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Confidentiality
Mashwara is a confidential service. Our strict
adherence to the
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy's Ethical
Framework means we will not discuss details of the
counselling sessions without the express written and verbal
permission of the client.
Exceptions to Confidentiality
In exceptional circumstances we may have to disclose information
but we would make every effort to do this with your knowledge
and agreement. These exceptions are outlined in the BACP
guidelines on confidentiality and are:
- where there is risk of
harm to yourself or others;
- under the Prevention of
Terrorism Act;
- if the counsellor is
subpoenaed or summoned as a witness in a Court of Law.
Record Keeping
The Service works under the terms of the Data Protection Act
1998. The factual data you give to the Service and the
dates on which you attend for Counselling are stored in order to
compile anonymous statistics on the use of the service. Your
Counsellor may also keep notes on your meetings to help him/her
in their work with you. These are kept securely. In accordance
with the
BACP
Ethical Framework of Good Practice counsellors adhere to
strict principles of anonymity in their record keeping.
Our policy is to keep minimum notes and records. The information
we do store includes:
- Personal information, such
as your name, date of birth, address etc;
- Background information
that might be relevant to the counselling process;
- Your signed contract with
us;
- Confidential case notes
(describing the main focus of the session with any important
information);
- Information for service
evaluation and statistical purposes.
Access to Records
Under the Data Protection Act (1998), clients have the right to
access any records kept about them. This does not include
sensitive information about a third party or confidential
information obtained from another source, e.g. correspondence
from a tutor or a doctor. If you would like to access your
counselling records, requests need to be made to the Head of
Service in writing, briefly stating your reason(s).
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