August 2026: BS, Membership Number 00840825, Registrant 383947

August 2026: Briony Seed, Membership Number 00840825, Registrant 383947

Consensual Disposal

Reasons

1. Briony Seed, a BACP individual member agrees to the following outcome of the investigation into a complaint of a failure to meet the Professional Standards under reference […].

Background

2. The Member has been a BACP member since […].

3. The Member works in private practice.

4. A complaint was made about the Member’s conduct by a former client, in summary stating that shortly after their therapeutic relationship had ended, she entered into an intimate sexual relationship with him, which was detrimental to him.

Admissions

5. The Member makes the following admissions which the BACP accepts:

Allegation 1

1.1 The Member engaged in a sexual and/or intimate relationship with the Complainant which was unprofessional in that:

i. The personal relationship began within a short time after the end of their therapeutic relationship; and/or

ii. She failed to take appropriate steps to ensure that the relationship would not be detrimental to the Complainant.

1.2 The Member thereby failed to meet professional standards, including in particular by acting in a way which was inconsistent with the following paragraphs of Good Practice in the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2018:

37: We will avoid continuing or resuming any relationships with former clients that could harm the client or damage any benefits from the therapeutic work undertaken. We recognise that conflicts of interest and issues of power or dependence may continue after our working relationship with a client, supervisee or trainee has formally ended. Therefore:

a) We will exercise caution before entering into personal or business relationships with former clients; and/or

b) We will avoid sexual or intimate relationships with former clients or people close to them. Exceptionally, such a relationship will only be permissible following careful consideration in supervision and, whenever possible, following discussion with experienced colleagues or others concerned about the integrity of the counselling professions, when:

• enough time has elapsed or the circumstances of the people concerned have sufficiently changed to establish a distinction between the former and proposed new relationship

• any therapeutic dynamics from the former relationship have been sufficiently resolved to enable beginning a different type of relationship. (This may not be possible with some clients or inappropriate to some therapeutic ways of working.)

• an equivalent service to the one provided by the practitioner is available to the former client, should this be wanted in future
• the practitioner has taken demonstrable care in ensuring that the new relationship has integrity and is not exploitative; and/or

c) We will be professionally accountable if the relationship becomes detrimental to the former client or damages the standing of the profession.

1.3 Allegation 1.1 amounts to Professional Misconduct as defined in the Professional Conduct Procedure.

Mitigation

6. The Member puts forward the following in mitigation, which has been taken into account by the IAC in deciding the appropriate outcome:

• She takes full responsibility for her conduct in this matter.

• She has reflected extensively both personally and professionally.

• She has engaged in therapy and has reflected on her conduct in supervision.

• She has revisited the Ethical Framework and studied additional guidance.

• She acknowledges and regrets the harm caused to the Complainant.

Conclusion

7. The issues identified and admitted by the Member amount to breaches of the professional standards reasonably expected of the Member having regard to the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2018, in particular Paragraph 37 of Good Practice as identified in the admissions above.

8. One of the aims of the Professional Conduct Procedure is to protect members of the public. The IAC in considering the appropriate outcome and sanction for the admitted breaches in this case have taken into account the interests of public protection and determined that it is reasonable and proportionate to conclude it by agreement on the terms set out below.

9. In relation to the finding above the IAC considers it appropriate that the Member is required to provide to BACP:

a. Within 3 months of the date of this agreement:

Evidence of successful completion of a minimum of 8 hours of formal training on managing boundaries and relationships with clients. This should be in the form of a certificate of completion from a training provider.

b. Within 6 weeks of completion of the training:

i. A reflection on her learning from the training and confirmation that she has discussed this with her Supervisor; and

ii. A letter of apology addressed to the Complainant, which acknowledges and takes accountability for the impact of her conduct on him.

10. The Member agrees that this Agreement will be published by the BACP in line with the Publication Policy and that it will be disclosed to the complainant.

11. The Member agrees that she will not act in any way inconsistent with this agreement such as, for example, by denying the admissions in paragraph 5 above.

12. If the Member fails, without good reason, to comply with the sanction set out above or acts in a way which is inconsistent with this Agreement the matter will be referred to a sanction panel for consideration. A sanction panel may determine that it will terminate her membership. Such a decision will be published.

(Where ellipses [ . . . ] are displayed, they indicate an omission of text)