs.
1.7. Dual accountability
The Association may decide to hear a complaint against a member when another organisation is involved in a similar process arising out of the same substantive matters.
1.8. Resolution
Before making the complaint, the Complainant is expected to attempt to resolve the issue with the individual or organisational Member Complained Against. The Complainant must demonstrate that all informal channels or, in the case of organisational members, all internal processes and procedures have been exhausted. If local resolution is impossible or inappropriate, an explanation as to why this is the case will be required.
1.9. Findings
The Association reserves the right to distribute any findings upheld against a member where it considers it right and just to do so in all circumstances and in accordance with the detail in paragraph 4.10 (ii) below.
2. Making a Complaint
2.1. The complaint
The complaint must satisfy the following conditions:
a) the allegation is of a breach of a specific clause or clauses of the relevant Code of Ethics & Practice of the Association in force at the time the alleged breach occurred; or gives details of the alleged breach of Professional Conduct that contravenes the minimum standard of good practice outlined in the Ethics for Counselling & Psychotherapy and the Guidance on Good Practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy;
b) it is brought either by a member of the public seeking or using a service provided by a member OR by a current member of the Association;
c) the individual or organisational Member Complained Against is named AND is a current member of the Association AND was a member of the Association at the time the alleged breach occurred;
d) it is in writing, signed and received by the Head of Professional Conduct.
A complaint not satisfying the above conditions will be rejected.
2.2. Notification
The Member Complained Against will be notified that a complaint has been received, given a copy of that complaint and details of the procedure to be followed. The Member Complained Against is not required to respond at this stage, but will be given an opportunity at a later stage if the complaint is accepted under the formal Professional Conduct Procedure (section 3).
2.3. Receipt of a complaint
a) the complaint will be submitted to a Pre-
b) the Pre-
c) if further information/clarification is requested, upon receipt of same, the complaint will be re-
d) once the complaint is accepted to be dealt with at a Professional Conduct Hearing, the Head of Professional Conduct will start the formal Professional Conduct Procedure (see section 3);
e) if the complaint is rejected by the Pre-
3. The Formal Professional Conduct Procedure
3.1. Acceptance of complaint
The Complainant and Member Complained Against will be notified in writing that the complaint will proceed to a Professional Conduct Hearing.
3.2. Responding to a formal complaint
At the time of notification of acceptance of the complaint, a full copy of the formal complaint will be submitted to the Member Complained Against, who will have 28 days to respond to the complaint. Any response to the complaint must be forwarded to the Head of Professional Conduct.
3.3. Evidence
All evidence submitted by either the Complainant or the Member Complained Against shall be available to the parties involved in the complaint. The Head of Professional Conduct will distribute to the parties copies of all submissions made.
3.4. Conduct
It is the duty of the parties taking part in the Professional Conduct Procedure to comply with the protocols laid down by the Association. Such persons shall comply with the implementation of the Professional Conduct Procedure. Any failure to comply may result in the termination of the Professional Conduct Procedure or termination of membership under Article 4.6 of the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
3.5. Suspension of rights of membership
The Chair of the Association may suspend the rights of membership of the Member Complained Against, pending the finalisation of the Professional Conduct Procedure when, having regard to the nature of the complaint, it appears appropriate and just to do so in all the circumstances.
The Head of Professional Conduct will notify the Member Complained Against of the suspension of membership or of any rights of membership.
No liability for any loss suffered, or expenses incurred, will attach to the Association for the suspension of membership or rights of membership even where a complaint is not upheld.
3.6. Lapsed membership
Failure to renew membership by a Member Complained Against during the course of a complaint will not normally terminate the Professional Conduct Procedure.
A member’s resignation from membership of the Association will not terminate nor invalidate the hearing of a complaint by the Association.
4. The Professional Conduct Hearing
4.1. Professional Conduct Panel
The Head of Professional Conduct will appoint a panel of not less than three persons to hear the complaint (the Professional Conduct Panel).
4.2. Purpose
The purpose of the Professional Conduct Hearing is to examine the complaint and decide whether the complaint is proved or not. If proved, the panel will decide whether or not any sanction should be imposed.
4.3. Declaration of interest
Members of the Professional Conduct Panel have a duty to declare any interest which may be considered by the Head of Professional Conduct to affect their impartiality, or likely to be thought so to do.
