CODE OF PRACTICE AND ETHICS

 

ACCREDITATION AND PROFESSIONAL STATUS

All our therapists are qualified and accredited or working towards accreditation with professional bodies such as the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).

All have a proven pathway of experience in working with different age groups, backgrounds, ethnicities, and professions.  

ELIGIBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF THE SERVICE

Our services are aimed at being preventative and pro-active. An opportunity to chat through the pressures of life and work and, with assistance, to resolve issues that may become more profound and have greater impact further down the line.

We are unable to help with acute or suicidal crises; if a client is suicidal they should be encouraged to contact the emergency services. They may also contact www.samaritans.org or telephone them on 116 123 (UK) .

If we have to decline use of our service, we will try and suggest alternative support.  We will be conscious of everybody's wellbeing and its importance and that everyone should have the opportunity to seek the best support for their specific needs.  

This particular service is aimed at adults over the age of 18 years.   Young people looking for support should be supported to call Childline on 0800 1111 or website: www.childline.org.uk.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All accrediting therapeutic bodies require that therapists offer the highest possible levels of confidentiality in order to respect the client's privacy and create the trust necessary for the therapeutic process to be a positive experience.

In exceptional circumstances, the therapist may take the decision to break confidentiality, with or without the client’s consent if necessary where, in his/her professional judgment there is a risk of a client harming themselves or being harmed; there is a risk of another person being harmed or if there is a legal requirement to do so. In such circumstances, the therapist will always seek to obtain the client's consent prior to a disclosure.

CODE OF ETHICS

We will treat service users, colleagues, freelance contractors and company representatives as individuals, respecting their right to privacy and dignity. We will:

  • Make sure we have consent from clients before providing a service

  • Challenge discrimination

  • Maintain appropriate boundaries

  • Ensure lines of communication are always open

  • Be polite and considerate

  • Listen and take into account any feedback given and be open and transparent in all we do and set out to achieve

  • Provide information when requested in a timely and understandable way

  • Work collaboratively with partners, colleagues and freelance contractors

  • Practice only in the areas in which we have appropriate knowledge, skills and experience

  • Continue our professional development as necessary

  • Keep updated with new laws and regulations to ensure compliancy and prudency

  • Respect confidentiality and ensure we work to General Data Protection Regulations (May 2018) - see below

  • Deal with Complaints, Comments and Compliments as appropriate

  • Will always maintain professional boundaries and act in a honest and non-judgemental way

  • We follow the HCPC Standards of Proficiency or Professional Standards of any body a therapist is regulated by

DATA PROTECTION

All therapists are required to ensure that client information is stored securely and separate from personal data forms. We have Data Protection Procedures that give a comprehensive overview of how we meet Data Protection Laws.

THERAPY SESSIONS

Supervision and Compliance

All therapists will be receiving regular clinical supervision and be compliant with all the practice and legal requirements of their professional and accrediting bodies.

Client Records and Sensitive Personal Data

Therapists will be responsible for their own client notes and will ensure complete confidentiality of these. Therapists will comply with all the legal obligations of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR May 2018).

Flexibility and Professional Attitude

We need to agree that our attitude towards our team members, staff, clients, other colleagues and other contacts is consistently professional.   The credibility of the company and everybody associated with it must be considered at all times.   

COMPLIMENTS, COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS

A copy of our Procedure for giving feedback or making a complaint is available upon request.  While we do not expect to receive any negative comments on the way Listen Up Therapy  has delivered its therapeutic services, we would really encourage clients to approach us informally to discuss any concerns they might have.  We value your comments and compliments too in order that we can ensure continued professional practice that will make our clients want to return to or recommend to others!