Ethics & Guiding Principles

ETD Alliance Guiding Principles

Revised and adopted June 26, 2000

KNOW THEM, LIVE THEM, SPEAK THEM

Relationships take priority over transactions.

• Trust, love, respect, and positive intent are inherent in what we do.
• We foster an atmosphere that supports sharing and collaboration.
• We act with integrity and seek to continually clarify our intentions.
• We work and take action from a position of love and understanding.

We seek to continually enhance ETD competencies.

• We have a passion for learning.
• We are a work in progress: we trust; take risks; make it up as we go along; make mistakes; learn from them; invite feedback; and don't take ourselves too seriously.
• We learn from, leverage, and partner with others inside and outside the Alliance.

We seek to build possibilities for the greater good.

• We work collectively for things that we are not able to accomplish ourselves.
• Everything we do is aligned with the current and future needs of our clients.
• We draw upon our unique and diverse skills and gifts of ETD passions.
• We lead by working to serve others.
• We participate in the Alliance with an attitude of ownership, not entitlement.
• We believe that the good we do will always come back to us.
• We create infrastructure and mechanisms to support collaborative efforts.
  

ETD Alliance Code of Ethical Conduct

Approved June 26, 2000

Establishing a code of ethical conduct is a critical step in the professional development of the ETD Alliance. This code is meant to provide a baseline for behavior among colleagues and with clients in order to support a constructive dialogue in the development of ETD.

By establishing a code of ethical conduct, the members of the ETD Alliance aspire to raise their level of professionalism. These ethical statements are not intended as a punitive tool for ETD providers but, rather, to serve to increase credibility and recognition in the marketplace.

As an ETD practitioner, I am committed to supporting and acting in accordance with the following ethical code.

Additionally, as a representative of my organization, I am committing to insure that my organization supports and acts in accordance with the following statements.

1. Responsibility to Self
   
   1. Act with personal integrity.
   2. Strive continually to assess and upgrade my self-knowledge and personal growth.
   3. Recognize my own personal needs and desires; and, when they conflict with professional responsibilities, seek an all-win resolution.
   4. Assert my own economic and financial interests in ways that are fair and equitable.
2. Responsibility for Professional Development and Conduct
   
   1. Define, seek to understand, and pursue a set of core values aligned with my professional practice.
   2. Accept responsibility for the consequences of my actions and make reasonable efforts to assure that my services are properly used.
   3. Strive to achieve and maintain a professional level of competence for both my profession and myself by developing the full range of my own competence and by establishing collegial and cooperative relations with other practitioners.
   4. Practice within the limits of my competence, culture and experiences in providing services and using techniques.
   5. Honor commitments and agreements.
   6. Gain permission for the use of other’s original materials
3. Responsibility to Clients/Customers
   
   1. Serve the long-term interests of clients, even when the work being done has a short-term focus.
   2. Conduct any professional activity, program, or relationship in ways that are honest and responsible.
   3. Establish agreement on a contract covering services, expectations, remuneration and insurance where appropriate.
   4. Deal with conflicts constructively.
   5. Identify and minimize conflicts of interest.
   6. Determine what information is confidential, and protect the confidentiality of client-professional relationships, including medical information.
   7. Be truthful and fair in representing services provided to clients.
   8. Acknowledge and manage the possibility that the client objectives may conflict with the needs of individuals.
   9. Manage the emotional and physical safety of individuals.
   10. Provide information on potential physical and emotional risks, which allows for informed consent by individuals.
   11. Bill fees and expenses honestly
4. Responsibility to Profession
   
   1. Contribute to continuing professional development for other practitioners, the profession, and myself.
   2. Promote the sharing of knowledge and skills.
   3. Work with other practitioners in ways that promote exemplary professional practices.
   4. Actively promote ethical practices by individuals and organizations engaged in ETD services and, in a case of questionable practices, use appropriate channels for resolution.
   5. Act in ways that bring credit and goodwill to the ETD profession.
   6. Give due respect to colleagues in ETD and other professions.
5. Global Responsibility
   
   1. Act with sensitivity to the facts that my actions and recommendations may affect the lives and well being of individuals.
   2. Act to deepen my understanding of the cultural filters that affect my view of the world.
   3. Respect cultures different from my own. Be sensitive to cross-cultural differences and their implications.
   4. Be aware of how issues of human rights, power, and social justice surface in our work and address them appropriately.
   5. Model sound environmental and ecological practice.