Confidentiality and Safeguarding Policy

Clear Waters Counselling

Last updated: August 2026

I understand that sharing personal thoughts and experiences can feel daunting. Confidentiality is a fundamental part of the therapeutic relationship, helping to create a safe, trusting and supportive environment in which you can explore your thoughts and feelings openly.

Everything discussed during counselling sessions will be treated as confidential and handled in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and the NCPS Code of Ethics.

My Commitment to Confidentiality

When Confidentiality May Be Broken

Although confidentiality is central to counselling, there are some circumstances where I may need to share information without your consent.

These include:

If I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you.
If I believe there is a serious risk of harm to another person.
If there are safeguarding concerns relating to a child or young person.
If there are safeguarding concerns relating to an adult at risk.
If I am required to disclose information by law or court order.
If information relates to terrorism, serious crime, money laundering or other legal obligations requiring disclosure.

Wherever possible, I will discuss any need to share information with you first and seek your involvement in the process. However, if immediate action is required to protect someone's safety or I am legally prevented from informing you, I may share information without your consent.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding means protecting children, young people and adults at risk from abuse, neglect or exploitation.

If I become concerned that:

a child or young person is experiencing or is at risk of significant harm;
an adult at risk is experiencing abuse or neglect; or
someone is at immediate risk of serious harm,

I have a professional and ethical responsibility to take appropriate action. This may include seeking advice from my clinical supervisor, consulting safeguarding professionals, or making a referral to the appropriate statutory agency.

Only information that is necessary and proportionate will be shared.

To ensure that I provide safe and ethical counselling, I attend regular clinical supervision.

In supervision I may discuss aspects of our work together, but I make every effort to protect your identity. Information is anonymised wherever possible, and my supervisor is also bound by strict confidentiality and professional ethical standards.

Clinical Supervision

Record Keeping

I keep brief, factual counselling notes to support the safe and effective delivery of counselling.

These records are:

stored securely;
protected against unauthorised access;
only accessible to me unless disclosure is legally required; and
retained for seven years after counselling ends, after which they are securely destroyed, unless there is a legal reason to retain them for longer.

Further information about how your personal information is handled can be found in my Privacy Policy.

Working Online

Where counselling is provided online, I use secure platforms and take reasonable steps to protect your privacy.

Although every effort is made to maintain confidentiality, no online communication can ever be guaranteed to be completely secure. Clients are encouraged to attend sessions from a private location where they are unlikely to be overheard or interrupted.

Your Responsibility

To help maintain confidentiality, I ask that you:

provide accurate contact details;
let me know if your circumstances change;
attend sessions from a private environment if meeting online; and
avoid recording counselling sessions unless we have discussed and agreed this beforehand.

Questions

If you have any questions about confidentiality or safeguarding, I encourage you to ask before or during counselling. I believe that understanding how your information is protected helps build a trusting and collaborative therapeutic relationship.