Code of Ethics

Introduction

This Code of Ethics is the code of professional practice for every individual and member of the American Association for Applied Psychology and NLP (AAAP-NLP). It defines the general ethical values and principles of the Association and sets standards of professional conduct for its members. All members of the Association are bound by the principles set out here.

General principles and values

Members of the Association respect the dignity and worth of the individual and strive to preserve and protect fundamental human rights. They are committed to advancing knowledge of human behaviour and of how people understand themselves and others, and to using that knowledge to promote human welfare.

In pursuing these aims, members seek to protect the welfare of those who need their services, of people related to those who use their services (where this does not conflict with the needs of their clients), and of every participant in education delivered under the auspices of the Association.

Members respect other representatives of their own and related professions and, as far as they are able and where it does not conflict with the interests of their clients, seek to provide full information and to maintain mutual respect.

Their responsibilities are expertise, objectivity in the use of their skills, and care for the best interests of clients, colleagues, participants and the Association as a whole. They use their skills only for purposes consistent with these values and do not allow others to misuse them.

Aims of the Code

• To increase members’ awareness of ethics and to encourage continuous, active reflection on it — on values and principles as well as on norms and prohibitions.
• To regulate potentially inappropriate conduct, protecting clients and participants from the unethical application of the methodology by members and by those in training.
• To promote the best possible conduct among members by setting standards for them.

Members of the Association adhere to the detailed ethical principles that follow. In this Code, “trainer” refers to a Trainer of NLP and Applied Psychology; the principles apply equally to every member in their professional work.

1. Responsibility

Responsibility is the overarching ethical principle of this Code and the basic ethical premise of every member’s work. Given the knowledge they have acquired, the particular nature of practical work, their professional position and their position in society, members carry responsibility at several levels. A trainer is responsible:

• to themselves as a professional;
• to the client;
• to the client’s family members, when working with children and adolescents;
• to the participants they train;
• to colleagues and co-workers;
• to the institution in which they work;
• to the Association to which they belong;
• to society as a whole.

1.1The trainer is responsible for continuously developing their knowledge through the various forms of education available and for following contemporary advances in psychology. They take care of their personal and professional identity and integrity and of the dignity of their profession. In professional work and in all related communication, their conduct is correct, appropriate and measured.

1.2In their work the trainer’s first responsibility is to clients. This includes clear and truthful information, careful selection, and the organisation and conduct of the work from beginning to end. In an initial conversation the trainer clarifies in advance every question that may concern their work together. Information given to clients is clear, adapted to the client, factually accurate and objective; incomplete or unclear information that could lead to wrong conclusions, and information of an advertising nature, are not permitted. It includes: the method used (the integration of classical psychology and NLP); a clear and accurate description of the trainer’s qualifications; the length and scope of the education; its significance; the financial terms; confidentiality; and the possibility of expressing dissatisfaction with the trainer’s work and of ending it.

At the start of the work, through an initial interview and assessment conversations, the trainer carefully assesses the client and their own capacity to work with them. This covers the client’s concerns, whether the trainer is qualified to work competently with them, and sufficient personal compatibility. The trainer may decline a client on the basis of this assessment or of unrealistic demands and expectations, but must then give a clear explanation and offer advice, direction or suitable and realistic alternatives.

The trainer is responsible for establishing a relationship with the participant that covers all relevant agreements, the setting of the education, its regular and continuous delivery, and an appropriate conclusion. The trainer agrees all of this with the client, making clear the client’s share of responsibility for the whole process. The client’s freedom of choice remains inviolable. If the client does not accept or participate responsibly, the trainer may end or interrupt the relationship in an appropriate way.

1.3When clients are children or adolescents, the trainer carefully assesses family factors and influences and, where appropriate, establishes contact and proper communication with the relevant family members, respecting their dignity and the information they provide, and offering suitable professional guidance or advice. If the complexity of the situation exceeds the trainer’s competence, they refer the family to a family psychotherapist. Where a client or family member is clearly at risk, the trainer responds as appropriately as they are able.

1.4As educators, trainers honestly and consistently fulfil their obligation to help others acquire the necessary knowledge and skills and to shape the professional and personal development of participants, maintaining high professional and ethical standards. Trainers are aware of their needs, capacities and competences, and especially of their position of influence over participants. They are responsible for creating a constructive and useful relationship and for avoiding any exploitation of the trust and dependence of those they educate.

1.5In relations with colleagues, trainers observe the principles of collegiality, communicate correctly and constructively, and are ready for appropriate and clearly defined professional cooperation.

1.6Trainers have responsibilities and obligations towards the Association in accordance with its Statute, rules and codes, which they are bound to observe. Only in this way can they exercise their rights and expect appropriate help and protection in delicate professional situations.

