A strong ethical framework is woven into the teaching of Eden Energy Medicine. Ethics are the principles adopted by practitioners within a field to translate the desire to serve into the profession's evolving wisdom about how best to serve. They are far more than a list of rules that will restrict you or requirements that should put fear in your hearts.
Rather, health care ethics guide members of a healing discipline on the lessons gleaned from the experiences of those who came before them about:
1. How to create and maintain a vital interpersonal context for providing healing services, and
2. How best to navigate through the various types of challenges that may arise when providing those services.
Along with 1) developing strong professional competence and 2) taking robust care of your own health and well-being, 3) embracing sound ethical practices is the third pillar for being able to provide outstanding health care services.
Ethical standards include:
- the highest ethical ideals of a profession, serving to ennoble and inspire practitioners, as well as
- enforceable obligations regarding acceptable practice.
Your understanding of the ethical standards of EEM will inform all of your professional activities and it includes specific responsibilities to your clients. You are free to choose who you admit as a client. Once you accept a person as a client, however, you have a duty to provide appropriate health care services or, when you cannot, to offer appropriate referrals to insure the best possible health care services. The EEM ethical guidelines will help you make these choices.
Learning these guidelines will be a vital part of your EEM training. Lack of awareness or understanding of a stated ethical standard is not itself a valid defense against a charge of unethical conduct. Your ethics training will be both in class and in homework assignments outside of class. The textbook we use is the Ethics Handbook for Energy Healing Practitioners. Please study this book according to the following schedule:
Before Class 2:
- Introductory Material
- The Chapter entitled: "Ethical Dilemmas You May Face"
Before Class 3:
- First 30 Ethical Vignettes
Before Class 4:
- Remaining 20 Ethical Vignettes
- Remainder of the Book
By the end of Class 4, you should be well-versed in the basic EEM ethical guidelines. As you embark on your study of EEM in the Level 1: Fundamentals Program, we ask that you read and sign this agreement to indicate your willingness to adhere to the EEM Ethics Code and procedures.
Highlights from The Ethics Code for Energy Healing Practitioners
Eden Energy Medicine practitioners ...
1...hold as the highest priority for their professional activities the health and welfare of their clients, students, and others with whom they become professionally involved. All other statements in this document are elaborations upon this principle.
2...are fully committed to personal integrity, authenticity, and their own ongoing healing and wholesome development in body, mind, and spirit.
3...strive for professional excellence through ongoing assessment of personal strengths, limitations, and effectiveness.
4...conduct business and professional activities with integrity, in a professional, honest, and fair manner.
5...abide by applicable local, state, and national laws governing their health care services.
6...perform only those services for which they are qualified, representing their education, certifications, professional affiliations, and other qualifications accurately.
7...keep themselves current in their field and continually seek to expand their effectiveness as practitioners.
8...do not diagnose, prescribe, or treat medical disorders unless simultaneously credentialed to do so, making referrals to other health care professionals when and as appropriate.
9...respect the inherent worth, dignity, and uniqueness of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination.
10...treat clients, students, and colleagues with respect and courtesy, communicating clearly and sensitively regarding issues that affect the services they provide.
11...respect the professional status of other health care practitioners.
12...resist gossip, but rather speak directly with other energy healing practitioners when concerns about their actions arise, making every effort to resolve differences or ethical issues in a frank, respectful, and wholesome manner.
13... clearly and accurately inform prospective clients of the nature and logistics of their potential services prior to the commencement of those services, appropriately documenting having done so.
14...discuss with their clients in advance the limitations or potential problems associated with specific procedures before using them.
15...uphold the confidentiality of those they serve, informing clients in advance of exceptions, such as legal proceedings that require disclosure and the obligation to disclose information that might prevent clear and imminent danger to the client or to others.
16...build a collaborative relationship with those they serve.
17...stay alert to factors that might impact the healing relationship, such as a client's becoming overly dependent or being unable to pay for continued services, and generate, with the client, appropriate strategies for addressing such considerations.
18...avoid dual relationships that might negatively impact the effectiveness of their services.
19...are aware of the power differences inherent in the professional relationship and do not exploit them.
20... never enter a sexual relationship with a client.
21...are sensitive to the potential impact of having a special facility with subtle energies and use this facility only in a manner that is beneficial to the client and with the client's consent.
22... actively support their own health and resilience so they are at their best as a practitioner and are modeling what they teach.
23...keep written records as appropriate to their professional function and setting.
24... seek to promote accuracy, honesty, truthfulness, and dignity in the practice, teaching, science, and art of energy healing.
25... clarify professional roles and obligations with clients and colleagues and manage conflicts of interest in a manner that avoids exploitation or harm.
26... keep their agreements and avoid unrealistic or unclear commitments.
27...who offer educational programs or presentations ensure that the goals of the program have been properly described, are appropriate for the intended audience, and that the program is run in a manner that accomplishes its stated goals.
28...who offer educational programs or presentations create a safe and supportive learning environment, prioritizing the welfare of students who participate in training exercises or who volunteer for demonstrations.
29... who offer educational programs take steps to ensure that graduates of their programs represent the training received appropriately and with an understanding of the limitations as well as the potentials of the skills they have developed.
30...contribute a portion of their professional time for little or no compensation.
31...demonstrate a personal commitment to acting ethically; to encouraging ethical behavior by students, supervisees, employees, and colleagues; and to consulting as appropriate with others and with their professional association's code of ethics concerning ethical problems.