4.4. Venue
Professional Conduct Hearings will be held at or within the vicinity of the Association’s headquarters, other than in exceptional circumstances.
4.5. Presence of a representative/support person
When appearing at the Professional Conduct Hearing, the Complainant and Member Complained Against may each be accompanied by a representative who may support and/or speak on behalf of the party concerned.
The Professional Conduct Hearing will be conducted in accordance with the protocols laid down by the Association.
4.6. Written evidence
Written evidence and/or submissions and witness statements must be submitted in advance by the Complainant and the Member Complained Against. Such papers must be received by the Head of Professional Conduct not less than 28 days prior to the date fixed for the Professional Conduct Hearing. Such papers will be circulated to the Professional Conduct Panel, the Complainant and the Member Complained Against, within a reasonable period prior to the hearing. The Chair of the Professional Conduct Panel may take advice on these papers and/or procedural matters from the Association’s solicitor, or the Head of Professional Conduct, or such other relevant person as may be deemed appropriate.
4.7. New evidence
The Chair of the Professional Conduct Panel will determine whether or not new evidence will be accepted on the day of the hearing. The decision will be based on the conditions laid down in the relevant protocol. The Chair of the Professional Conduct Panel may take advice on such matters from the Head of Professional Conduct.
4.8. Attendance by witnesses
The Professional Conduct Panel, Complainant and Member Complained Against may call witnesses to attend the hearing. Parties wishing to call witnesses must notify the Head of Professional Conduct of the names and details of such witnesses not less than 28 days prior to the date fixed for the hearing. Attendance will only be permitted by the Chair of the panel if the witness has supplied a written statement which needs clarification. The panel has discretion to refuse attendance by a witness if it reasonably believes that such attendance is not relevant or will not add any weight to the issue(s) under consideration. Witnesses may be questioned by the panel and either party connected with the case.
4.9. Failure to attend the Professional Conduct hearing
a) Where a Complainant or Member Complained Against fails or refuses, without good reason or notice, to attend a Professional Conduct hearing, the Chair of the Professional Conduct Panel has the power to decide either:
i) to proceed with the hearing in the absence of one of the parties;
ii) to adjourn the hearing to a date not less than 28 days in advance;
iii) to terminate the proceedings or;
iv) refer the matter for consideration under Article 4.6 of the Memorandum & Articles of Association
b) What constitutes good reason shall be solely at the discretion of the Chair of the Professional Conduct Panel, who may take advice from the Head of Professional Conduct.
4.10. Notification of findings
(i.) The decision of the Professional Conduct Panel will be notified in writing to the parties within 28 days of the Professional Conduct hearing.
(ii.) The decision of the Professional Conduct Panel, together with details of any sanction, will be published in the Association’s journal in such detail as deemed appropriate to the findings and at its discretion. (In accordance with paragraph 7.1 such decisions will be based on considerations of public interest and the severity of the findings).
5. Sanctions
5.1. The Professional Conduct Panel, having regard to the findings, may impose one or more of the sanctions detailed in the relevant protocol.
5.2. Lifting of sanctions
The Member Complained Against may make application to the Head of Professional Conduct for the sanction to be lifted when the conditions laid down in the sanction have been fulfilled.
5.2.(a)The Head of Professional Conduct will appoint not less than three people to
consider any evidence of compliance. The Sanctions Panel will decide if the requirements of the sanction have been fulfilled and thus, whether the sanction should be lifted.
5.2. (b)The Member Complained Against will be notified in writing of any decision made (see 5.2.(a)). The lifting of sanction will be published in the Association’s journal (if the sanction has been published originally).
5.3. Failure or refusal to comply with sanction
Failure or refusal to comply with the sanction may result in termination of membership. The Chair of the Association will notify any such decision to the Member Complained Against, in writing. This decision will be published in the Association’s journal.
6. Formal Appeals Procedure
6.1. The Member Complained Against may appeal on the grounds detailed in paragraph 6.5. An appeal against the finding of the Professional Conduct Panel must be submitted in writing by the deadline given (see paragraph 6.6), be accompanied by any supporting documentation and served upon the Head of Professional Conduct.
6.2. The grounds for appeal will be considered by an independent person appointed by the Head of Professional Conduct. An appeal can be against the findings of the Professional Conduct Panel and/or sanction imposed.
