Abuse of Service Policy

Last reviewed: March 2025

Counselling can involve working with individuals going through challenging experiences and intense emotions. However, inappropriate or intimidating behaviour from the client, directed towards the counsellor, will not be tolerated.

The ‘counsellor’ is Alexandra Baker and the ‘client’ is anyone who engages with Alexandra Baker Counselling. The ‘service’ is Alexandra Baker Counselling.

Abuse of Service Definition

An ‘abuse of service’ includes, but is not limited to:

  • Shouting at the counsellor.

  • Swearing at the counsellor.

  • Attempting to threaten or intimidate the counsellor.

  • Putting pressure on the counsellor to reveal personal information.

  • Making sexualised comments towards the counsellor.

  • Using counselling sessions or any interaction with the counsellor for sexual gratification.

  • Using counselling sessions for conversation with the counsellor and not engaging in a therapeutic dialogue.  

  • Repeatedly trying to contact the counsellor for the purpose of gaining their attention or intimidating them.

Response to an Abuse of Service

If the counsellor considers a client to be abusing the service, the following action will be taken:

  1. Making the client aware of their behaviour and asking them to stop, warning the client that continuing this behaviour will result in their counselling sessions ending permanently.

  2. Stating to the client that their behaviour is an abuse of service and that their counselling sessions will be ended permanently.

     

  3. Immediately ending the point of contact with the client and blocking their email address.

The action taken will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In some instances, either option one or two will be skipped, proceeding straight to option two or three. This applies to any point of contact between a client and the counsellor, including initial enquiries and initial calls.

To protect the safety and wellbeing of the counsellor, and other counsellors in the profession, in the case of an abuse of service, personal information about the client may be passed on to the police and/or the BACP. For more information, please see Confidentiality Policy.