1.7Trainers know that they carry significant social responsibility, because their recommendations and professional actions can change the lives of others and, indirectly, affect society as a whole. They remain continuously aware of personal, social, organisational, financial, environmental or political situations and pressures that could lead to the misuse of their professionalism and influence, and to the best of their ability resist any pressure that disrupts or compromises their professional role.

2. Client welfare

2.1Trainers respect the integrity and protect the welfare of the client, in individual conversations as well as in group education.

2.2The professional relationship between trainer and client begins at their first contact and continues through the education and the period after it. This Code governs the trainer’s conduct for the duration of the education and for three years after it ends.

2.3The trainer considers whether their method of work is suitable for a particular client. If it is in the participant’s interest to be referred to another trainer or to another kind of education, the trainer tells the client so.

2.4The trainer refrains from working with a client if they judge their competence insufficient for the client’s concerns, or if their own physical or psychological state is compromised (for example through alcohol or drugs, serious physical illness or personal stress). In such cases they arrange a suitable professional replacement for their clients and, where the difficulty is their own, seek medical or psychotherapeutic help.

2.5Care for the client’s welfare includes information about the purpose and nature of the education and about what it requires of both participants in the process. The client is entirely free to accept or decline what is offered.

2.6The trainer agrees in advance a financial arrangement that best protects the client’s interests and falls within the price range set by the Association. Taking material advantage of a client’s dependence through evidently high or additional charges is unethical. Trainers may provide part of their services for a small fee or free of charge.

2.7The client is entitled to the confidentiality of what they share in education and in individual conversations, and the trainer is bound to respect this. The client is likewise expected not to share the content of the education or of individual sessions outside the group or session. This rule of discretion is set out clearly at the start of the work. The trainer also informs the client of the legal limits of confidentiality.

2.8The trainer does not enter into professional relationships, personal relationships or other activities with people close to the client that could compromise the professional agreement with the client.

2.9When a third party refers a client to the education, the trainer explains the nature of the professional relationship to everyone concerned, with clear limits on the information that will be shared about the work with the client.

2.10In their professional roles trainers avoid any violent or aggressive activity, and any activity that would violate the human, legal or civil rights of the client or of anyone else affected. Trainers oppose ideas and actions that demean clients on the grounds of ethnicity or race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or socio-economic status.

2.11The trainer takes particular care to avoid dual or multiple relationships with a client and to establish and maintain an exclusively professional relationship. The trainer maintains and respects the boundaries of the professional relationship and does not exploit or abuse clients, current or former, materially, financially, emotionally or psychologically. Sexual relationships with clients in any form and for any reason, and any form of sexual harassment (deliberate or repeated comments, gestures or physical contact of a sexual nature), are unacceptable and constitute a serious breach of professional ethics.

2.12During education or an individual session, clients may express all their thoughts and feelings in words. Trainers follow and explore the client’s thinking and the feelings connected with it, as well as their own thoughts and feelings in relation to what is offered. The client’s right to express any feeling is not restricted by inappropriate interventions, particularly interpretations: the trainer takes care over what, when and how they interpret. Trainers may use other appropriate means to respond to offensive behaviour by a client and to set the boundaries of professional work.

2.13Trainers end the education when the current level comes to its conclusion and the client does not choose to enrol in the next level, or when it is clear that the client no longer benefits from the work. The client has the exclusive right to end the work at any point of the education, and this wish must be respected, subject to the terms of the agreement signed with the client. Efforts to understand the situation are permitted, but insisting that the work continue is unethical.

3. Structuring the relationship: agreements and the frame of education

3.1Professional conduct includes respect for the personality of the person being educated, protection of their interests and rights, their dignity, their right to freedom, and their general human and civil rights.

3.2Before the education begins, the trainer gives the client all the necessary information about their work together in an initial conversation.

3.3The relationship between trainer and client is a joint process in which the trainer’s professional knowledge and skills are used to understand the participant’s conscious and unconscious motivations in order to resolve their difficulties.

3.4The trainer does not accept any relationship that would limit their objectivity or lead to a conflict of interest.

3.5The training agreement sets out the parties’ shared understanding of: confidentiality; the length of one level of education; the frequency of activities within a month; the place and time of the education; fees and method of payment; and payment for missed and uncancelled sessions.

3.6The client pays the trainer for work done and time spent.

3.7Trainers neither pay nor receive commission for referring a client to a colleague within the Association, or for accepting referred participants.

3.8Education begins only when the participant has given consent and all the terms have been agreed.

3.9Education may not begin without the participant’s consent, and this applies to children too. Even with parental consent, the trainer does not violate a child’s rights and does not begin work without the consent of the child.

3.10When asked, the trainer presents evidence of their qualifications, and never claims qualifications they do not hold.

4. Confidentiality and records

4.1The basic obligation of trainers is to respect the confidentiality of information they receive from clients in the course of their work.

