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Code of Ethics

The rules a member of the association follows when working with clients. A breach of the code is considered under the complaints procedure.

1. Client safety comes first

1.1
A member works only within their competence and refers the client to a doctor or another specialist if the request is outside it or there are signs of an illness treated by doctors.
1.2
Before working, a member asks about the client's health and contraindications, as the course teaches.
1.3
A member does not promise to cure an illness and does not cancel treatment prescribed by a doctor.
1.4
A member brings the client out of trance safely and does not let them leave in a state in which they could harm themselves.

2.1
A member explains to the client what hypnosis is, what will happen in the session and what the client's own role is, and obtains their consent.
2.2
A member is honest about their qualification, their grade in the association and the cost of the work. They do not present an association grade as a medical licence or an education document.
2.3
A member's advertising is truthful: no promises of guaranteed results, no “the best” or “the only” without proof, no other people's testimonials.

3.1
Everything the client has told stays between them and the member. Exceptions: the client's consent, a direct threat to life, a requirement of the law.
3.2
A member keeps session recordings and client notes securely and in line with personal data law. They use them for supervision and training only with the client's consent and without data by which the client could be identified.

4.1
No personal, romantic or sexual relationships with a client.
4.2
No benefit from a client beyond the agreed payment.
4.3
A member does not use hypnosis to entertain the public under the guise of therapy and does not put a client in a humiliating position.

5.1
A member works with minors only with the consent of their legal representative.
5.2
If a member sees signs of abuse of a child or a vulnerable adult, they act as the law requires and inform the association.

6.1
A member completes at least 15 hours of continuing professional development a year, at least 10 of them in hypnosis, and receives supervision as the membership regulations require.
6.2
A member who is in a difficult state themselves and cannot work safely suspends their practice.

7.1
A member speaks respectfully of colleagues and of other methods.
7.2
A member states their membership accurately: “member of the Independent Association of Hypnotherapists (IAH), grade such-and-such, number such-and-such”.