6.3. If the appeal is accepted under paragraph 6.2, a notice to that effect shall be given to the Head of Professional Conduct and thereupon the appeal procedure set out in paragraph 6.8 hereof shall take effect.
6.4 If there is insufficient evidence to satisfy any of the grounds for appeal (paragraph 6.5), the appellant will be notified in writing by the Head of Professional Conduct. This decision will be final.
6.5. An appeal will be considered on any of the following grounds:
(1) That the facts were found against the weight of evidence.
(2) That the sanction is disproportionate to the finding of the Professional Conduct Panel and is unjust in all the circumstances.
(3) There is evidence to suggest that a procedural impropriety may have had a material effect on the finding and decision of the Professional Conduct Panel.
(4) There is new evidence which was not available at the time of the Professional Conduct Hearing (subject to the conditions laid down in the relevant protocol).
6.6. Timescale for appeal
Any appeal must be in writing, specify which grounds it is submitted under and be accompanied by any supporting documentation and served upon the Head of Professional Conduct within 28 days of notification of the decision and/or sanction of the Professional Conduct Panel.
6.7 Professional Conduct Appeal Panel
The Head of Professional Conduct will appoint not less than three people, who were not previously involved in the case, to decide the appeal (The Professional Conduct Appeal Panel). One member of the panel will be a person appointed by the Board of Governors to sit on such panels.
6.8. Format of Appeal Hearing
(a) Where there is an appeal as set out in paragraph 6.5 (1), (3) & (4) the appeal will be by way of a re-
(b) Where there is an appeal as set out in paragraph 6.5 (2) only, the Professional Conduct Appeal Panel will meet with the Member Complained Against. The panel will review all the submissions considered by the Professional Conduct Panel, and consider any other mitigating factors submitted by the Member Complained Against.
(c) The same rules on representation will apply to the Appeal Hearing as per the original hearing (paragraph 4.5)
6.9. Notification of decision
(a) The Chair of the Professional Conduct Appeal Panel will report the panel’s decision to the Chair of the Association who will implement its decision. This decision will be final.
(b) The decision of the Professional Conduct Appeal Panel will be notified to the respective parties in writing within 14 days of the appeal hearing.
(c) Following the hearing of an appeal, where the appeal is rejected, the decision of the Professional Conduct Panel, incorporating any amendment by the Professional Conduct Appeal Panel, may be published in the Association’s journal in such detail as deemed appropriate (such decisions will be based on considerations of public interest and severity of the findings).
7. Publication
7.1. The Association reserves the right to publish such details of complaints as it considers appropriate.
7.2. The termination of membership under the Professional Conduct Procedure will be published in the Association’s journal.
7.3. Any notification that the Association, under these Procedures, is entitled to publish in its journal may, at its discretion, be published elsewhere by the Association.
8. Effective Date
This Professional Conduct Procedure 2002 will apply to all complaints received by the Association after 1 April 2002.
Heads of Complaint
The Professional Conduct Panel is responsible for determining whether the grounds of the complaint are upheld according to the standards of civil law and, if upheld, the head(s) of complaint that have been contravened. It is envisaged that a single act may fall clearly under one head or contravene two or more. The decision about the head must ultimately rest upon consideration of all the circumstances in the case. The information that follows is intended to inform the choice between the three heads of complaint available to the panel. These are:
1. Professional misconduct
2. Professional malpractice
3. Bringing the profession into disrepute
Findings under the first two heads are usually, but not exclusively, concerned with behaviour directly related to someone’s professional pursuit. The third head may encompass a wider range of behaviour that extends beyond someone’s professional pursuit.
Professional misconduct
A finding of professional misconduct signifies that the practitioner has contravened the ethical and behavioural standards that should reasonably be expected of a member of this profession. “Misconduct” is defined as acting in contravention of the written and unwritten guidance of the profession.
A finding of “serious professional misconduct” is appropriate if the misconduct is of sufficient seriousness to merit a period of suspension or permanent exclusion from membership of this Association with a consequential curtailment of opportunities to practise within this profession.
