Introduction

The purpose of the Ethical Code for PRI therapists is to guarantee and standardize the professionalism of PRI therapists and to serve as a guideline for professional functioning during a therapy process.

The Ethical Code for PRI therapists offers PRI therapists ample principles and guidelines to act responsibly in virtually all situations they may encounter during the practice of their profession, with the main goal of promoting the well-being and safety of the people they work with. In case of violation of the Code, PRI-International may proceed to impose a penalty or suspension.

However, the question of whether or not someone is breaking the law can never be answered based on the application of this Ethical Code for PRI therapists. The Ethical Code for PRI therapists does not protect the PRI therapist from prosecution if this therapist strictly adheres to the letter of it, just as someone cannot be held legally liable solely on the basis of violating the provisions of the Ethical Code for PRI therapists.
Having adhered to or violated this Ethical Code for PRI therapists, on the other hand, can be used as an argument in legal proceedings and, depending on the circumstances, be considered as an exonerating or incriminating factor in legal judgment.

The PRI therapist is obliged to behave as a good therapist in the broadest sense and to observe the laws, norms, and values applicable in the Netherlands.

Following the Wkkgz (Dutch law on the quality of healthcare), every therapist will be able to assign a free and independent complaints officer to the client in case of dissatisfaction. In case of violation of the Ethical Code, a client of a PRI therapist or a stakeholder of a client can contact this complaints officer. The complaints officer advises the client or stakeholder on submitting a complaint. He also supports the client in both formulating the complaint and investigating solutions.

Explanation of terms:

PRI therapist: a PRI therapist trained by Ingeborg Bosch, or someone authorized to do so by her (either Certified PRI therapist, PRI therapist advanced level, or PRI therapist basic level), also a member of the PRI Institute Netherlands Foundation, who is registered as such in the PRI therapist register on the website: www.pastrealityintegration.com

Professional conduct: all actions performed by the PRI therapist when acting in his/her capacity as or presenting himself/herself as a PRI therapist.

The client: the person with whom the PRI therapist enters into, maintains, or has maintained a therapeutic process.

Colleague: another therapist trained by PRI-International who is registered as such in the therapist register on the website: www.pastrealityintegration.com

The therapeutic process/treatment: the agreement between PRI therapist and client which is entered into by submitting an application form and entering into a treatment agreement.

PRI-International: Ingeborg Bosch residing in France, trading under the name PRI-International.

Website: www.prionline.nl

Principles of the Ethical Code for PRI therapists:

The PRI therapist will not prescribe choices or give compelling advice to the client. The PRI therapist will make the client aware of his/her own responsibility for making choices and will respect these choices.

Declaration:
Every PRI therapist who is included on the website of PRI-International thereby declares that he/she voluntarily and fully adheres to the Ethical Code for PRI therapists shown below.

The Ethical Code for PRI therapists has four paragraphs:

1. Respect
2. Integrity
3. Responsibility
4. Professionalism

§ 1 Respect

Respect refers to the recognition and respect for values in general and someone's personal and human dignity in particular. A PRI therapist expresses this by complying with the following rules of conduct:
1.1 The PRI therapist approaches and treats every human being as completely equal. He does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, skin color, origin, social status, political persuasion, marital status, beliefs, or any other distinction.
1.2 The PRI therapist recognizes and promotes everyone's right to make choices freely, to develop themselves, and to determine their own life course. In particular, the client's self-determination is expressed in the right to enter into, continue, or terminate the therapeutic treatment with the PRI therapist.
1.3 The PRI therapist allows his client the space to make his own decisions and to make changes to previously made decisions, taking into account his own norms, values, priorities, and beliefs. The PRI therapist will not prescribe choices or give compelling advice to the client.
1.4 The PRI therapist takes into account the developmental level, the possibilities and needs of the client (physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual), and never acts condescendingly, indifferently, or admiringly about it.
1.5 The PRI therapist stands up for the interests of the client, but also takes into account the interests of others, in the broadest sense of the word. He does not cooperate with matters that could cause damage to individuals, groups, organizations, society, or other matters that deserve respect.
1.6 The PRI therapist recognizes that he has a special responsibility regarding standing up for the rights and human dignity of his client when he is in a vulnerable or dependent position, without being able to stand up for himself.
1.7 The PRI therapist is obliged to observe confidentiality with regard to everything that has been entrusted to him as a secret in the exercise of his profession in the field of individual healthcare, or what has come to his knowledge as a secret or what has come to his knowledge and of which he had to understand the confidential nature. The confidentiality remains after termination of the therapeutic process. Only after written permission by the client, the PRI therapist is entitled to share information with fellow PRI therapists and with the client's general practitioner. For providing data to other persons, explicit written permission from the client is required again. Breach of professional secrecy can only take place if there is: explicit permission from the client, a statutory regulation to that effect, a court order, and in case of conflict of duties, i.e. in an emergency situation in which maintaining professional secrecy poses serious disadvantage or danger to the patient or to another (for example, in case of child abuse or life-threatening situations). The PRI therapist must inform the client of the breach of professional secrecy if necessary. In all other cases, the PRI therapist can and must invoke the exercise of his professional secrecy and excuse himself as far as legally possible.
1.8 The PRI therapist is relieved of his duty of confidentiality to the extent necessary in the context of his defense in a complaint or legal procedure initiated by the client against the PRI therapist.

§ 2 Integrity

A PRI therapist must not only be able to build a relationship of trust with a client, he must also maintain this relationship of trust. That only works as long as the client knows and experiences that the PRI therapist is honest. But not only for that reason is integrity one of the most important qualities that a PRI therapist must possess. The integrity of each PRI therapist individually is important for all PRI therapists in the professional group together, as the social image of one non-integral PRI therapist can harm all others. A PRI therapist demonstrates that he is honest by complying with the following rules of conduct both during and outside his professional practice:
2.1 The PRI therapist is honest, reliable, and sincere.
2.2 The PRI therapist does not engage in practices that violate the law or go beyond generally accepted rules of decency.
2.3 The PRI therapist treats all information about the client that he has received directly, indirectly, or through any other source confidentially, and safeguards the client from misuse and unauthorized disclosure of this data.
2.4 The PRI therapist does not abuse situations, circumstances, or knowledge in which the client is dependent on him, neither to benefit himself or other relationships, nor to disadvantage the client or relationships of the client.

§ 3 Responsibility

By entering into a therapeutic relationship, a PRI therapist assumes an obligation that not only appeals to his sense of responsibility, but also has repercussions on society in general and all those involved in the therapy process in particular. A PRI therapist proves that he provides PRI therapy in a responsible manner by adhering to the following rules of conduct:

