Informed Consent & Counselling

During our first session, we will discuss informed consent as a start to our therapeutic relationship.

In basic terms, “informed consent” refers to the process of the client giving their explicit permission to work with a counsellor after they have been given details about the benefits and risks of counselling.

Informed consent is a process

You won’t simply sign a document and forget about it. We will continue to discuss consent further as our relationship progresses and evolves.

You can withdraw consent at any time

Please make a point of asking questions or bringing up concerns during your first meeting – or at any time. You are able to withdraw your consent to counselling or a particular therapy at any point.

This page is only an overview

The informed consent process is different for everyone. People engage in counselling for various issues, which require various treatments. This means it is difficult to cover all the bases in one document or discussion.

To that end, please note that this page is meant to provide an overview of the informed consent process, and is not a definitive guide.

Potential benefits of counselling

During counselling sessions, I utilize various therapeutic interventions to help you reach your goals.

These interventions can help you see the following results:

• Learn new coping strategies, and develop strategies you can use right away
• Manage your negative emotions
• Improve your self-esteem
• Relieve stress and learn to live your values
• Resolve relationship issues
• Change beliefs and behaviours that have been holding you back
• Relief from symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress
• Improve your decision-making and problem solving
• Increase hope for a happy future
• Gain better understanding of yourself
• Learn effective communication skills
• Change unwanted behaviours
• Become proactive rather than reactive

Potential risks of counselling

There are some potential risks to consider about counselling. If you have been pushing your feelings down for a long time, starting to talk about negative experiences and beliefs can cause uncomfortable feelings.

Working with traumatic memories can sometimes make you feel flooded by strong emotions, and out of control. This may even lead to thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

I hope to prevent this from happening by working slowly with sensitive issues. I help you contain emotions within the session. If appropriate, I will work with you to create a safety plan to help keep you safe under these circumstances.

Please let me know if self-harm or suicidal thoughts are an issue for you.

Counselling is known to create changes in people’s awareness and behaviour. Counselling may lead you to acknowledge painful truths that have been avoided.

Counselling can also affect the way you relate to others. This is generally considered a positive thing, but sometimes loved ones are uncomfortable with the change. You may experience some upsets, and ups-and-downs as you navigate relationships.

Research indicates that one of the most important elements of counselling is the therapeutic relationship.

Honest and open communication is needed to collaborate in an effective way. You will likely see more benefits to counselling if you connect with your counsellor and trust them enough to be yourself.

Limiting the risks of counselling

I use counselling methods that aim to reduce strong emotions to a more manageable level.

It is also considered best practice to work on improving internal resources and coping skills before we move on to deeper work. This means I approach counselling as a paced process, and not a sudden intervention.

No. I do not diagnose mental health disorders, and will not provide you with a mental health diagnosis.

However, I may use various mental health screeners and assessment questionnaires to target symptoms for treatment in counselling.

There are both pros and cons of having a formal diagnosis (such as through your GP). We can discuss this topic in depth if you are thinking about it.

Potential pros of a formal diagnosis

Generally speaking, having a diagnosis from the DSM¹ can open up access to psychiatric services and disability benefits.

Many clients also report a sense of relief to know there is a ‘name’ for what they are experiencing. It helps them understand they are not alone.

A formal mental health diagnosis can also make it easier to research the issue on your own to better understand how to cope.

Potential cons of a formal diagnosis

On the other hand, having a being formally diagnosed with a mental health disorder can make some people feel ‘labelled’ and pigeon-holed.

Unfortunately, some diagnosis may also carry more stigma than others. Service professionals may be biased about people with certain conditions.

¹ Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

During our sessions, I collect personal information only for the specific purpose of providing effective counselling services. I also collect your contact details so we can schedule appointments.

The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) came into force in 2004, and applies to all self-employed counsellors in private practice.

You can read the PIPA in full here.

Your personal file

I write brief notes after each counselling session.

These notes help me keep track of the issues we discuss, and the progress made on homework and goals, but they do not include a lot of details.

PIPA requests & complaints

You have the right to request a copy of your records through the PIPA process. If there is information about other parties in the record, these will be redacted from the copy of the file you receive. You may be charged a fee for this service.

If you think your information has been mishandled, you can make a written complaint with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.