The supervisor would normally be an experienced counsellor who is not in a management position over the counsellor, as this is likely to inhibit some important aspects of counselling supervision, particularly the frank discussion of the counsellor's sense of personal vulnerability or inadequacy when working with some clients. Supervision is supportive but it also serves other functions including the protection of ethical standards, and helping the counsellor to update and extend his ways of counselling. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on any ambiguities and uncertainties that are frequently part of the counselling relationship. Independent counselling supervision is not exclusive of managerial experience or clinical accountability but is in addition to it. It is a confidential relationship, and in order to avoid compromising counsellor-client confidentiality, the personal identity of clients is not usually disclosed.
Counselling is similar to other caring professions.
It is developing rapidly and it is easy for practitioners to become out of date. The absence of advice-giving and physical interventions reduces potential legal liability. However, legal opinion suggests that one of the consequences of a professional ethic which stresses confidentiality may be to increase the likelihood of legal actions for breach of confidence. Non fee-paying clients could face some significant obstacles, because breach of confidence would be heard in the High Court and could therefore be very expensive. On the other hand, fee paying clients are free from these constraints, as their action could be heard in the County Court for breach of an explicit or implied contractual term.