Ethics FAQ

What will we do if we meet in public?

Fort St John is small, so meeting in public is a matter of when, not if. The rule of thumb I use is that you get to decide what happens when we meet in public. If you want to ignore me, I’ll ignore you. If you want to say hi, then keep walking, I’ll say hi and keep walking. If you want to stop and chat about the weather, I’ll agree that it is cold and sunny outside today. If you want to stop and talk about the things we talk about in session, I will quickly and calmly divert the conversation back to the weather.

Are my counselling sessions completely confidential?

Everything we discuss is confidential, unless you tell me a child or vulnerable adult is being abused, you tell me you plan to harm yourself, you tell me you plan to harm someone else, or the courts subpoena my records. These exceptions to confidentiality are legal and mandatory.

Is it okay if we so some of our sessions online or over the phone?

Yes, Jones Jardine has a Zoom Professional account where we can meet, or we can meet over the phone. First session needs to be in person to sign documents, we can both wear masks and sit 6 feet apart. Feel free to adjust an in-person session to a phone session at the last minute if you have a Covid concern or bad weather makes travel difficult. I need a little heads up for a last-minute Zoom session to ensure I have my laptop with me. I always have my phone.

Will you tell my parents what we talk about in counselling?

Hello teenagers: I will not tell your parents what we discuss in counselling sessions, except if I had to take steps to keep you safe after you tell me you plan to harm yourself or others. I will discuss appointment times and bill payment with your parents.

Hello parents of teenagers: please see above. I will not be a conduit to your teenager’s heart, mind, and soul. I will not write letters to the court about where your teenager should live following your separation. I will not work on parental reunification after parental alienation, as I am not trained in this.

If I admit to a crime, will you tell the police?

Even as a probation officer, I am still bound by confidentiality in counselling sessions. I do not wear that probation hat in my role as counsellor. You can feel confident disclosing all your crimes to me except in cases of suspicions of child abuse or abuse of vulnerable adults, threats to harm others, or threats to harm yourself (which is not a crime but is a standard exception to confidentiality).