The very nature of the counselling practice requires care to be taken to ensure that individuals are respected when they are most vulnerable. It is premised on ensuring that the individual in session is actually respected as an individual being.
The Founder (March 18, 2026)
Regulation does not exist outside of practice. It defines the limits, responsibilities, and conditions under which care can be provided ethically and competently.
Ethics
Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists
Guides how responsibility is understood in practice. Ethics constrain action to prevent harm, preserve dignity, and ensure that the client is not reduced to theory, interpretation, or intervention.
Standards of Practice
Outline the expected level of care, accountability, and professional conduct. These standards ensure consistency in practice and protect against negligence or misuse of authority.
Scope & Competence
Defines the limits of what a practitioner is trained and qualified to do. Competence requires ongoing reflection, learning, and the willingness to refer when outside one’s scope.
Consent
Truly, the importance is informed consent as consent obtained without it is not true consent.
Ensures that clients are informed and actively participating in their care. Consent is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process of understanding and agreement.
Confidentiality
Protects the privacy of the client and creates the conditions necessary for trust.
There are rare occasions where confidentiality needs to be broken or information shared. It is important to remember that breaking confidentiality without clear reasons outlined by the ethics that govern the profession is against the code and should be reported.
Boundaries
Maintain the integrity of the therapeutic relationship. Boundaries prevent role confusion, exploitation, and the shifting of focus away from the client.
Cultural Context
Recognizes that individuals exist within broader social, cultural, and historical systems. Practice must remain responsive to these contexts without imposing dominant frameworks.
Supervision
Provides oversight, accountability, and support in the development of practice. It ensures that the therapist is not working in isolation and remains ethically grounded.
Crisis/reporting
Addresses situations where there is risk of harm to the client or others. In these cases, responsibility extends beyond confidentiality to protection and legal obligation.