385 – The Six-Question Rationale in the 2026 BACP Ethical Framework

What Is Relational Psychotherapy – Reflective Journals in Counselling Training

In Episode 385 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly take us through this week’s three topics:

Firstly, in ‘Ethical, Sustainable Practice‘, they explore ethical decision-making – the six-question rationale in the 2026 BACP Ethical Framework.

Then in ‘Practice Matters‘, Rory speaks with Clare Ratcliffe about relational psychotherapy – how the therapist’s presence and use of self shape therapeutic change.

And finally, in ‘Student Services‘, Rory and Ken discuss reflective journals in counselling training – why they matter and how to keep them well.

The Six-Question Rationale in the 2026 BACP Ethical Framework [starts at 02:33 mins]

In this section, Rory and Ken explore the six-question rationale in the 2026 BACP Ethical Framework and what it means for everyday decision-making.

Key points discussed include:

• The new BACP Ethical Framework comes into force in November 2026, and from that date every BACP member must work to it, with collaboration running as a theme throughout.
• The six-question rationale will be mandatory and forms the basis of defensible decision-making, recording not just what a practitioner decided but the thinking behind how they reached that decision.
• The first question asks the practitioner to identify the ethical issues and describe the challenge in clear, neutral and factual language, which is harder than it sounds and underpins everything that follows.
• The middle questions focus on engaging the person affected by the decision, and on weighing internal factors such as identity, contract and the therapist’s own responses alongside external factors such as law, safeguarding duties and organisational policy.
• The final questions cover what decisions and actions were taken and why, and how the process was reviewed and with whom, bringing the rationale full circle back to collaboration.
• Rory and Ken encourage practitioners to take this to supervision, keep the ethical framework close at hand as a living document, and read any accompanying good practice documents for the detail.

What Is Relational Psychotherapy [starts at 40:51 mins]

In this week’s ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Clare Ratcliffe about relational psychotherapy and how the therapist’s presence, attunement and use of self support positive change.

Key points from this conversation include:

• The therapist’s presence is a huge part of the work, as clients experience therapy differently depending on how well the therapist knows and uses themselves in the room.
• Attunement to the client shapes pace, tone and response, brings safety to the relationship, and is quickly felt when it is missing, which itself becomes something to explore.
• Transference happens all the time, and noticing who a therapist may represent to a client, rather than simply reacting, allows old wounds to be healed through a new relational experience.
• Countertransference is inevitable and useful information rather than a failing, but it needs to be managed so the therapist’s own story does not bleed into the work.
• Self-disclosure should be used mindfully, since disclosing can place unspoken restrictions on the client, and the urge to disclose is itself worth taking to supervision.
• Good personal therapy and supervision are essential to looking after the therapist, and Clare encourages therapists to bring even shame-laden material, including erotic transference, to their supervisor.

Online Group Supervision

Claire runs online group supervision for counsellors and psychotherapists working with couples and relationship therapists, offering a space to reflect on practice, share experiences and explore the challenges of relationship work.

For more information, visit Claire Ratcliffe Psychotherapy

Reflective Journals in Counselling Training [starts at 01:04:39 mins]

In this section, Rory and Ken discuss the value of reflective journals in counselling training and how to keep them safely and well.

Key points include:

• Counselling training is as much about learning yourself as learning theory, and a reflective journal is a powerful way to capture that personal change across the arc of a course.
• There is no right or wrong way to journal, and the aim is an unedited flow of self, so students should find whatever medium lets them write most freely without stopping to self-correct.
• A reflective journal must never contain client information, which belongs in a secure, structured note system, as journals can be called for in court and are increasingly handed in as part of a course.
• Journalling helps students connect theory to lived experience, such as recognising an introjected value in an everyday advert, which makes later reflective assignments far richer.
• Because journals may be seen by a tutor or moderator, students can practise selective transparency and even keep a fuller private version alongside the one they submit.
• Reflective journals should be kept somewhere safe from prying eyes, as personal material shared in a journal can be misused, and the journey of self-reflection continues well beyond training.

Links and Resources

Counselling Skills Academy

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Training and CPD

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course