Counselling Policies
Confidentiality
All information disclosed within sessions and the written records pertaining to those sessions are confidential and may not be revealed to anyone without your (client’s) written permission, except where disclosure is required by law.
Where Disclosure is Required by Law
Some of the circumstances where disclosure is required by the Law are:
- Where there is reasonable suspicion of child, dependent or elder abuse or neglect,
- Where a client presents a danger to self, others, to property, or
- Where a client is gravely disabled
Where Disclosure May Be Required
- Abuse of Children and Vulnerable Adults
If a client states or suggests that he or she is abusing or has recently abused a child (or vulnerable adult), or a child (or vulnerable adult) is in danger of abuse, the counsellor is required to report this information to the appropriate Social Service and/or legal authorities - Prenatal Exposure to Controlled Substances
Counsellors are required to report admitted prenatal exposure to controlled substances that are potentially harmful - Court Report and Legal Issues
If the client tells the counsellor that he or she has broken the law (e.g. stealing, break and entry, property damage, physical assault, etc.) and does not want others to know, the information will have to be reported to the relevant people and authorities. If a written request comes from the legal body, the information will also have to be released to them.
The counsellor and the client shall not hold any videotaping and/or audio recording during any session without the prior consent of both parties.
If you are attending this session under your company’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) with Singapore Counselling Centre, please note that as part of transparency and billing purposes, a usage report will be submitted to your organisation at the end of each month. This report sent to the designated HR Director or Manager will only reflect your name, counsellor’s name and date of sessions conducted. No other information will be shared with your organisation unless written consent is provided by you.
Please note that with the exception of the above cases when required by law, the Singapore Counselling Centre does not provide progress reports.
Responsibility for Action
All inputs given during the counselling-therapy sessions are for the client’s consideration and decision only. The client will be responsible for making the decisions and acting on them to address the issues. All implementation decisions will be made personally by the client. No one else will be held responsible for the decisions made by the client.
Payment and Refund Policy
The payment for the counselling session will be collected before the start of the counselling session. Clients will not be allowed to begin the counselling session if payment has not been made. All payments are non-refundable once the session commences.
Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to turn up for your confirmed counselling appointment, please inform SCC at least 48 hours in advance by phone. A full fee will be charged for missed appointments or no-show cancellations done after the 48-hour time frame. Please note that this is a standard practice in the counselling industry.
