According to the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors “clinical counselling uses established mental health principles, values and techniques to aid you in achieving insight into existing challenges, gaining new skills and capacities, and earning emotional freedom from historical issues.”

“The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) was founded in 1988 and is the professional association that represents Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC) in the province of British Columbia.”

According to the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors “every person who receives the ‘RCC’ counselling designation in British Columbia has met specific educational and training criteria required by the BCACC. What’s more, RCCs have not only met the academic, clinical competence, and professional requirements, they have voluntarily committed themselves to practice according to an ethical code of conduct and standards of practice.”

To learn more about the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellor’s Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Clinical Practice, please visit the following webpage:
https://bc-counsellors.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BCACC-Code-of-Ethical-Conduct-2014.pdf 

Counselling can help a person gain a new understanding about their situation, acquire new ways of coping and make new decisions about how they want to be in the world and in their relationships. Therapy can help a person develop new skills and change behaviour and thought patterns that may be unhelpful or even detrimental. Therapy can contribute to and create increased happiness, wellbeing, and understanding of oneself and others.

While there are significant benefits to counselling, there are also some potential risks. Counselling may stimulate memories, evoke strong emotions, and create changes in perception that may alter one’s self-concept and ways of relating to others. Sometimes this can cause some distress and some people may even feel worse before they feel better. This is especially a concern for clients who have been through trauma. It is important to understand that counselling is a process that often involves some ups and downs and can also sometimes be hard work.

The gathering and retaining of personal information is guided by the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and the Personal Information Privacy Act. Thus Information about counselling sessions will not be released to anyone without your written consent, unless one of the limits to confidentiality (as outlined below) have occurred. Otherwise, ALL other information is kept strictly confidential. Exceptions to confidentiality include:

• When there is risk of imminent danger to yourself or to another person, registered clinical counsellors are ethically and legally bound to take necessary steps to prevent such danger. This may include contacting relevant authorities even if you do not wish them to do so.
• When there is a reasonable suspicion that a child, elder, or any vulnerable person is being sexually, physically or emotionally/psychologically abused or neglected or is at risk of such abuse, registered clinical counsellors are legally required to take steps to protect the person, and to inform the proper authorities.
• When records are subpoenaed by a Court of Law or any other authorized law requires the disclosure of your records.
• When there is reasonable suspicion that a registered healthcare provider has sexually, psychologically, physically and/or emotionally abused a client, registered clinical counsellors are legally and ethically required to report the registered health care provider to their designated college of registry.