Code of Ethics and Standard of Practice
NeftTi is a place where visionaries and world changers go to learn how to amplify the impact of their human service professions to make a bigger difference in the world.
NeftTi stands on the principle of “Do No Harm”
NeftTi is committed to advancing and upholding the highest standards of education, training, professional development and professional behaviour of practitioners of Conscious EFTTM, thereby promoting the safe, skilful, creative and ethical application of EFT within a transformational post trauma growth framework called Emotional Success Coaching (™).
Nefti has 3 Pillars as a foundation to all its offerings:
- No one is Broken: that all human beings deserve love and acceptance and are fully worthy and deserving regardless of the strategies they use to keep themselves safe.
- Nervous System Safety: is a prerequisite to change. NeftTi uses a 4 phase approach based on the imperatives of human biology and the current readiness of the nervous system.
- Personal Growth: is an essential component for all practitioners
The NeftTi approach to creating safe, skilled, qualified, and masterful Conscious EFTTM practitioners is different from other programs because it focuses on integration, with other research-based strategies, in a trauma informed post trauma growth framework for human transformation.
Standards of Ethical Conduct
NeftTi Certified Practitioners aspire to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively upon the profession; are respectful of different approaches to coaching, therapy and healing modalities; and recognize that they are also bound by applicable laws and regulations beyond the scope of NeftTi.
Conduct and Behaviour
General Conduct
- NeftTi members must not behave in any way that could bring NeftTi, EFT or Conscious EFTTM into disrepute or which undermines confidence in NeftTi and/or EFT or Conscious EFTTM .
- NeftTi members respect the scope of practice of other medical and health care professionals (e.g. not challenge a medical diagnosis given to a client, unless otherwise medically qualified to do so.)
Professional Development
NeftTi members:
- Keep up to date with developments in the energy psychology field related to current research, developments and understanding of EFT and/or Conscious EFTTM
- Meet the current NeftTi Annual CPD and Mentoring Requirements and act on developmental points identified through mentorship
NeftTi Professional Conduct At Large
As a Practitioner:
- They follow the principles of the NeftTi Marketing Guidelines, not knowingly making any public statement that is untrue or misleading about what they offer as a practitioner/therapist/coach or making false claims in any written documents relating to the coaching/therapy profession.
- Accurately identify their practitioner/therapist/coach qualifications, expertise, experience, certifications and credentials.
- Recognize and honor the efforts and contributions of others and not misrepresent them as their own. They understand that violating this standard may leave them subject to legal remedy by a third party.
Personal development is a highly individualised activity and encompasses multiple aspects of physical, mental, and emotional health as self-determined. As a member of NeftTi, individuals agree:
- To actively promote their own wellbeing by establishing and maintaining an appropriate self-care programme. Clearing unresolved issues as they arise can be done alone, with another practitioner, peer or peers, or with your mentor/supervisor.
- To take action where necessary to protect from secondary trauma (e.g. using Conscious EFT or other self-care strategies) to lessen the impact of clients’ traumas, bringing it to mentoring, and/or seeing a therapist/coach.
- To actively promote their own professional development by a commitment to act on insights gained through mentorship and CPD learnings.
- To be aware of the impact of their own emotional state on their work with clients and trainees and take appropriate action (including consultation with a mentor and temporary suspension of client work) to address this where/when necessary.
- To be aware that working with clients, mentees and trainees may trigger unresolved issues for the practitioner. Clearing them as they arise can be done alone, or with another practitioner, or with a peer or peers. If a practitioner is uncertain about the best way forward it is recommended that they discuss it with their mentor.
- Take responsibility for working only within their areas of competence and to refer on where necessary, managing that process to minimise disruption or damage to the client
- Conduct and report research with competence, honesty and within recognized scientific standards and applicable subject guidelines. All research will be carried out with the necessary consent and approval of those involved and with an approach that will protect participants from any potential harm. All research efforts will be performed in a manner that complies with all the applicable laws of the country in which the research is conducted.
- Maintain, store, and dispose of any records created during their practitioner/coaching business in a manner that promotes confidentiality, security and privacy, and complies with any applicable laws and agreements
Conflicts of Interest
As a practitioner/regulated professional/coach they will:
- Seek to avoid conflicts of interest and potential conflicts of interest and openly disclose any such conflicts. They will offer to remove themselves when such a conflict arises.
- Only barter for services, goods or other non-monetary remuneration when it will not impair the practitioner/coaching relationship.
- Not knowingly take any personal, professional or monetary advantage or benefit of the practitioner/coach-client relationship, except by a form of compensation as agreed in the agreement or contract.
Professional Conduct with Clients
As a practitioner/coach will:
- Not knowingly mislead or make false claims about what their client will receive from the practitioner/coaching process or from the Practitioner/coach.
- Not give my prospective clients information or advice that is known or believed to be misleading or false.
- Have clear agreements or contracts with clients. Honor all agreements or contracts made in the context of professional practitioner/coaching relationships.
- Carefully explain and strive to ensure that, prior to or at the initial meeting, Client(s) understand the nature of Conscious EFTTM coaching, the nature and limits of confidentiality, financial arrangements, and any other terms of professional agreement or contract.
- Be responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries that govern any physical contact with clients or sponsors.
- Not become sexually intimate with any current clients.
