Safeguarding and Client Safety
My approach
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I want counselling to be a place where you can speak openly, feel heard and work at a pace that feels manageable. Your experiences, choices and circumstances matter. I will take what you tell me seriously and, wherever possible, involve you in decisions about your support.
Safeguarding is part of my responsibility as a counsellor. If I become concerned that you or someone else may be at risk of harm, I may need to take advice, contact another service or share information. I will explain my concerns and talk this through with you wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
I want people to have a voice in what happens next, even when circumstances mean I have a responsibility to act.
Who this applies to
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I work with adults aged 18 and over. Sessions may take place in my counselling room, online, by telephone or outdoors through walk-and-talk counselling, including at Fairhaven Woodland & Water Gardens. Although my practice is for adults, concerns may arise about children, partners, family members or other people connected to a client.
What safeguarding means
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Safeguarding means taking concerns about abuse, neglect, exploitation or serious harm seriously and considering what needs to happen to help keep people safe. This might include physical, sexual or emotional abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control, financial abuse, neglect, exploitation, or concerns about a child's safety.
Not every difficult experience or personal choice is a safeguarding matter. I will consider the individual circumstances rather than make assumptions.
Confidentiality and sharing information
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What you share with me is treated as confidential and stored securely. There are circumstances where I may need to share information, for example where there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, a child may be at risk, or the law requires or permits disclosure.
Where possible, I will talk with you before sharing information, explain why I am considering it and involve you in what happens next. I will share only what is necessary, relevant and proportionate.
Safeguarding and Client Safety
How I respond
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I will listen, try to understand what is happening, consider immediate safety and explore what support may help. Depending on the circumstances, I may seek supervision or safeguarding advice, make a referral or contact emergency services. My role is not to investigate allegations.
The setting may change, but the care, consideration and professional responsibilities I bring to our work remain the same. For online and telephone work, I will consider location and emergency arrangements. For walk-and-talk work, I will consider route, weather, access, privacy and what to do if an emergency occurs.
If you have a concern
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Please raise any concern about my work with me in the first instance, using the contact details below. You can also find information about the BACP complaints process on the BACP website.
Claire Pyer | Claire Marisa Counselling
Telephone: 07484 721401
Email: hello@clairemarisacounselling.co.uk
Website: clairemarisacounselling.co.uk
Emergency support
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If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. For urgent mental health support in Norfolk or Suffolk, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option.