Informed Consent
Before beginning your counselling sessions, it is important that you understand what to expect, as well as your rights and responsibilities as a client. This informed consent document is intended to provide clarity and transparency about the counselling process so that you can make an informed decision about whether to begin services.
Counselling services at Knox Counselling Centre are informed by the ethical standards of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) and College of Registered Psychotherapy of Ontario (CRPO).
Risks and Benefits of Therapy
Potential Benefits
Therapy may help you gain insight, develop coping skills, process difficult experiences, improve relationships, and enhance emotional and spiritual well-being.
Potential Risks
Therapy can involve exploring painful emotions, past wounds, losses, or traumatic experiences. This may lead to temporary emotional distress or discomfort. While therapy is often beneficial, there is no guarantee of specific outcomes, and progress varies from person to person.
Confidentiality and Its Limits
Your privacy is of utmost importance. Information shared in counselling is kept confidential and will not be disclosed without your written consent, except in the following circumstances required by law, ethical obligation, or professional standards.
1. Legal and Ethical Obligations
Confidentiality may be broken in the following situations:
- Risk of Serious Harm: If there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, the therapist is required to take reasonable steps to protect safety, which may include contacting emergency services or appropriate professionals.
- Abuse or Neglect: Therapists are legally required to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or vulnerable adult.
- Court Orders: Therapists must comply with subpoenas, court orders, or other legal requirements. Only the information legally required will be disclosed.
2. Supervision and Professional Consultation
As part of CASC-aligned practice and intern education, your therapist may consult with a supervisor, educator, or professional colleagues to support ethical, competent care. These consultations are confidential, and identifying information will be minimized whenever possible.
Emergency Policy
Knox Counselling Centre does not provide emergency or crisis services. Clients are responsible for seeking immediate help in emergency or crisis situations.
In emergency or crisis situations, please contact:
Distress Centres of Toronto: 416‑408‑4357
911, or Your nearest emergency room
Communication by Email or Text
Email and text communication may be used only with your written permission and solely for administrative purposes such as scheduling or billing.
- Email and text are not secure and should not be used for clinical matters.
- Clinical concerns should be addressed during scheduled counselling sessions.
Social Media and Professional Boundaries
Therapists do not communicate with clients through social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). This policy protects your confidentiality and maintains professional boundaries.
If you encounter your therapist online or have questions about boundaries, please discuss this in a session rather than attempting contact through social media.
Online Counselling (Teletherapy)
Online counselling is provided through secure video conferencing or telecommunication platforms.
Benefits
- Increased accessibility
- Flexible scheduling
- Reduced travel time
Risks and Responsibilities
- Confidentiality may be compromised if others can overhear your session.
- Clients are responsible for ensuring a private space and securing their devices.
- Technical difficulties or interruptions may occur.
- Although rare, security breaches are possible.
- Clients are responsible for obtaining and maintaining any necessary equipment or software.
Client Location and Jurisdiction
Online counselling services are provided only to clients who are physically located in jurisdictions where the therapist is legally permitted to practice. Clients must inform the therapist of their physical location at the time of each online session.
Recording Policy
Counselling sessions must not be recorded by either the client or the therapist unless written consent is provided by both parties in advance.
Session Duration, Limits, and Intern Placement
Counselling continues only as long as it is beneficial and aligned with your therapeutic goals.
Counselling may conclude when:
- Your goals have been met
- You request to end counselling
- You reach the maximum of fifteen (15) sessions
Additional sessions beyond fifteen may continue with mutual agreement between a therapist and a client.
Therapist interns are available only during their placement period at Knox Counselling Centre (typically September to March, with possible summer availability depending on centre operations). Continuity with the same therapist intern cannot be guaranteed across placement periods. If further counselling is desired, clients may return in September and may be placed on a waitlist.
Client Rights
You have the right to:
- Ask questions about counselling at any time
- Participate actively in goal-setting
- Decline or withdraw consent at any time
- Be treated with dignity, respect, and cultural/spiritual sensitivity
Client Acknowledgment and Consent
By signing below, you acknowledge that:
- You have read and understood this informed consent document
- You understand the limits of confidentiality
- You have had the opportunity to ask questions and receive satisfactory answers
- You consent to participate in counselling or psychospiritual therapy under these conditions
You may withdraw your consent at any time.