- Respect the client’s right to terminate the practitioner/coaching relationship at any point during the process, subject to the provisions of the agreement or contract. Be alert to indications that the client is no longer benefiting from the practitioner/coaching relationship.
- Encourage the client to make a change if the practitioner/coach believes the client would be better served by another coach or by another resource.
- Suggest clients seek the services of other professionals when deemed necessary or appropriate when they are beyond the practitioner/coaches scope of practice.
Working Professionally
Insurance
All NeftTi Practitioners, who are working with clients, mentees or trainees are required to:
- To have professional indemnity insurance and to check that it, or the insurance they have on their premises, includes personal injury cover for clients, mentees and trainees. Trainers and mentors need to ensure that their insurance covers them as trainers and mentors, and not only as practitioners.
- To ensure that their insurance cover is valid for their clients’ locations as well as their own (e.g. in instances where the practitioner is working via the Internet with clients in countries other than the one in which they themselves are based). An alternative, and probably better, option is to contract with the client that regardless of their location, any dispute will be resolved under the laws applicable in the geographical location of the practitioner.
Legislation
Legal Issues – As far as is possible, to make themselves aware of, and to observe, laws about the delivery of their particular services in the country in which they are operating, and, if they are working across international boundaries, those of the country in which the client is located.
Working in the vulnerable sector (children or vulnerable adults)
The welfare of the child, young person or vulnerable adult is paramount. All children and vulnerable adults, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from harm (abuse). The rights, wishes and feelings of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and their families are respected and listened to.
Children are defined as being anyone under the age of 18. Vulnerable persons are people who, because of their age, disability or other circumstance, are more vulnerable than others.
NeftTi does not specifically prepare the practitioner for working with children, young people or vulnerable adults. Unless the practitioner is otherwise qualified to work with children, such work should be undertaken with great caution, if at all. At the very least, the practitioner should have done some kind of safeguarding training beforehand. Practitioners may be working in specialist provision and the policy of the organisation is also crucial in informing the scope of information and responsibility in that context
Legal Obligations
Practitioners working with children, however that is legally defined in the country in which they are working, should make themselves aware of the laws regarding minors there. Practitioners may be legally obliged to obtain a vulnerable sector check or obtain police clearance in some areas.
Informed Consent
Practitioners should obtain written consent from the parents/guardians/carers of such children. Parents/guardians/carers should be given to understand that, even if they are paying for therapy, the child is entitled to confidentiality. For vulnerable adults, defined as adults who are unable to understand well enough to give truly informed consent to therapy, practitioners must obtain written consent on their behalf from their legal guardians or carers. Alternative methods of obtaining consent may be utilised for those who may be non verbal, hearing impaired or visually impaired
Understanding Confidentiality for the Child or Young Person
Confidentiality for children is slightly different from confidentiality for adults. With children it is good practice to tell them that anything they tell the practitioner will not be revealed to anyone else unless they tell the practitioner something that puts them or someone else in danger
It is recommended that they are told that, if the practitioner feels they have to break confidentiality, the child will first be given the opportunity to tell their parent or guardian or other authority themselves, with help from the practitioner if they would like it, or to be present when the practitioner tells the parent or other authority
Understanding Confidentiality for Vulnerable Adults
In all 13 Canadian jurisdictions, to be involuntarily admitted a person must have a defined mental disorder. While a formal diagnosis is not required, most jurisdictions have specific definitions of what constitutes a mental disorder. For example, the province of Alberta defines mental disorder as:
A substantial disorder of thought, perception, mood, orientation or memory, which seriously impairs the person’s judgment, behaviour, capacity to recognize reality or ability to meet the demands of everyday life.
A few jurisdictions, including Ontario, retain the broad ‘any disease or disability of the mind’ found in the Mental Health Act in England and Wales.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6735142/
Int Psychiatry. 2014 Aug; 11(3): 65–67.
Published online 2014 Aug 1.
A vulnerable adult is usually regarded as a person who lacks capacity for self- determination; a person who:
Is or may be in need of community care services because of mental or other disability, age or illness, and is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, including protecting self from harm or exploitation.
NeftTi does not provide you with the knowledge to make this determination, but it is possible that you will encounter someone whom you believe to be at risk, and need to make a decision. As always, the answer is, at the least, to discuss the case with your mentor. You may also Google, for example ‘what is confidentiality for vulnerable adults’ and read some of the useful literature online, especially from relevant professional sources such as Social Work and medicine.
Confidentiality/Privacy
A practitioner/coach will:
- Maintain the strictest levels of confidentiality with all client information. Will have a clear agreement or contract before releasing information to another person, unless required by law.
- Have a clear agreement upon how practitioner/coaching information will be exchanged among practitioner/coach and client.
- When acting as a trainer of student practitioners/coaches, will clarify confidentiality policies with the students.
Pledge of Ethics
As a NeftTi Certified Practitioner/ Coach, I acknowledge and agree to honor my ethical and legal obligations to my clients, colleagues, and to the public at large. I pledge to comply with NeftTI’s Code of Ethics and to practice these standards with those whom I work with.
If I breach this Pledge of Ethics or any part of NeftTi Code of Ethics, I agree that the NeftTi in its sole discretion may hold me accountable for so doing. I further agree that my accountability to NeftTi for any breach may include sanctions, such as loss of my Membership and/or my Practitioner Credentials.