CODE OF ETHICS FOR MEMBERS OF NACS WORKING AS SEXOLOGISTS

The purpose of these ethical rules is to define the general principles and to establish standards for professionals working with sex therapy, sex counseling, sex education and sex research and to inform and protect members of the public who seek their services. It does not supplant codes of ethics of other organizations to which the sexologist may belong, but is intended to be supplemental.

LINES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE NATIONAL ETHICS COMMITTEES OF NACS

ETHICAL PRINCIPALS

a) The sexologist is responsible for maintaining high professional and human standards of care at all times and in interaction with all clients

b) The sexologist must be aware of the clints dependency and his/her own power in the therapeutic relationship and never exploit this situation for his/her own purposein any ways.

c) The sexologist must always respect the dignity, the autonomy and the ultimate right to self-determination of the client.

RULES OF ETHICS

Competence

1) It is the responsibility of the sexologist to maintain professional competence by current education inclusive adequate supervision, keeping himself/herself acquainted with actual standards and new developments of the profession. The sexologist must recognize his/her own limitations and be ready in due case to refer the client to another therapist.

The sexologist-client relationship

2) All clients should be treated with the same professional solcitude, without any discrimination with regard to
origin, status, race, gender, age, beliefs, sexual orientation and disability.

3) Sexologist must not abuse the client-sexologist relationship financially, sexually, emotionally or in any other
way. It is not acceptable for a sexologist to have sexual relationshi with any client. This principleis also applicable to former clients.

Physical contact

4) Examination and therapeutic procedures involving physical contact must only be performed by someone specifically trained for such procedures and the purpose and nature should beforehand be clarified with the client. Confidentiality

5) The very existence of a sexologist-client relationship and all information exchanged between sexologist and
client is confidential unless anything else is stipulated between the sexologist and the client.

6) If the sexologist has ant personal, legal, or practical limits of confidentiality, these limits must be discussed with the client before the examination/therapy or as soon as possible. In rare cases of possible imminent danger to the life or safety of an individual it may be permissible for the sexologist to make disclosures to other persons or public authorities without the consent of the client.

7) Apart from this special situation all information from the sexologist to private or professional persons or public authorities about identified client presupposes the consent of the client and the client’s right to be acquainted with the report. When only one pert partner of a client couple consents to the release of information, the sexologist may only release information relating to the consenting client.

8) The sexologist must recognise the increased difficulty in maintaining confidentiality in group therapy and discuss this with potential participants.

9) It is the sexologist’s responsibility to ensure that records made in whatever form are kept secure from unauthorizedpersons within the termes of access of health records. If audio or video recordings of clincal sessions are to be used, the intended use of such recordings must be clarified so that the client can give informed consent to being recorded.

Research

10) The basic principles and guidelines of combining research involving human subjects with profiessional care as set out in the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki 1964 (modified 1989) and the World Health Organization 1982 must be adhered to.

NACS’ Ethical Commission

Mai-Briht Bergström-Walan, Sweden, Chai

Else Munck, Denmark

Bente Øgar, Norway

September 2000