September 2026: CC, Membership Number 00757909, Registrant ID 376333

September 2026: Cathleen Clarke, Membership Number 00757909, Registrant ID 376333

Consensual Disposal

Reasons

1. Cathleen Clarke, 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. Ms Clarke has been a BACP member since [...].

3. The Member works in private practice.

4. On 8 June 2025 a complaint was made about the Member’s conduct. In summary, the Complainant alleged that during a therapeutic session, the Member had made inappropriate comments about transgender people.

Admissions

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

1.1 The Member made comments about transgender people which were not justified in the context of a therapeutic relationship.

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:

7: We will make each client the primary focus of our attention and our work during our sessions together.

22: We will respect our clients as people by providing services that:

c. accept we are all vulnerable to prejudice and recognise the importance of self-inquiry, personal feedback and professional development.

Mitigation

6. The Member puts forward the following in mitigation, which has been taken into account by the IAC in deciding the appropriate outcome:
The Member apologised to the Complainant when the Complainant ended the therapeutic relationship. She has since reflected on the issue with her clinical supervisor.
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 paragraphs 7 and 22c 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 has 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, within 6 weeks of the date of this agreement, to provide to BACP:

a. A letter of apology addressed to the Complainant, acknowledging her conduct and its impact on the Complainant.

b. A reflection which addresses:

i. What went wrong in this case;

ii. The potential impact on clients of expressing personal views in sessions;

iii. How she has changed her practice to prevent a repetition of this breach.

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 admission 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)