ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews a complex area, which will be of concern to an increasing number of practitioners. The broad focus of the chapter concerns clientrelated complaints. Complaints against or by you may arouse anxiety and affect the therapeutic relationship. Yet any endeavour involving human beings produces possible error and harm; and without appropriate complaints procedures, errors might not be recognised, addressed or indeed prevented. Consider a quote overheard recently from a senior professional in a health setting: ‘If nobody ever complains about you in the whole of your profession – then you’re probably not doing your job.’ While this may not be actually true, in an increasingly litigious society where many of us have growing expectations and are more aware of our rights, there is an increasing probability that practitioners will be involved at some level in a complaint process.
