My Ethics & Beliefs

Being a psychotherapist, my ethics and beliefs are important to me and central to my work.  Read on for answers to questions you may have about my therapeutic work, writing and social media activities.

MY ETHICS

I am a BACP registered and accredited counsellor and psychotherapist based in London, UK, and I aim to abide by the ethical guidelines of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

I belief that transparency, confidentiality, safety, professionalism, combined with empathy, integrity and warmth are all important ingredients for meaningful counselling and psychotherapy.

Information on this website does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is a forum where I share my own views and experiences. This is not a substitute for professional consultation.

The views expressed here are my own, and do not contain any references, implicitly or explicitly, to material from confidential client sessions.

To ensure the safety, authenticity and quality of my therapeutic work and in line with BACP guidelines on the use of social media, I will not knowingly engage into communication with existing or former clients who may read this site via the comment facility or any other social media.  In doing so I aim to avoid any unintentional dual communication.

Any self disclosure and sharing of personal material is done with care and due reflection.  I am aware of the trust placed in me by my clients, and I do not intend for any information and reflections here to cause upset or distress.

Unless stated otherwise, all media and content is created by myself.  I reserve the copyright for all.

MY BELIEFS

Underpinning my approach is the importance of the relationship between therapist and client (also called therapeutic process).  I am conscious of how building trust can take time, and am always respectful of the pace at which you need to work.

As an integrative practitioner I draw from a range of schools of thought, which allows me to work with clients on different levels, depending on their needs, their goal and where they are at in the therapeutic process.

How I work reflects the following values: 

We all have a unique inherent value.

Therefore, therapy needs to be sufficiently flexible to take account of our unique circumstances and needs.

We all have the ability to develop real and meaningful change, which has to come from within us.

Therefore, I do not tell you what is ‘right or wrong’, or what you ‘should’ or ‘should not’ do.  Sometimes clients ask for guidance and direction, which is understandable.  However, I believe that true change comes from within and I would support you to find the answer in yourself.

All choices we make in our lives have consequences, which we are responsible for.

Therefore, you are responsible for the decision whether to opt for therapeutic support and any changes you make in your life as a result of it.

Our childhood experience of being related to by significant others, as well as our cultural and historical background impacts who we are and how we relate to others. 

MY THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

The Humanistic Approach, which encourages us to think about our feelings and to take responsibility for our thoughts and actions.  The emphasis is on self-development and achieving our potential.

Similarly, the objective of the Person-Centered Therapy is for us to become able to see ourselves as a person with power and freedom to change.  Crucial to this are a range of conditions, which the practitioner brings to the work; core are accurate empathy, genuineness or congruence, warmth and unconditional positive regard for the client.

The Psychodynamic Therapy approach is derived from Freudian psychoanalysis, but it is not analysis.  It acknowledges the importance of the unconscious and past experiences (eg with our parents or other significant people in our lives) in shaping our current behaviour.  Here, insight is the tool by which what is unconscious is brought to consciousness, freeing us to make new choices.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on the link between our thinking and behaviour patterns, and how changes in our thinking can bring about changes in how we behave, and thus enhance our well being.  Negative thoughts and ‘self-talk’ are challenged using various techniques and the introduction of different ways of thinking.  CBT is applied mostly to short-term solution-focussed counselling.

Depending on a person’s needs I draw from these modalities in order to provide meaningful support towards achieving their goal.

Karin Sieger

June 2017