A counsellor found to have been “unjustly” treated by her bosses has revealed that her ordeal to clear her name was worse than having cancer.

Sandra Goad, who battled against breast cancer in 2001, was awarded £8,000 damages by an employment tribunal in Leeds against her former employer, Relate, the relationship counsellors.

She was forced to resign after 21 years with the organisation in Keighley over a false accusation that she breached a client’s confidentiality. The tribunal exonerated her and said her treatment by Relate was “indefensible”.

Ms Goad, of Devonshire Street, Keighley, speaking after the hearing, said: “It was worse than having cancer to be found guilty by my employers of something I hadn’t done.

“I was devastated by how I was treated. I was shocked and traumatised and broke down because my name and professionalism was smeared and I could do nothing about it.”

She said it still hurt that an organisation whose goal was to bring justice and resolution to people’s lives had failed to apply the same in her case. Despite her ordeal, she was still determined to carry on her work as a counsellor for organisations in the Keighley area.

She was now preparing to seek accreditation with the British Association of Counsellors and Psycotherapists, a status she did not need at the time she was with Relate because of her experience and other qualifications. Ms Goad resigned from the organisation last year following an 18-month internal investigation.

Although the probe exonerated her, she felt she could not continue because the complainant was not informed of the decision and she believed her reputation and integrity, as a counsellor, was undermined.

The tribunal in Leeds ruled that she had been unfairly dismissed from her job.

It found the handling of the complaint against Ms Goad to be “manifestly unjust and pretty much indefensible on any rational basis”.

Solicitor Vanessa Wilson — of Leeds-based Russell Jones & Walker, which represented Ms Goad — said: “Mistakes made by management in the handling of this complaint made her position untenable.

“Having been exonerated by Relate’s investigation, I am delighted she has won her unfair dismissal claim and got the public vindication that she deserved.”

Relate is Britain’s largest provider of relationship support, helping 150,000 people every year.

Nick Shillito, manager of Pennine, Keighley & Craven Relate, said: “We were disappointed with the ruling of the employment tribunal. At our centre we work hard to balance the happiness and wellbeing of our counsellors, who are the backbone of what we do, and our duty of care towards our clients.

“In this particular case, we had to prioritise our duty of care to the client, which is paramount to the work that we do.”