Code of Ethics

IN RESPECT OF YOUR CLIENT

The success of your practice depends on gaining and honouring the respect of your client.

Practitioners are responsible for clarifying the terms on which their services are being offered in advance of the appointment i.e. charges, cancellation policies, length of appointment.

Practitioners should not allow their professional relationships with clients to be prejudiced by any personal views they may hold about lifestyle, gender, age, disability, race, sexual orientation, beliefs or culture.

Practitioners should be aware of and understand any legal requirements concerning their work consider these conscientiously and be legally accountable for their practice.

Practitioners are required to ensure that their work is adequately covered by insurance.

All practitioners must:

• Clearly explain the procedures and what can be expected.
• Take time to listen to the client's needs, concerns and questions.
• Have a full consultation to ensure the correct procedure, if any for the clients.
• Ensure the client is fully consenting prior to any procedure.
• Inform the client that they may stop the session at any time.
• Consider the client's wishes and to never over ride them.
• Be willing to respond to the client's requests for information about their qualifications, charges and location.
• Keep full confidentiality including record keeping.

IN RESPECT OF PROBLEMS AND COMPLAINTS

Practitioners should respond promptly and appropriately to any complaint received from their clients.

Practitioners should endeavour to remedy any problem and if necessary request the advice of the Society.

If the practitioner is uncertain what to do, their concerns should be discussed with a representative of the Society in confidence.

Practitioners have a responsibility to protect clients when they have good reason to believe that other practitioners are placing them at risk of harm or in other way behaving in a manner of misconduct.

Practitioners should raise their concerns with the practitioner concerned in the first instance, unless it is inappropriate to do so. If the matter cannot be resolved, they should review the grounds for their concern and the evidence available to them and, when appropriate, raise their concerns with the Society.

Practitioners must refer on clients with complications if they are not qualified or experienced to deal with them. They must refer the client to a more qualified practitioner or ask the advice of the Society.

If a problem or complaint is brought to the attention of a member or key member of the Society they are expected to deal with it in a professional manner and not get drawn into gossip, malcontent or any other behaviour detrimental to the Society and its members. Any grievances must be brought to the attention of the Society.

IN RESPECT OF MEDIA AND SOCIAL NETWORKING

All practitioners are expected to take care not to mislead in any way in features, articles, interviews, chat rooms, social networks such as Face book, Twitter or any other public medium.

All practitioners are expected to not complain or speak in a negative or derogatory manner about the Society or any of its members. Any issues instead will be taken to the Society or key members.

All information put into the public domain about services and procedures should be honest, accurate and avoid unjustifiable claims. Particular care should be taken over the integrity of presenting qualifications, accreditation, and professional standing.

IN RESPECT OF CARE OF SELF AS A PRACTITIONER

All practitioners have a duty to themselves:

• Practitioners are entitled to be treated with proper consideration and respect and have the right to withdraw from a session at any time they feel threatened, upset or disrespected by the client.
• Practitioners have a right to be paid in full for their services.
• Practitioners have the right to decide on the length of a session and not the client.

IN RESPECT OF A PRACTITIONER'S RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE SOCIETY

All practitioners are expected to:

• Share their professional knowledge in order to benefit the Society.
• Retain the confidentiality of the Society at all times.
• Account for and return on request all Society property entrusted to them.
• Not act detrimentally to the interests of the Society.
• Declare membership of other organizations to the Society.
• Abstain from voting against the Society in other forums (disagreeing with Society policies by participating in internal Society votes is, of course allowed).

IN RESPECT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The Society is committed to growing and undertaking further research that will enhance our work. Practitioners are encouraged to support research undertaken on behalf of the profession and to participate actively in research work.

Members of the Society have the right to refuse taking part in research as do clients. All participants have the right to withdraw at any point.