Privacy & Ethics

Preamble

This Code of Ethics governs the provision of pastoral–clinical care and is founded on the belief that “A soul will not heal unless it can speak without fear”. My practice is integrative and draws upon established principles of psychological care, pastoral responsibility, and professional ethics. Its purpose is to promote client welfare, protect the integrity of the therapeutic relationship, and ensure responsible professional conduct consistent with applicable laws and standards.

Code of Privacy

1. Scope and Nature of Practice

1.1 Pastoral–clinical care is a relational and reflective practice oriented toward psychological wellbeing, moral development, and spiritual integration.

1.2 The practitioner recognises the complexity of human experience and affirms the distinction between thoughts, emotions or speech and intentions, plans and actions.

1.3 Interventions may include reflective dialogue, interpretive exploration, moral reasoning, and supportive guidance appropriate to the practitioner’s training and role.

2. Respect for Persons and Dignity

2.1 Practitioners shall treat all persons with respect, care, and attention to dignity.

2.2 Reasonable efforts shall be made to engage clients in a manner that acknowledges their expressed preferences, values, and self-understanding.

2.3 Respect does not preclude thoughtful inquiry, reflective challenge, or clinically relevant discussion of beliefs, behaviours, or identity where such discussion serves a legitimate therapeutic purpose.

3. Therapeutic Language and Communication

3.1 Therapeutic dialogue may involve language, metaphors, or formulations that clients experience as emotionally challenging or uncomfortable.

3.2 Such language is ethically permissible when used in good faith, within professional competence, and for the purpose of clarification, exploration, or therapeutic benefit.

3.3 Subjective experience of discomfort or offense, in itself, does not constitute ethical misconduct absent evidence of intent to demean, coerce, or harm.

4. Identity, Address, and Linguistic Error

4.1 Practitioners shall make reasonable efforts to use forms of address requested by clients.

4.2 Inadvertent error, linguistic ambiguity, exploratory reframing, or clinically relevant discussion shall not be construed as ethical violation where there is no intent to demean, exclude, or harass.

4.3 Ethical review shall consider context, intent, and therapeutic purpose rather than isolated expressions

5. Confidentiality and Privacy

5.1 Confidentiality is a foundational element of pastoral–clinical care and is essential to the development of trust and effective therapeutic engagement.

5.2 All client disclosures are presumed confidential and shall be protected in accordance with professional standards and applicable law.

5.3 Records shall be maintained with discretion, proportionality, and respect for client privacy.

6. Limits of Confidentiality

6.1 Confidentiality may be limited only where the practitioner determines, using reasonable professional judgment, that there exists a clear, specific, and imminent risk of serious physical harm to the client or any third party.

6.2 Any disclosure beyond confidentiality shall be limited to the minimum information necessary to address such risk and shall be consistent with applicable legal obligations.

6.3 Where feasible, the practitioner shall seek to mitigate risk through continued therapeutic engagement prior to breaching confidentiality.

7. Thoughts, Ideation, and Symbolic Material

7.1 The disclosure of intrusive thoughts, ideation, fantasies, or symbolic expressions shall be understood as clinical material rather than evidence of intent or action.

7.2 Such disclosures shall be addressed through therapeutic assessment, dialogue, and appropriate support.

7.3 Ethical or disciplinary action shall not be based solely on the presence of such disclosures.

8. Professional Judgment and Good Faith

8.1 Practitioners are expected to exercise professional judgment in good faith, informed by training, experience, and the needs of the client.

8.2 Ethical evaluation shall assess whether actions were reasonable, proportionate, and oriented toward client welfare at the time they were undertaken.

8.3 Retrospective reinterpretation of language or intent without consideration of clinical context shall be avoided.

9. Continuity of Care

9.1 Where appropriate, practitioners shall encourage continuity of care and recognise the value of sustained therapeutic relationships in promoting stability and wellbeing.

9.2 Abrupt termination or escalation to external authorities should be avoided where continued engagement can reasonably address concerns.

10. Compliance and Review

10.1 Practitioners shall comply with applicable laws, licensing requirements, and mandatory reporting obligations.

10.2 This Code shall be interpreted in a manner that balances client welfare, professional integrity, and public safety.

10.3 In cases of ambiguity, interpretation shall favour therapeutic engagement, proportional response, and respect for client dignity.

Code of Ethics:

Spain’s Code of Ethics for counsellors, largely defined by the professional bodies like the Spanish Association of Counselling (AECO) and the Official College of Psychologists (COP), emphasizes principles such as client dignity and rights, professional competence, and professional integrity. Key ethical guidelines include respecting client autonomy, establishing clear professional boundaries, and avoiding discrimination, conflicts of interest, and misuse of professional power. Psychologists in Spain are also bound by deontological principles like honesty, responsibility, and competence. 

General principles

• Respect for the individual: Counsellors must respect the dignity and rights of their clients, without any form of discrimination.
• Professional competence: Practice is limited to areas of competence, and practitioners must continuously develop their professional expertise.
• Integrity: Counsellors must act in a trustworthy and honest manner.
• Responsibility: Counsellors are responsible for their actions and for ensuring that their work is based on sound professional and scientific principles.

Client-therapist relationship

• Informed consent and transparency: Counsellors must clearly explain the framework of the professional relationship, including session frequency, duration, and financial aspects.
• Boundaries and conflicts of interest: It is crucial to establish clear boundaries and avoid relationships that could create a conflict of interest or limit objectivity.
• Client’s best interests: The client’s interests must be the primary consideration in the therapeutic relationship.
• Confidentiality: The legal duty of therapists not to disclose information about a client is a fundamental ethical consideration. 

Professional conduct

• Avoidance of discrimination: Counsellors must not discriminate against clients based on gender, race, beliefs, sexual orientation, or other personal or social circumstances.
• Impartiality: In all professional activities, counsellors should act with impartiality and avoid personal gain.
• Use of language: When writing reports, psychologists should be cautious and avoid using discriminatory or devaluating labels.
• Collaboration and referral: If a conflict of interest arises, a counsellor has a responsibility to refer the client to a colleague. 

Cultural considerations

• Respect for cultural diversity: Counsellors should be mindful of individual and cultural differences in their practice.
• Adaptation to context: While following universal ethical principles, counsellors should also be sensitive to specific cultural contexts in Spain, which may influence client-therapist interactions.