Professional malpractice
A finding of professional malpractice signifies that the service(s) for which the practitioner is responsible have fallen below the standards that would reasonably be expected of a practitioner exercising reasonable care and skill. Examples of “malpractice” include:
Incompetence
Negligence
Recklessness
Inadequate professional services
It may be that the seriousness of the malpractice is such that it is considered to amount to misconduct.
This is determined by different, and usually higher, tests than the test of reasonableness in the tort of negligence. The Clerk to the proceedings will advise on the grounds for a finding of “misconduct”. Care should be taken to avoid any confusion between “negligence” and “misconduct”.
On this page:
Code of Ethics and Practice for Counsellors Complaints Procedure
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Ethics for counselling and psychotherapy
This statement, Ethics for Counselling and Psychotherapy, unifies and replaces all the earlier codes for counsellors, trainers and supervisors and is also applicable to counselling research, the use of counselling skills and the management of these services within organisations. It is intended to inform the practice of each member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
In this statement the term “practitioner” is used generically to refer to anyone with responsibility for the provision of counselling or psychotherapy-
This statement indicates an important development in approach to ethics within the Association. One of the characteristics of contemporary society is the coexistence of different approaches to ethics. This statement reflects this ethical diversity by considering:
- Values
- Principles
- Personal moral qualities
This selection of ways of expressing ethical commitments does not seek to invalidate other approaches. The presentation of different ways of conceiving ethics alongside each other in this statement is intended to draw attention to the limitations of relying too heavily on any single ethical approach. Ethical principles are well suited to examining the justification for particular decisions and actions. However, reliance on principles alone may detract from the importance of the practitioner’s personal qualities and their ethical significance in the counselling or therapeutic relationship. The provision of culturally sensitive and appropriate services is also a fundamental ethical concern. Cultural factors are often more easily understood and responded to in terms of values. Therefore, professional values are becoming an increasingly significant way of expressing ethical commitment.
Values of Counselling and Psychotherapy
The fundamental values of counselling and psychotherapy include a commitment to:
- Respecting human rights and dignity
- Ensuring the integrity of practitioner-
client relationships - Enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application
- Alleviating personal distress and suffering
- Fostering a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concerned
- Increasing personal effectiveness
- Enhancing the quality of relationships between people
- Appreciating the variety of human experience and culture
- Striving for the fair and adequate provision of counselling and psychotherapy services
Values inform principles. They represent an important way of expressing a general ethical commitment that becomes more precisely defined and action-
Ethical Principles of Counselling and Psychotherapy
Principles direct attention to important ethical responsibilities. Each principle is described below and is followed by examples of good practice that have been developed in response to that principle.
Ethical decisions that are strongly supported by one or more of these principles without any contradiction from others may be regarded as reasonably well founded. However, practitioners will encounter circumstances in which it is impossible to reconcile all the applicable principles and choosing between principles may be required. A decision or course of action does not necessarily become unethical merely because it is contentious or other practitioners would
A finding of “serious professional malpractice” is appropriate if the malpractice is of sufficient seriousness to merit a period of suspension or permanent exclusion from membership of this Association with a consequential curtailment of opportunities to practise within this profession.
Bringing the profession into disrepute
A finding of ‘bringing the profession into disrepute’ signifies that the practitioner has acted in such an infamous or disgraceful way that the public’s trust in the profession might reasonably be undermined if they were accurately informed about all the circumstances of the case.
A finding under this head must amount to “disgraceful conduct in a professional respect”. This involves consideration of three elements:
Conduct that is regarded as “disgraceful” need not amount to moral turpitude or be restricted to acts of serious immorality.
The conduct must have had some connection with a professional role in order to be considered as falling “in a professional respect”. It ought not to be concerned with matters that can reasonably be viewed as solely personal and private.
Conduct “in a professional respect” is not confined to conduct in pursuit of the profession in question.
For example disgraceful conduct in the Police Disciplinary Code has been defined as: “committed when a member (of a police force) acts in a disorderly manner or in any manner prejudicial to discipline or reasonably likely to bring discredit on the reputation of the (force) or of the (police service)”.
What is not disgraceful to an ordinary person may be disgraceful to a professional person.
Criminal convictions, findings in civil proceedings and hearings by other professional bodies
The Association may exercise its discretion to take disciplinary proceedings against a member who is convicted of a criminal offence or who has civil or professional findings against them that ought to have been declared on entry into membership or arising during membership.
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