Ethics

B.1.1 The Gestalt therapist will only undertake those tasks where he/she knows, or should know that he/she has the necessary competence to address these tasks and bring them to a completion that is beneficial to the client’s process.

B.1.2 During the working process, the Gestalt therapist, upon discovering the limits of his/her competence, will either refer the client to another professional or will establish collaboration with another professional/other professionals including seeking supervision how to do this.

B.1.3 The first step during this process is the renegotiation of the original contract with the client. Continuing with the client means taking the necessary action to improve competence.

• B.1.3.1 The therapist examines carefully whether his/her competence can be applied in the field in which the therapeutic work is to take place fully to the benefit of the client. If the Gestalt therapist determines that the contextual field, its structure, boundaries and the aims that dominate that field to be in any way contradictory or too restrictive to/for the unfolding of the competence that is necessary to further the client’s process, he/she abstains from any further working project undertaken in this field.


• B.1.3.2 The Gestalt therapist seeks support and clarification of his/her difficulty regarding a problematic situation in an intermission context with experienced colleagues.


• B.1.3.3 The Gestalt therapist seeks individual or group supervision, depending on which supervision setting is best suited for support and clarification in his/her situation.


• B.1.3.4 The Gestalt therapist builds networks with members of other professions and institutions (such as clinics) in order to dispose of the necessary diagnostic and therapeutic security and availability of means of help for the client in case he/she reaches the boundaries of his/her competence or setting.

B.1.4 The Gestalt therapist protects his/her work and the profession in general from any unqualified actions and projects and procedures (lectures, interviews, in the public media, seminars) that are not in correspondence with the professional standards consented upon.

B.1.5 The Gestalt therapist seeks individual therapy in case of turbulence in his/her therapeutic work such as personal crises, signs of burn-out and/or difficulties in safeguarding the boundaries of intimacy and seducement.

B.1.6 The methodological and technical approach in the therapeutic process must serve the therapeutic aims and developmental requirements of the client agreed upon in the contracting. The Gestalt therapist is aware that any acting-out, especially expressive and cathartic acting-out, requires de-dramatization achieved through detailed and careful working through.

B.1.7 In an educative process lasting a whole professional life, the Gestalt therapist takes care to enlarge and deepen his/her professional and personal competence. The Gestalt therapist is open to important developments that affect this process, whether in the field of Gestalt Psychotherapy or in other fields or schools of psychotherapeutic research and practice, with regard to the benefit of the clients.

B.1.8 The Gestalt therapist maintains careful documentation of his/her diagnostic and therapeutic work with the client and observes the national prescriptions for the duration of document preservation and the security measure demanded. Careful documenting means corresponding to the scientific level foreseen by the national psycho-therapeutic regulations and adhering to the objectivity and clearness necessary in order to make the documentation and its contents understandable and feasible for another therapeutic professional.

B.2.1 The client/therapist relationship is a professional relationship within which the welfare of the client is the therapist’s primary concern.

B.2.2 Gestalt therapists recognize the importance of the relationship for effective therapy and are aware of the power and influence and the issues of dependency inherent in this situation. The Gestalt therapist will act in a manner consistent with this recognition and not exploit or abuse clients financially, sexually, emotionally, politically or ideologically for his/her own personal advantage, or his/her own needs, or the advantage of any other person or institution.

B.2.3 Gestalt therapists are aware when other relationships or external commitments conflict with the interests of the client. When such a conflict of interests exists, it is the responsibility of the Gestalt therapist to bring it openly into the field of the therapeutic relationship and take necessary action to resolve the issue.

B.2.4 Physical contact in the therapeutic process is exclusively orientated to the welfare of the client and requires special professional reflection and care. In the handling of physical contact in the therapeutic process, the consent of the client is of primary importance.

B.2.5 Gestalt therapists recognize that dual relationships, such as employee, close friend, relative, neighbour or partner is incompatible with the therapeutic process.

B.3.1 All exchanges between the Gestalt therapist and client are regarded as confidential, subject to clause B7 below.

B.3.2 The storing of clients’ personal data, including case notes, is subjected to the relevant national legal and professional regulations.

B.3.3 The Gestalt therapist takes care that personally identifiable information is not transmitted through overlapping networks of confidential relationships, such as supervision.

B.3.4 When a Gestalt therapist wishes to use specific information gained during work with a client in a lecture or publication, the client’s permission will be obtained and strict anonymity preserved around names/data through the use of well disguised writing, a process approach, the use of composites or another colleague as author to ensure that the client cannot be recognized.