4.2Disclosing any confidential information about a client without their prior written consent is a serious breach of professional ethics. Where a trainer must use client material for presentations, research papers or similar purposes, the client’s identity is protected.

4.3The only exception is when the trainer considers that keeping a confidence could endanger the client, other people or the public, or when disclosure is formally required by a court. The trainer seeks to balance confidentiality with their moral duty to society as a whole, in accordance with applicable law.

4.4Clients are informed about the confidentiality of their material and about the conditions under which it may be broken.

4.5Confidentiality has no time limit. Trainers ensure that client data and materials from education and individual conversations are kept and protected, including during their absence or unavailability.

4.6When working with minors, or with other people who cannot give informed consent, trainers take particular care to protect their best interests, consulting others appropriately involved in the process.

4.7From the outset, the trainer indicates that the content of their work with the client may be discussed in supervision, with appropriate information about what this means.

5. Professional competence

5.1In the interest of the profession, trainers maintain a high level of professional competence and responsibility at all times. They provide services only within the limits of their competence and use only techniques for which they are qualified by training and experience. Where no recognised standards exist, they take every necessary precaution to protect the welfare of their clients.

5.2Trainers develop their professional knowledge by following the professional literature and through continuing education. They make use of supervision and seek it whenever it would improve the quality and outcomes of the education.

5.3Trainers develop their expertise by taking part in conferences, meetings, workshops and seminars on psychology, psychotherapy and NLP, organised both by the Association and by other individuals and organisations.

5.4Trainers accept and respect other schools and associations of NLP, as well as other psychotherapeutic approaches and techniques. They remain open to new knowledge and to personal growth, embracing new procedures and changes in socio-cultural values and circumstances.

5.5Trainers carry great responsibility for their work and never go beyond the limits of their competence.

5.6When they decide to stop practising (retirement, illness or similar), trainers may pass on their functions only to people qualified by education, professional training and experience to carry them out competently.

5.7Trainers practise in accordance with the rules and regulations set by the American Association for Applied Psychology and NLP.

5.8Where trainers lack sufficient expertise to judge whether a client and an education are compatible, to resolve a situation arising during the education, or to address any other question concerning a client’s psychological state, they consult colleagues from complementary specialisms. This is their professional responsibility and moral obligation. Systematic consultation benefits clients, and trainers offer consultative help to colleagues whenever it is needed.

5.9Trainers respect differences between people related to sex, age, socio-economic status and religion, and the needs of people with any special needs, so that they can offer everyone adequate professional help.

5.10Trainers have sufficient knowledge to recognise, in one or more initial conversations, that a prospective participant has a psychosis or psychotic episodes. If they suspect this, they refer the person to a psychiatrist.

5.11A trainer may end a client’s education at any stage if they judge that they are not mentally or physically able to be professionally effective. They do so with an appropriate explanation to the client and a referral to another trainer.

5.12If through their actions or work trainers harm a client, colleague, assistant or other participant, they seek professional help in deciding whether to stop or limit the scope of their professional activities.

6. Professional relationships

6.1This Code sets out the principles of cooperation and professional communication between trainers, and their guidelines for working with colleagues in related disciplines: other NLP trainers, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians in other fields and other professionals with a humanistic orientation.

6.2Relationships and communication between trainers rest on mutual respect and due regard for colleagues’ needs, abilities and obligations. Of particular ethical importance is readiness to understand and cooperate when needed, and to help resolve difficulties in the work or in a relationship with a client or group — especially in delicate situations, including those in which a trainer projects their own structures onto clients or the whole group. All exchanges between trainers take place by agreement, through open and honest communication and with respect for the right to confidentiality.

6.3Accepting clients on the recommendation of another trainer is also a matter for ethical consideration, binding both the trainer who recommends and the trainer who accepts. A referral is based on an objective professional assessment and a clear rationale in the client’s interest, free of any abuse. The trainer to whom a client is referred may decline the referral with an appropriate explanation. If they accept it, they have no obligation to report on their work to the referring trainer.

6.4If a client has previously been educated by another trainer of the same or a similar orientation, the current trainer does not discuss, assess or judge that colleague’s work in the client’s presence, and especially not negatively, but may gather all relevant information about the client’s previous education.

6.5Where there is professional seniority between two trainers — whether they work in the same place or together in educational and organisational work — the senior trainer has an ethical obligation to treat the junior colleague fairly. Particularly in a supervisory relationship, the senior trainer provides advisory, consultative and professional help, supports the junior colleague’s competence and professional development, and stands behind them with their authority and responsibility. The junior colleague respects the senior colleague’s advice, takes on the suggested guidance and carries out assigned professional tasks properly. Where trainers work as a team, their relationship is also governed by the principles of teamwork.

