Rights and Responsibilities of Self-Helpers and Workers

| Abbreviated Version  | Full Version |

Abbreviated Version

  1. Workers aim to help people help themselves with emotional stress. The principle way this occurs is by gentle verbal encouragement of the homeostatic self-healing processes.
  2. Workers provide high levels of confidentiality.
  3. Workers will complete required Centre records. Those relating to the specific self-helper will be available for inspection by the self-helper on request.
  4. Workers will provide general information about the nature of emotional stress and its consequences.
  5. A worker will only work with self-helpers s/he feels com-petent to assist.
  6. Where a worker suspects that s/he may not be able to assist the self-helper, s/he will, where appropriate, discuss this with colleagues/supervisors.
  7. As a token of the self-helper's commitment to self-help, a donation will be required. The minimum donation will be set by the Centre.
  8. Where a self-helper who has not paid in advance fails to turn up as arranged or gives inadequate notice (under 48 hours) without sound cause such as illness or accident, they will be expected to make a donation to the Centre.
  9. There is a general requirement on the part of both worker and self-helper not to physically harm each other or pro-perty nor to wilfully cause distress to any other person in the building not directly involved in a session.
  10. The worker will respect the self-helper's wishes not to engage in any counselling or therapeutic procedure offered. If the self-helper decides to terminate the counselling/ therapy process at any stage, this will be honoured and not disputed.
  11. Exploitation of the self-helper by the worker for his/her own physical, mental or emotional satisfaction is beyond the remit of the worker.
  12. Workers will clearly distinguish their role from other relationships they may have with the self-helper. This is especially important in self-help groups and on courses.
  13. Self-helpers and individuals attending courses will provide high degrees of confidentiality.
  14. If self-helpers or group/course members have a complaint, this should be put in writing and addressed to the Executive.