Extract from the Ethical Framework
1. As members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) we are committed to sustaining and advancing good practice.
2. This section of the Ethical Framework looks behind Our commitment to clients and Ethics to consider their implications for good practice in more detail.
3. It sets out what can be expected of all members and registrants of BACP as practitioners providing therapeutically-informed services, particularly coaching, counselling, pastoral care, psychotherapy and using counselling skills. This includes being a supervisor, trainer, educator of practitioners, or researcher of any aspect of the counselling professions. Trainees will fulfil all the commitments to clients within the Ethical Framework when working with members of the public as their clients. Good practice point 81 sets out the commitments for working with other trainees to learn new knowledge and skills.
4. As members and registrants of BACP, we have committed ourselves to the principles and values set out in this Ethical Framework and recognise that our membership or registration may be at risk if we fail to fulfil our commitments.
5. Our responsibilities are set out as full or qualified obligations. We are fully and unconditionally committed to fulfilling a specific requirement of Good practice where we state ‘we will…’ or ‘we must…’. Where we consider a requirement may need to be varied for good ethical reasons, we state that ‘we will usually…’.
6. We are committing ourselves to being openly accountable and willing to explain how we have implemented any of these obligations to people with a valid interest in our work.
FAQs
This section seems much more detailed about what is expected of practitioners than the Commitments section. Why is this?
How can I make best use of this section to improve my practice?
What should I do if I can see a better way of meeting my clients’ needs and being ethical than what is suggested here?
Resources
Good Practice in Action resources
Supplementary resources, based on current research and evidence, to help you implement the Ethical Framework in your practice. Include commonly asked questions, fact sheets, legal resources and research overviews.
Good practice across the counselling professions
A suite of open access good practice resources, developed by BACP in partnership with other professionals.