[nicol]

Hi Jodie

There are few options when someone is not with an association. If she were then she would need to abide to scrict ethical guidelines. Counselling has not been accredited like allied health in Australia for this reason. Sadly the responsibility is on the client to ask to see credentials. A counsellor with credentials and association will have these readily available. There are many charlatans calling themselves counsellors and in reality they can do this legally if they have completed a counselling course. They might attend a 5 day ‘learn to be a counsellor’ online. In Australia this field is highly unregulated and as a result you have no legislation to support you directly related to practice standards. I doubt small claims would listen due to the unregulated nature of counselling. You could go through small claims to claim back any money given to her for her services although I imagine this could be touch and go. There is naturally ‘though shall do no harm’ hence you would need to demonstrate how she did cause you harm. In America counselling is as regulated as Psychology and held in high credibility but Australia is a long way from this place. Hence it comes down to ‘buyer beware’.