In joining the Association, Members agree to comply with the provisions of the Code of Ethics and Practice. The Code applies to professional activities and any behaviour that might impinge on those.
To ensure that they behave in an ethical manner, practitioners are required to use a formal procedure in examining ethical aspects of their work. In situations where ethical decisions can be complex and difficult, and different ethical principles may be in conflict, the best decision comes from considering issues systematically.
Details of the recommended decision-making procedure are presented in Appendix A.
Like all other citizens, practitioners are subject to the law, and their practice must conform to the law.
The Code is based on four overall ethical principles, under which specific ethical standards are elaborated in greater detail.
Respect for the rights and dignity of the client. Practitioners are required to treat their clients as persons of intrinsic worth with a right to determine their own priorities, to respect clients' dignity and to give due regard to their moral and cultural values. Practitioners take care not to intrude inappropriately on clients' privacy. They treat as confidential all information obtained in the course of their work. As far as possible, they ensure that clients understand and consent to whatever professional action they propose.
Competence. Practitioners are required to monitor and develop their
professional skills and ethical awareness on an ongoing basis. They recognize that their expertise and capacity for work are limited, and take care not to exceed the limits.
Responsibility. In their professional activities, practitioners are required to act in a trustworthy and reputable manner towards clients and the community. They refer clients to colleagues and other professionals, as appropriate, to ensure the best service to clients. They act appropriately to resolve ethical dilemmas and conflicts of interest.
Integrity. Practitioners take steps to manage personal stress, maintain their own mental health, and ensure that their work is professionally supervised. They are required to be honest and accurate about their qualifications and the effectiveness of the services which they offer. They treat others in a fair, open and straightforward manner, honour professional commitments, and act to clarify any confusion about their role or responsibilities. They do not use the professional relationship to exploit clients and they deal appropriately with personal conflicts of interest. They take action against harmful or unethical behaviour in colleagues.
Counselling and Psychotherapy are activities involving a practitioner, who offers a professional service as a helper, and a client, who seeks the service. The term "client" may include individuals, couples or groups of people. In what follows, the term practitioner is used to denote a counsellor or psychotherapist who is a Member of the Association.
The practitioner offers an impartial relationship in which the client can explore specific issues and develop more satisfying and resourceful ways of living. Confidentiality is recognised as a vital basis for such a relationship.
The practitioner respects the client's values, personal resources and capacity for self-determination. Counselling and Psychotherapy are formal activities where both parties explicitly agree to a contract about participation and procedure
To ensure that their practice remains effective and appropriate, practitioners are obliged to meet regularly with a supervisor, who is an experienced colleague with whom they review their work. The information discussed during supervision is regarded as confidential.
Whatever the theoretical approach taken by the practitioner, the practitioner/client relationship is usually characterized by inequalities of knowledge and power.
To protect the client, and ensure that practitioners remain alert to possible misuse of their greater knowledge and power, they accept the necessity for a code of professional ethics.
The purpose of the Code is to encourage optimum levels of practice, to establish and maintain ethical standards, and to inform and protect those who seek and use the services of practitioners.
In joining the Association, Members agree to adhere to the provisions of the Code. The Association has a Complaints Committee which responds to and deals with complaints. The Code applies to Members' professional activities, and any behaviour that might impinge on those.
To ensure that they behave in an ethical manner, practitioners are required to use a formal procedure in examining ethical aspects of their work. In situations where ethical decisions can be complex and difficult, and different ethical principles may be in conflict, the best decision comes from considering issues systematically.
Like all other citizens, practitioners are subject to the law, and their practice must conform to the law.
This Code of Ethics is designed to serve us in the interests of our profession. It seeks to protect our clients and ourselves. While this code cannot address all ethical and practice-related issues, it aims to provide a framework within which the optimum level of good practice will be maintained and offers us a moral compass to guide our work and serves to protect our professional standing.
February 2017
IACP Ethics Committee
Gillford D’Souza,
Rita O’Quigley, Secretary
Ann McDonald, Chair of the Ethics Committee
The first edition of this code was adopted prior to 1991.
The second edition became operative on 25th April, 1998.
The third edition was ratified at the AGM 2005.
This edition became operative on 1st January 2018.
Section 2.1 of the Code deals with ethical awareness, and Clause 3.4.1 states that practitioners shall use a systematic procedure for making ethical decisions. The following procedure is recommended for dealing with both immediate dilemmas and routine work-related issues.
1. Define carefully the issues and parties involved (the latter may include the practitioner, the client, members of the client's family, the practitioner's own employer and coworkers,organisations purchasing or providing services, and the general public).
2. Consult the Code, and identify relevant principles and clauses. Also consult other
applicable professional guidelines (e.g. from government departments, health boards) and any pertinent legislation.
3. Evaluate the rights, responsibilities and welfare of all affected parties.
4. Generate as many alternative decisions as possible - the more the better.
5. Evaluate carefully the likely outcome of each decision.
6. Choose what, in your professional judgment, is the best decision, implement it, and inform relevant parties.
7. Finally, take responsibility for the consequences of the decision.
The complexity of ethical issues makes it likely that different principles and clauses will occasionally clash; in addition, the provisions of the Code may also clash with the law and/or other relevant guidelines. Unfortunately, the resolution of ethical dilemmas is not guaranteed to be simple.
However, the law accepts that professionals may make errors of judgment, and that these are not the same as malpractice.
The formal decision-making procedure is intended to reduce the incidence of decisions which are mistakes because they are taken in the heat of the moment, without consideration of all the relevant factors. What is required, in all cases, is a considered professional judgment taken in a systematic way.
It is desirable to keep a written record of deliberations at each stage of the process.