Rights and Responsibilities of Self-Helpers and Workers

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Our work is based on the principle that all individuals have within them natural healing forces based on homeostatic functions. Thus an individual coming to the Centre for help is known as a self-helper.

The aims of the Centre are as follows:

The advancement of education, and the promotion of re-search into therapies based on developing the natural healing processes and the unity of body, mind and spirit.
The relief of persons suffering from any form of emotional stress by counselling and providing such therapies as afore-mentioned.

To achieve this, contracts are established between Centre workers and self-helpers.

Contract A: Counselling/Therapy

The worker will initially state that s/he is there to help the person help themselves with emotional stress so long as s/he feels able to do so. The principle way this occurs is by gentle verbal encouragement of the natural homeostatic self- healing processes.
The worker will also state that material within the session will be confidential. Exceptions: a) when this conflicts with the worker's responsibilities as a citizen, e.g., if the self-helper has committed a serious criminal offence; b) when there is a need to protect the self-helper, e.g., if the person is in need of care to prevent serious self-damage; c) when the worker needs to speak on a confidential basis to colleagues/supervisors concerning the work in order to assist the self-helper. Care will also be taken in any general descriptive literature relating to the work of the Centre to heavily disguise any material given by self-helpers, unless the self-helper has agreed to such material being openly used.
Workers will complete required Centre records. Those rela-ting to the specific self-helper, other than those required for supervision purposes, will be available for inspection by the self-helper on request.
The worker will provide general information about the nature of emotional stress and its consequences, but in doing so will not be prescriptive about what action the self-helper "should" take in the future. At the most, choices open to the self-helper may be presented. The diagnosis and treatment of specific illnesses is not within the remit of the worker. The seeking of medical advice will not be discouraged.
The worker will only work with self-helpers s/he feels com- petent to assist. Where s/he does not feel competent, the worker will refer the person either to another Centre worker or, if a competent worker outside the Centre is known, to that worker.
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.
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.
There is a general requirement on the part of both worker and self-helper not to physically harm each other or property nor wilfully cause distress to any other person in the building not directly involved in a session. In such cases, the person will be respectfully asked to leave the premises.
The worker will respect the self-helper's wishes not to en-gage in any counselling or therapeutic procedure offered. It will always be pointed out that one of the choices is not to engage in any procedure outlined. If the self-helper decides to terminate the counselling/therapy process at any stage, this will be honoured and not disputed.
When 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, s/he will be expected to make a donation to the Centre.
Exploitation of the self-helper by the worker for his/her own physical, mental or emotional satisfaction is beyond the remit of the worker. Specifically: a) touching will be rarely used, and then only in prescribed circumstances such as assisting the stretching of certain muscles which the self-helper agrees are under tension; b) workers will only pre-scribe advice of an information variety, such as what service another organisation offers; c) workers will not impose their understanding of a self-helper upon him or her, but will always check out whether their understanding accords with that of the self-helper; d) workers will not force a self-helper to engage in release processes; e) sexual activities will not be engaged in.
The worker will clearly distinguish their role from other relationships they may have with the self-helper. Where, despite this, the worker or the self-helper experiences confusion about roles or the boundaries between roles become unclear, the worker will discuss this with his/her supervisor and, if appropriate, the worker will terminate contact in one or more roles.
Self-helpers have a right of complaint. Complaints need to be written and addressed to the Executive. Details of the Centre's own and other complaints procedures are available (see Complaints Procedure in Code of Ethics).

Contract B: Self-Help Groups and Courses

Workers and self-helpers will comply with points 1-13 above. In addition:

Self-helpers and individuals attending self-help groups and courses will provide high degrees of confidentiality similar to those outlined for workers above.
The need to clearly distinguish roles is particularly impor-tant in self-help groups and on courses (see 12 above). Workers will be careful to ensure that the boundaries between counsellor/therapist, self-helper, supervisor, teacher and friend are quite clear.
Where it is established by the workers in charge of the group or course that an individual substantially does not accept the ethos of the group or course, they may be respectfully asked to leave.