3.1 The PRI therapist recognizes the authority that is inherent in his position and realizes that he can exert great influence on the client and possibly also on third parties, both consciously (by giving directives/suggestions) and unconsciously (by approving or disapproving behavior). Therefore, he is cautious in his actions and careful with making statements.
3.2 The PRI therapist knows both the limitations of his profession and the limits of his personal competencies and ensures that he does not exceed either.
3.3 The PRI therapist is willing to discuss the professional ethical aspects of his own actions among colleagues. That also means: giving full cooperation to accounting for professional conduct and testing it by the competent complaints committee.
3.4 The PRI therapist is responsible for the continuity of the therapeutic treatment of the client. If necessary, he ensures an adequate transfer so that one of his colleagues can take over the work or complete it.
3.5 The PRI therapist ensures that the client's file is always updated in such a way that a colleague can continue the therapeutic treatment in the event of an unforeseen absence on his part. The file contains all data that are relevant to the quality and continuity of the therapeutic treatment. The client or his legal representative can, upon written request, gain access to his file. The personal
work notes of the PRI therapist and the information given by persons who, with the client's permission, are involved in his treatment are not subject to the right of inspection. The right of inspection is exercised in the presence of the PRI therapist. He offers to provide explanation and clarification. When the PRI therapist is of the opinion that knowledge may be detrimental to the functioning of the client and therefore advises the client not to make use of the right of inspection, the client can only exercise this right after he has declared in writing that he has been informed of this advice.
3.6 The PRI therapist applies the rules regarding retention period and processing of personal data as laid down in the Personal Data Protection Act.
3.7 The PRI therapist destroys the documents kept by him within one year and one month after the client has submitted a written request to that effect, unless it concerns documents of which it is reasonably plausible that the retention is of considerable importance for someone other than the client, or for the PRI therapist in the context of a complaint submitted by the client, as well as insofar as the provisions by or under the law oppose destruction.
3.8 The personal documents submitted by the client can, as long as the file has not been destroyed, be requested back by him by means of a written request. The PRI therapist grants this request, unless it concerns documents of which it is reasonably plausible that retention is of considerable and justified interest for someone other than the client.
3.9 All written requests and authorizations that the client has provided are kept in the file.
3.10 The PRI therapist always keeps in mind the development and the interest of the entire person of the client, and will not undertake anything that can result in an unbalanced development.
3.11 The PRI therapist does not make the fulfillment of his own emotional and/or other needs dependent on the relationship with a client.
3.12 The PRI therapist respects the psychological and physical integrity of the client. He does not penetrate further into the private life of the client than is necessary for the purpose of the therapeutic treatment.
3.13 The PRI therapist refrains from any form of sexual harassment and – advances and does not respond to sexually suggestive statements or advances from the client. He also does not enter into any sexual or other intimate relationship with a client during the therapeutic relationship, as well as during a period of at least one year after the termination of the therapeutic relationship. If the PRI therapist and the client enter into a sexual or intimate relationship after the aforementioned period of one year after the termination of the therapeutic relationship, then the PRI therapist must be able to demonstrate that he has taken all due care that may be expected of a PRI therapist when entering into this relationship. In particular, the PRI therapist makes sure that the previous therapeutic treatment no longer has a disproportionate significance.

§ 4 Professionalism

The PRI therapist works professionally, among other things by adhering to the following rules of conduct:
4.1 The PRI therapist keeps his private life and work strictly separated from each other.
4.2 The PRI therapist engages in self-reflection and applies the PRI method himself in order to continue to function optimally.
4.3 The PRI therapist keeps up to date with developments, is open to new insights, among other things by following further training and by participating in practice, intervision, and supervision meetings.
4.4 The PRI therapist has professional liability insurance or has otherwise ensured that any damages for which he is liable as a PRI therapist are reasonably covered.
4.5 The PRI therapist informs the client and/or other parties involved (for example, the paying agency in the case of PRI coaching) upon request and without reservation, which training, i.e. experience and qualifications he has. To this end, he has a curriculum vitae available that is kept up to date by him.
4.6 The PRI therapist distinguishes between a therapeutic relationship and other forms of relationship, such as a friendship and a business relationship, and does not allow any conflict of interest to arise.
4.7 The PRI therapist does not accept gifts from the client that exceed an amount of approximately € 30. This also applies to services that are normally paid for. The PRI therapist also does not give gifts or provide
also no services that are normally paid for to the client.
4.8 The PRI therapist is collegial towards other PRI therapists, and is willing to cooperate in the ongoing professionalization of PRI in general, the scientific research and the optimization of the vision and the mission (see website).

Deviation from the Ethical Code:

In principle, no PRI therapist is authorized to deviate from the present Ethical Code. If a PRI therapist is of the opinion that a special situation arises, and deviation should reasonably be possible in that case, he will contact PRI-International for this. Deviation from the Code is only permitted after prior consultation with and approval from PRI-International.

The PRI therapist will not prescribe choices or give compelling advice to the client. The PRI therapist will make the client aware of his/her own responsibility for making choices and will respect these choices.