Boundaries Statement

Outside of being a counsellor, I am a trade union activist, trainer and work in supporting families in Somerset. Additionally, I am a queer person and have a wide variety of interests. I live in Glastonbury, which is a small town, which means my life will sometimes overlap with my clients' lives.

In small communities, like those in rural areas, therapists often interact with clients outside of the therapy room. This can also happen in the GSRD community, where a therapist may encounter clients at social events. To manage these situations, I have created this statement to establish clear boundaries while being transparent about the potential for dual relationships.

Confidentiality remains a top priority for me as a counsellor. Standard professional guidelines will be strictly followed, and I will never disclose your identity with anyone else. If we encounter each other in public, I will take my cue from how you acknowledge me. My intent is to protect your privacy and the boundaries of our professional relationship.

Regarding pre-existing relationships, if we are or have been close friends, I will not take you on as a client. Similarly, if we identify that we have any close mutual relationships with others, I will not take you on as a client. For casual acquaintances, we will discuss the implications and whether a professional relationship is appropriate. If we have had any significant personal interactions or if we have any mutual acquaintances, we will consider the impact on a potential therapy relationship. Occasionally, it doesn't become obvious that we have mutual friendships until we have begun the work together. Where appropriate, we would have a conversation about how to navigate this situation if it arose.

Where I have worked with you as a trade union representative or as a family support worker, we would need to discuss the suitability of working together. I generally would not work with you if I have worked with you in another capacity in the past two years. I check all referrals made to me within my other roles to ensure that there is not an obvious overlap with my clients. I have agreements in place that I can refuse that work in either of these roles without giving a reason to my employer, to protect client confidentiality. There are situations that may be less of a barrier to us working together, for example, if we attend the same demonstration/conference/protest but have limited personal interaction and relationship. In this instance, we would discuss the potential impact on us starting or continuing our therapeutic relationship. If you attend a training event where I am delivering training, we would also discuss the depth of relationship developed in this capacity and decide together whether it would be appropriate to work together.

If we are working together in counselling, I may mention events that I am attending. This is to check in with whether it is an event that you might also attend. Sometimes I might decide that I won't attend an event that you will be at. However,  if we attend the same events, we will discuss how to handle our presence there and establish boundaries that work for our individual therapy relationship. I will not accept requests to connect on social media and where it becomes clear that we are part of the same groups online, I will block you to ensure that I do not see the content you contribute. I would encourage you to block my personal accounts if you happen to see my social media profiles. I am happy for you to engage with Glastonbury Counselling on Facebook or Instagram. Additionally, I may be seen on social media and in the wider media due to my involvement with activism.