Code of Ethics and Practice

For Clinical Hypnotherapy, NLP, Counselling, and Reiki

The following information needs to be carefully read and understood before any commencement of any session begins. It is very important to be aware of your rights, the boundaries both the client and the therapist have, and the code of ethics that all therapists and their clients must abide by.

 

CODE OF CONDUCT

All clients in therapy must be respectful of the therapist’s time. All clients are required to commit to the therapy and put in 100% effort in maintaining a respectful space for healing. The practitioner must provide health services safely and ethically, a health practitioner must maintain the necessary competence in his or her field of practice, and a health practitioner must not provide services that he or she is not qualified to provide. A health practitioner must maintain accurate, legible, and contemporaneous clinical records for each client consultation. The Counselling relationship must not be concurrent with a supervisory, training, or another form of relationship (sexual or non-sexual).

DISCRIMINATION

Offer a non-judgmental professional service, free from discrimination, honouring the individuality of the client. Counsellors work with clients in ways that affirm both the common humanity and the uniqueness of everyone. They must be sensitive to the cultural context and worldview of the client, for instance, whether the individual, family, or community is taken as central.

DUTY OF CARE

The principle of duty of care is that you must avoid acts or omissions, which could be reasonably foreseen to injure or harm other people. This means that you must anticipate risks for your clients and take care to prevent them from coming to harm. Any signs of the crisis must be addressed and harm to themselves, others, or property must always be reported to the authorities. And harm to a child or the elderly must be reported to the authorities.

HUMAN RIGHTS

The fundamental values of Counselling and Psychotherapy include a commitment to:

 

• Respecting human rights and dignity
• Protecting the safety of clients
• Ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client relationships
• Enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application
• Alleviating personal distress and suffering
• Fostering a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concerned
• Increasing personal effectiveness
• Enhancing the quality of relationships between people
• Appreciating the variety of human experience and culture
• Striving for the fair and adequate provision of Counselling and psychotherapy services.

MANDATORY REPORTING

Mandatory reporters in NSW should use the Mandatory Reporter Guide (MRG) if they have concerns that a child or young person is at risk of being neglected or physically, sexually, or emotionally abused. The MRG supports mandatory reporters to determine whether a report to the Child Protection Helpline is needed for concerns about possible abuse or neglect of a child (including the unborn) or a young person. Identify alternative ways to support vulnerable children, young people, and their families where a mandatory reporter’s response is better served outside the statutory child protection system. It is recommended that mandatory reporters complete the MRG on each occasion they have risk concerns, regardless of their level of experience or expertise. Each circumstance is different, and every child and young person is unique.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Confidentiality is a means of providing the client with safety and privacy and thus protects client autonomy. For this reason, any limitation on the degree of confidentiality is likely to diminish the effectiveness of Counselling. The Counselling contract will include any agreement about the level and limits of the confidentiality offered. This agreement can be reviewed and changed by negotiation between the Counsellor and the client. Confidentiality agreements continue after the client’s death unless there are overriding legal or ethical considerations. In cases where the client’s safety is in jeopardy any confidentially, agreements that may interfere with this safety are to be considered void. Confidentiality extends to client records which must be kept securely, maintained as hard copy, or by digital processes.

RECORD MANAGEMENT

Practitioners establish and maintain a record-keeping system that ensures confidentiality. Records are kept in a manner that is safe and secure, with properly limited access, and from which timely retrieval is possible. Practitioners are responsible for the content of their records. Records are organised in a manner that facilitates their use by the practitioner and other authorised persons. Practitioners ensure that records are legible and are completed promptly.

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Counsellors must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client does not suffer physical, emotional, or psychological harm during Counselling sessions. Counsellors must not exploit their clients financially, sexually, emotionally, or in any other way. Suggesting or engaging in sexual activity with a client is unethical. Counsellors must provide privacy for Counselling sessions. The sessions should not be overheard, recorded, or observed by anyone other than the Counsellor without informed consent from the client. Normally any recording would be discussed as part of the contract. Care must be taken so that sessions are not interrupted.

BOUNDARIES

Boundary violations can be harmful to the client and the therapeutic relationship. Examples of boundary violations include providing more time for one patient than for others; meeting clients in any location other than a professional office; seeing a patient for free or allowing gifts to be exchanged; and physical contact of any kind. Other types of boundaries include physical, emotional, and intellectual. In addition, personal boundaries that some clients may have can include rigid, porous, and healthy boundaries. Rigid boundaries are described as being detached and unlikely to ask for help.  They can seem anti-social and not have a lot of friends, especially close friends. Porous boundaries of clients appear as overly friendly, finding it hard to say no, over-sharing information about them, fearing rejection, and seeking approval from others. Healthy boundaries in clients mean the Counsellor offers an appropriate amount of information, feels comfortable with their own decisions, and doesn’t compromise his or her values.

WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY

It is always ensured that the well-being of all staff, practitioners, and clients is safe from any harm from unhygienic environments, violence, neglect, or discrimination. Workplace health and safety (WHS) policies need to be in place for anyone supporting people affected by sexual, domestic, or family violence.

COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, therapy needs to be facilitated differently. All clients will have the choice to wear a mask during the trance work of the session. A distance needs to be practiced in the clinic and personal hygiene and sanitisation need to be practiced. If you do not maintain hygiene, the session will not be facilitated. If you show signs of illness a couple of days before the session, please let us know in advance so we can make alternative arrangements to facilitate the therapy soon once you have recovered. Only Clinical Hypnotherapy, NLP, and Counselling Sessions can be facilitated Online. However, Past Life Regression and Reiki can only be facilitated face to face with correctly followed and practiced health and safety measures. (Masks are optional and your choice).

 

Thank you for your co-operation.