B.3.5 When a Gestalt therapist wishes to use specific case material for case studies, reports or publications, he/she obtains the client’s informed consent wherever possible and preserves the client’s anonymity.

B.3.6 Video, photo and tape recordings or film will require the permission of the client or his/her legal representative’s written permission.

B.3.7 When a Gestalt therapist wishes to obtain relevant data about a client from other professionals or institutions, he/she observes the right of the client as regulated by national law. This also applies to the handling of written data regarding the client.

B.3.8 A Gestalt therapist takes into consideration the right of insight of the client into his/her written data as described in the national legal regulations, and is discriminatory in the handling of these documents towards the client.

B.3.9 When public or private institutions, such as law courts, insurance companies etc. request data regarding a client, the Gestalt therapist observes the legal national regulations. In doing so, the Gestalt therapist enters into a discourse with the client and proceeds in a manner that is the most beneficial to the therapeutic process.

B.3.10 When the client is considered to be a minor according to national legal formulations, the Gestalt therapist applies all the above considerations to the therapeutic relationship. In addition, the Gestalt therapist will conform to the national legal and professional regulations concerning information to child care in cases of abuse or other forms of serious lack of care.

B.3.11 In case, the Gestalt Practitioner in Organisations has reasonable doubt or worry about the safety of the client and/or his/her environment, it may substantiate his/her decision to break the rule on confidentiality and to inform those officials or professionals, who are able to intervene and prevent the assumed danger or risk. The client needs to be informed about such steps.

B.4.1 Any contract made between a Gestalt therapist and a client is binding for both parties whether it is written or verbal.

B.4.2 The Gestalt therapist is clear and open regarding his/her competence, expertise and experience when negotiating a therapeutic contract with the prospective client.

B.4.3 The Gestalt therapist will implement an intake procedure that is compatible with the intake procedures where he/she practices.

B.4.4 Any recording, filming or observation of the therapy sessions will be discussed and a contract made with the client.

B.4.5 Contracts with clients, whether written or verbal, are explicit regarding fees, payment schedule, location, breaks and cancellation of sessions by client or therapist. Some examples of breaks could be holidays, other professional commitments, illness etc. The length of the therapy, transfer of clients and terminations are discussed with clients and mutual commitment sought.

B.4.6 In the event of a personal crises or physical illness, the Gestalt therapist will engage in supervision as a way of re-establishing the professional relationship.

B.4.7 In accordance with professional confidentiality the Gestalt therapist will ensure that during the therapeutic relationship s/he will not communicate with any person connected to the client, whether intentionally or with awareness of the connection, without the approval of the client.

B.4.8 Any changes that occur in the above mentioned conditions will require the re-negotiation of the original contract.

B.6.1 The Gestalt therapist will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client suffers neither physical nor psychological harm during the therapy sessions in the physical environment in which the therapy takes place.

B.6.2 The Gestalt therapist will provide privacy for the therapy sessions that will not be overheard, recorded or observed by anyone other than the therapist without informed consent.

B.6.3 Gestalt therapists and Institutions are required to ensure that their professional work is adequately covered by appropriate indemnity insurance (when this is available in their country).

B.7.1 There may be circumstances where the Gestalt therapist need to take action that will protect the client and/or his/her social environment when he/she is not deemed to be self-controlled enough. In such circumstances the clients informed consent to a change in the agreement about confidentiality will be sought whenever possible unless there are also good grounds for believing the client is no longer willing or able to take responsibility for his/her actions.

B.7.2 When making a contact with a client that the Gestalt therapist considers to be subject to exceptional circumstances, he/she will ask the client for the name of another person who may be referred to in this event. In this contingency, the derogation to the contract of confidentiality will be limited to the facts and to the time strictly necessary for the client to recover the responsibility of his/her actions unless after careful supervision of the therapy process.

B.7.3 In the event of an individual and/or collective emergency (for example: individual and/or collective danger of life, social disorders, wars, natural disasters etc.) the Gestalt therapist will consider the particular framework, and preserve the client’s autonomy and professional confidentiality if the circumstances allow this.

B.7.4 The Gestalt therapist will protect the client’s autonomy and professional confidentiality in those cases where the psychotherapeutic process has been a part of a broader process concerning the client’s well-being. This is in particular the case where psychotherapeutic work was initiated “on commission” (work in the hospital, work with organizations, work with minors, etc.), or in a team with other health care operators. The Gestalt therapist will clarify the characteristics of this contract at the initial stage of the contract with their clients and other persons/professionals involved and will contact a third party only after the consent of the client has been obtained.

B.9.1 The Gestalt therapist remains fully accountable for relationships with former clients and current trainees.