Confidentiality Policy
Information shared by a client or supervisee will be treated as confidential and will not be shared or distributed except in the circumstances described below.
exceptions to confidentiality
In some circumstances it may be necessary to disclose information relating to a client or supervisee:
If, in Alex’s judgement, a client or supervisee is at significant risk of harm, is unable to keep themselves safe, or presents a significant risk of harm to another person.
If a client or supervisee shares information indicating that a child or vulnerable person, including an adult at risk, may be experiencing abuse or neglect.
Where appropriate, and with the client’s or supervisee’s consent, Alex may consult with a treating clinician, therapist, other care provider, supervisor, manager or other relevant professional. This may be necessary to support the client or supervisee.
If consent is refused, Alex will normally respect this decision. However, information may need to be shared without consent where there is a significant risk of harm, a safeguarding concern, or another legal or professional obligation requiring disclosure.
Working as part of a wider clinical or therapeutic team:
In some cases, Alex’s work will take place as part of a client’s wider clinical or therapeutic team. In these circumstances, it may be appropriate for Alex to participate in team meetings, reflective practice groups or supervision sessions as part of the client’s care.
Outside of the client’s clinical or therapeutic team, Alex will anonymise all references to clients and supervisees when discussing their work in reflective practice or supervision.
Emergency contact / safe handover:
Clients are asked to provide the name and contact details of someone they would want Alex to contact if there were significant concerns about their safety during or following a session or group.
This may include circumstances where Alex considers that a client should not be left alone and that a safe handover to another person is needed.
If a client does not have an appropriate emergency contact, this should be discussed with Alex before the work begins so that any appropriate alternative arrangements can be considered.
Emergency contact details will only be used where Alex considers that contacting the person is necessary in relation to a significant concern about the client’s immediate safety or wellbeing.
Where appropriate, Alex may subsequently contact a client’s GP, therapist, treating clinician or other care provider to communicate concerns or support continuity of care.
Contact with healthcare or other care providers:
Where Alex has significant concerns about a client’s ongoing or escalating safety or wellbeing, Alex may, where appropriate and with the client’s consent, contact or consult with the client’s GP, therapist, treating clinician or other care provider. This may be necessary to support the client or to coordinate care.
Where consent is refused, Alex will normally respect this decision. However, information may need to be shared without consent where there is a significant risk of harm, a safeguarding concern, or another legal or professional obligation requiring disclosure.
Professional oversight in supervision:
Where an organisation employs Alex as a supervisor, the organisation must provide contact details for someone with clinical or professional oversight of the supervisee(s). This person may be contacted where Alex has significant concerns about a supervisee’s safety, wellbeing, professional practice, conduct or ability to practise safely.
Where an individual contracts Alex to provide supervision, Alex may, where necessary, contact the supervisee’s professional body or an organisation they work for in relation to significant concerns about their safety, wellbeing, professional practice, conduct or ability to practise safely. This would normally be discussed with the supervisee, unless there is a significant risk of harm, a safeguarding concern, or another reason why it is necessary to disclose information without their consent.
who alex might disclose information to
Depending on the nature of the concern, Alex may disclose information to relevant services or professionals, including:
local authority safeguarding services
a client’s GP or primary physician
a client’s primary mental health provider or therapist
the police
a supervisee’s professional body
a supervisee’s therapeutic or clinical line manager
This confidentiality policy was last updated on Thursday September 17th 2026