Ethics in Action
4 workshops exploring how ethics may show up in your practice
Ethical practice is rarely about knowing the right answer. It is about staying thoughtful, accountable, and responsive when things are not straightforward.
Our Ethics in Action workshops focus on the moments that don’t feel clear cut. The ones that sit with you after the session, the ones you take to supervision, and the ones that shape the kind of practitioner you are becoming.
Each workshop is a 90-minute, focused space to think, reflect, and strengthen your ethical decision making in real practice.
Boundaries When It’s Not Clear-Cut
Boundaries are not always obvious, and they are rarely one-size-fits-all. This workshop explores the grey areas where boundaries feel uncertain or shifting. We will look at how to stay grounded in your role, how to recognise when boundaries are becoming blurred, and how to respond in a way that protects both the client and the relationship without becoming rigid or defensive.
When You’re Not Doing Enough… or Doing Too Much
Many practitioners find themselves questioning their impact. Am I doing enough for this client, or am I overstepping? This session explores that tension. We will consider how anxiety, responsibility, and care can pull us in different directions, and how to find a balanced, ethical position that supports client autonomy while maintaining professional accountability.
Working with Risk Without Overreacting
Risk can create a strong pull towards action, sometimes too quickly. This workshop focuses on developing confidence in holding and assessing risk without moving straight into overreaction or avoidance. We will explore how to stay regulated, how to think clearly under pressure, and how to respond in ways that are proportionate, ethical, and in the client’s best interests.
Rupture and Repair
Ruptures happen in all therapeutic relationships. What matters is how we understand and respond to them. This session explores how to recognise rupture, how to stay present when things feel uncomfortable, and how to work towards repair in a way that strengthens the relationship rather than avoids difficulty. We will also consider when repair is not possible and what ethical endings look like.
Theory in Action Workshops
Theory is not something we learn and leave behind. It lives in the room with us, shaping how we listen, how we respond, and how we understand what is happening between us and our clients.
Our Theory in Action workshops bring core counselling concepts into real practice. These are not academic overviews, they are opportunities to explore what theory actually looks and feels like when you are sitting with a client.
Psychological Contact: Meeting the Client in the Room
Psychological contact is often described as the foundation of therapy, but it is not always straightforward. This workshop explores what it really means to be in contact with a client, how we recognise when contact is fragile or absent, and how we respond when a client is physically present but not fully there. We will focus on subtle, relational ways of meeting clients where they are.
Congruence: When Being Real Isn’t Simple
Congruence is often understood as being genuine, but in practice it can feel complex and risky. This session explores the tension between honesty and responsibility, and how to use yourself in the room without overwhelming the client or stepping outside your role. We will consider how congruence develops over time and how to work with it thoughtfully rather than impulsively.
Unconditional Positive Regard: Beyond Being Nice
Unconditional positive regard is more than warmth or kindness. It can be challenging, especially when clients bring material that tests our own values, patience, or understanding. This workshop explores what it means to hold a consistent, non-judgemental stance while remaining real and ethically grounded. We will look at how to recognise when regard is slipping and how to reconnect with it.
The Person of the Counsellor
The most influential part of the work is you. This session focuses on the impact of the counsellor’s own values, experiences, beliefs, and presence in the therapeutic relationship. We will explore how self-awareness supports ethical and effective practice, and how to work with what you bring into the room rather than trying to remove yourself from it.
Safeguarding in Action
Safeguarding is not just about knowing procedures or legislation. It is about making careful, informed decisions in moments that often feel uncertain, pressured, or emotionally charged.
Our Safeguarding in Action workshops focus on how safeguarding actually shows up in practice. These sessions support you to think clearly, respond proportionately, and stay ethically grounded while holding responsibility for client safety.
Each workshop is a 90-minute, focused space to explore real scenarios, strengthen decision making, and build confidence in your role.
Safeguarding and the Law in Practice
Understanding the law is one thing, applying it in the therapy room is another. This workshop explores how safeguarding legislation translates into day-to-day practice. We will look at how to balance legal responsibilities with ethical decision making, how to respond when guidance feels open to interpretation, and how to remain accountable without losing the relational focus of the work.
Online Risk, Images and Responsibility
Clients are increasingly navigating complex online spaces, and with that comes new safeguarding challenges. This session explores issues such as sharing images, online relationships, and digital risk. We will consider legal implications, ethical responsibilities, and how to have open, non-shaming conversations with clients about online behaviour while maintaining a safeguarding focus.
When Safeguarding Doesn’t Feel Clear
Not all safeguarding situations are obvious. This workshop focuses on the grey areas, where concern is present but uncertainty remains. We will explore how to assess risk when information is incomplete, how to use supervision effectively, and how to make decisions that are thoughtful, proportionate, and defensible.
Prevent in the Counselling Room
Working with Prevent can feel complex and, at times, uncomfortable for counsellors. This session explores how to understand and apply Prevent responsibilities within therapeutic practice. We will look at how to recognise relevant concerns, how to respond without creating fear or disconnection, and how to balance safeguarding duties with maintaining trust in the therapeutic relationship.
