Australian Counselling Association Case Summary

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The Australian Counselling Association (ACA) code of ethics pertaining to confidentiality highlights that if client confidentiality is compromised, it is likely to reduce the effectiveness of counselling. However, it also outlines that there exist some exceptional circumstances to confidentiality that need to be considered (Australian Counselling Association [ACA], 2022). As relevant to the case study, where there is a reasonable belief on behalf of the counsellor that the client is at risk of harming others. For Alex, this implies the onus is on him to decide whether he has a reasonable belief that David could harm Cassie. It continues by specifying that the counsellor should receive supervision regarding the issue and should thereafter discuss the confidentiality breach with the client. Gaining clarity from supervision could be helpful for Alex in assessing steps forward and unpacking potential implications of discussing Cassie’s voice message with David. …show more content…
As far as is understood, Cassie does not have a therapeutic relationship with Alex and he cannot possibly know how Cassie will utilise any information about David that could be inadvertently disclosed to her, so she would not be viewed as an appropriate person. Likewise, information that is shared about David with Alex outside of counselling is likely to affect the therapeutic relationship. Withholding additional information regarding David’s relationship could impact Alex’s ability to be congruent towards David and could bring about issues of countertransference. An appropriate reason for contacting Cassie and disclosing information would be if Alex knew Cassie’s safety was at