Is Your Trainer or Practitioner Ethical and Responsible?

EFT International’s Ethos and Ethics

When a practitioner or trainer is working in line with our values, you can tell because they will:

• Be responsible, respectful and kind
• Address anything that is sensitive and potentially shame-laden tactfully and respectfully
• Be aware of and respect your boundaries* and boundaries appropriate to the context
• Tell you about any EFT procedure before starting it with you and encourage you to know you can say “no” to anything you do not want to do
• Respect your beliefs, culture, sexuality, gender identity and tradition
• Encourage you to check out any physical condition with a conventional medical practitioner
• Be clear before you begin to work with them what they will charge

A practitioner working in accord with EFTi’s values will not:

• Be seductive or coercive to persuade you to have therapy, do a workshop or buy a product.  Nor will they have any kind of relationship outside the professional one
• Bully or humiliate you
• Coerce you to give them a testimonial
• Make critical and humiliating remarks to make you more vulnerable and dependent on them
• Make claims that they cannot substantiate for the effectiveness of their methods
• Say that their methods are considerably superior to those of other practitioners
• Claim to treat medical or psychiatric conditions unless they are qualified to do so

These examples are not exhaustive.  We always expect our practitioners and trainers to put the welfare of their clients and trainees first.

Potential 'Red Flags'

If you ever become aware of potential ‘red flag’ areas, you have a number of options.  They include:

1. Raising your concern with the practitioner

2. Electing to discontinue working with the practitioner

3. If the practitioner is an EFTi member contact our Ethics Committee. If the practitioner is not a member of EFTi, you can consider consulting the legal authorities or the practitioner’s professional body

*Boundaries are the limits of your relationship with your practitioner, those limits create a safe personal, mental and emotional space for you to do the  work you need to do.

In a professional relationship with good boundaries, you won't be subjected to sales pitches.  You will not be subjected to sexual or romantic advances, judgement about who you are, or pressure to do things you don't want to do.

Judy Byrne

Judy is an Accredited Certified Master Trainer of Trainers.  Amongst much else, she specialises in the treatment of Trauma and Complex Issues.