Professional Conduct notice / DG

September 2026: Deborah Gillespie, Membership Number, 00572301, Registrant ID 92782

Outcome Details

Consensual Disposal

Reasons

1. Deborah Gillespie, 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 Gillespie has been a BACP member since [ . . . ]

3. The Member works in private practice.

4. On 22 September 2025 a referral was made about the Member’s conduct, in summary alleging that she had disclosed information about a client, which made them potentially identifiable, to a third party.

Admissions

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

Allegation 1

1.1 In electronic messages to Person A, the Member breached client confidentiality by disclosing information which had been told to her in confidence, including:

In a message dated 27 September 2025, giving details of a client including their background and occupation, which made them potentially identifiable.

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:

55: We will protect the confidentiality and privacy of clients by:

a) actively protecting information about clients from unauthorised access or disclosure; and/or

f) ensuring that disclosure of personally identifiable information about clients is authorised by client consent or that there is a legally and ethically recognised justification.

Mitigation

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

Ms Gillespie has reflected on the allegation and discussed the matter with her 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 paragraph 55 a and f 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 to provide to BACP, within 16 weeks of the date of this agreement:

a. Evidence of a minimum of 6 hours professional training on confidentiality and its importance in the counselling professions.

b. Following completion of the training, a written reflection addressing:

i. The meaning, importance and practical application of protecting confidentiality within the counselling professions, with reference to Paragraphs 55 a and f of the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2018.

ii. The impact on clients, BACP and the wider counselling profession when confidentiality is breached.

iii. Steps she has taken to ensure that she protects client confidentiality in the future.

c. Confirmation that she has discussed her training and reflection with her supervisor.

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