6.6When one or more trainers become aware of an ethical breach by another trainer and it seems appropriate, they first try to resolve it informally by drawing that trainer’s attention to their conduct. For minor breaches that appear to stem from a lack of sensitivity, knowledge or experience, such an informal solution is usually adequate. These informal and corrective steps respect the right to confidentiality. If a breach cannot be remedied informally, or is more serious, trainers bring it to the attention of the Association; otherwise they may be considered complicit in the breach.

6.7The American Association for Applied Psychology and NLP was founded, among other reasons, to provide help and protection in delicate situations to trainers who respect its Statute, rules and codes. This applies especially to inadequate and unrealistic expectations, unfounded accusations and pressure on trainers, whether from clients or from other actors in social and political life. The Association protects its members as fully as possible through a careful and critical assessment of the causes, content and context of each problem.

6.8Trainers know and take into account the traditions and practice of other NLP schools and associations, of different psychotherapeutic modalities and of other professional groups, and cooperate with them as needed. If a client is receiving similar services from another professional at the same time, the trainer considers that relationship carefully and proceeds with caution and sensitivity, both to therapeutic questions and to the client’s welfare. These questions are discussed with the client in order to minimise the risk of confusion, misunderstanding, conflict of interest or conflict, and to maintain a clear and consistent relationship with the other professionals.

6.9Trainers understand the areas of competence of related professions. They cooperate fully with those professions and make timely use of professional, technical and administrative resources that serve the client’s best interests. The absence of direct contact with professionals from another field does not release trainers from the responsibility to recommend appropriate and necessary professional services to their clients, or from the obligation to help them obtain necessary complementary or alternative help.

7. Advertising and public statements

7.1When publishing information about their professional services, trainers may state any information about themselves they consider relevant, and may state their membership of the American Association for Applied Psychology and NLP.

7.2When making public statements in magazines, books, online, on television, radio or elsewhere, trainers ensure that their statements are accurate and understandable. They present the results of education clearly and objectively, speak objectively and realistically about its possibilities and scope, and are always mindful of clients’ emotions and fears when speaking about the course and results of education or about situations in which a client cannot receive the services offered.

7.3Trainers do not give anything of value to representatives of the press, radio, television or other media in expectation of, or in return for, publicity for their professional services. Paid advertising is identified as such unless this is evident from the context. A trainer personally approves any advertisement broadcast on radio or television and keeps copies of it.

8. Specific obligations and prohibitions

A. Obligations

A.8.1Before accepting a client, the trainer makes a careful assessment in accordance with the ethical principles of this Code.

A.8.2The trainer delivers the education in accordance with all the ethical principles concerning the structure of the professional relationship, agreements and the frame of education.

A.8.3The trainer ensures the confidentiality of information received from the client, informs the client of this and of the conditions under which confidentiality may be broken. If the information indicates a direct threat to the safety and integrity of the client, their family and surroundings, the trainer or the community, the trainer passes it on to the appropriate people and institutions.

A.8.4If the trainer intends to use a client’s material for presentations, research papers, case reports or similar, they obtain the client’s written consent and sufficiently protect the client’s identity.

A.8.5If difficulties arise during the education that the trainer judges they cannot adequately address, they seek supervisory or consultative help.

A.8.6The trainer responds to a colleague’s request for supervisory or consultative help or, depending on their assessment of their competence, refers the colleague to another trainer.

A.8.7If for any reason the trainer cannot continue an education already begun, they inform clients in good time and offer alternative solutions.

A.8.8The trainer concludes the education in accordance with all the principles of the final phase of education.

A.8.9During the education the trainer follows the principles and provisions of this Code that apply to that period.

B. Prohibitions

During education with clients, the following prohibitions must be observed. The trainer must not:

B.8.1sexually exploit a client in any way;

B.8.2psychologically or emotionally exploit a client;

B.8.3socially exploit a client;

B.8.4exploit a client’s work or professional position;

B.8.5financially exploit a client;

B.8.6deceive a client;

B.8.7disclose confidential information received from a client during the work, except as provided in A.8.3;

B.8.8allow the education to be used as a covert means for other institutions to obtain information of interest to them;

B.8.9allow religious, racial, national, party-political or particular social views to come between their professional duty and their client.

9. Final provisions

9.1This Code of Ethics was formulated by the Board of Directors of the Association.

9.2The Code draws on the codes of ethics of established professional psychotherapy associations in Europe.

9.3The Code was presented to and adopted by the General Assembly of the American Association for Applied Psychology and NLP.

9.4Trainers who are members of the Association are fully informed of the content of this Code and are bound to respect and comply with its provisions.

9.5Keeping up with current standards of ethics is the duty of every member of the Association.

9.6In line with new knowledge in the field of ethics and newly adopted principles, this Code is periodically evaluated and updated.