When Health Impacts Work: Supporting Client Disclosure Decisions

Who Should Attend:

• Clinical Counsellors & Counselling Interns
• Psychotherapists & Mental Health Clinicians
• Social Workers
• Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals
• Career Development Practitioners
• Employment Counsellors & Job Developers
• Student Support & Post-Secondary Accessibility Professionals
• Non-Profit & Community-Based Support Workers
• Program Managers & Supervisors in employment or support services

Why This Training Is Beneficial For You:

• More clients are navigating invisible and acquired conditions such as anxiety, depression, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and trauma which is making disclosure conversations increasingly common in clinical work.

• Disclosure carries real risks for clients, including stigma, discrimination, and loss of safety. Therapists need specialized skills to help clients weigh these risks without pushing or avoiding disclosure.

• Most professional training does not explicitly teach disclosure support, leaving clinicians to rely on intuition rather than evidence-informed practice.

• This training fills a critical gap, offering structured guidance, psychological insight, and applied tools that align with trauma-informed, client-centered care.

Participants will leave with increased confidence, concrete strategies, and downloadable resources they can integrate directly into their clinical work.

Why This Workshop Is Relevant:

Physical health and mental health disclosures are a routine yet highly complex part of practice. Many clients live with mental health conditions, chronic illnesses, neurodivergence, or acquired disabilities that require them to consider if, when, and how to disclose sensitive information in order to access support, accommodations, or effective care.

In Canada, approximately 1 in 5 people experience a mental illness in any given year, and nearly half of adults live with at least one chronic health condition, many of which are invisible. This means that a significant portion of clients seen by counsellors and practitioners will face disclosure decisions at some point across their therapeutic journey.

Despite how common disclosure is, it is often accompanied by fear, shame, uncertainty, and past experiences of stigma or harm. Clients may worry about being judged, misunderstood, or treated differently once they disclose. Without skilled practitioner support, disclosure can become overwhelming or avoided altogether.

This training is designed to equip practitioners with the knowledge, psychological insight, and practical tools needed to confidently support clients through health disclosure processes in a way that is trauma-informed, ethical, and client-centered.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training, practitioners will be able to:

• Understand the stages and process of health disclosure, including readiness, decision-making, communication, and post-disclosure support

• Recognize the psychological and emotional factors clients experience when considering disclosure

• Identify common barriers to disclosure and how past trauma, discrimination, or negative system experiences can influence client hesitation

• Apply trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches when supporting disclosure conversations

• Support clients in determining if, when, how, and to whom to disclose, while maintaining autonomy and consent

• Use practical worksheets and handouts to guide disclosure planning, emotional preparation, and reflective processing

• Increase confidence in navigating ethical considerations, boundaries, and scope when discussing health disclosures in practice

• Enhance therapeutic alliance by creating safer, more validating disclosure conversations

• Translate learning directly into practice through real-world examples and client-ready tools

Presenter: Brittany Marwick

Brittany Marwick is the founder of Bridgepoint Counselling & Coaching and brings over 15 years of experience across counselling, disability and employment services. She is a Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling (MPCC) through the Canadian Professional Counselling Association (CPCA), a Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Professional (CVRP) through the College of Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals (CVRP), and a Certified Career Development Practitioner through the BC Career Development Association (BCCDA). Brittany previously served as the General Manager of the WorkBC Centres in the Cowichan Valley and has delivered presentations and training to clients, practitioners, employers, and conference audiences. Her work bridges mental health, disability, and employment services, with a focus on practical, evidence-informed, and real-world application.