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The Hippocratic oath
 “…I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.
What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about….”
The ancient father of medicine, Hippocrates, composed the oath that continues to set out the overarching and guiding principles for healthcare professionals today. Following on the principles of the Hippocratic oath, every mental health and other health care association has a code of ethics that implicitly or explicitly precludes sexual relations with or emotional abuse of patients and requires confidentiality in the professional-patient relationship.
If you are thinking about starting therapy, or are in therapy and wondering whether your therapist’s behavior meets the ethical standards set forth by his/her professional association, the following list gives you directions to the websites that describe those standards. This list is also useful for finding the appropriate place to direct an ethics’ committee complaint against an abuser.
Medical Doctors
American Medical Association
515 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 464-4823
www.ama-assn.org
ceja@ama-assn.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to:
www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2416.html
Psychoanalysts
American Psychoanalytic Association
309 East 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 752-0450
www.apsa.org
centraloffice@apsa.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to the home page and click on ethics.
Psychiatrists
American Psychiatric Association
1000Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825
Arlington, VA 22209-3901
(703) 907-7300
www.psych.org
apa@psych.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: www.psych.org/psych_pract/ethics/ethics.cfm
Psychologists
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
(800) 374-2721
www.apa.org,
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: http://www.apa.org/ethics/
Social Workers
National Association of Social Workers
750 First Street, NE, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20002-4241
This organization does not post a central telephone number.
www.naswdc.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: www.naswdc.org/pubs/code/default.asp
For further information, call the NASW office in your state.
Counselors
American Counseling Association
6101 Stevenson Avenue, Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22304
(800) 347-6647
www.counseling.org
ethics@counseling.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/ethics/2014-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=2d58522c_4 For information about filing an ethics complaint with ACA: https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/ethics#complaints
For a listing of all the state counseling boards in the US,, see: https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/licensure-requirements/state-professional-counselor-licensure-boards
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
The Association for Addiction Professionals
901 N. Washington St., Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22314
(800) 548-0497
www.naadac.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: http://naadac.org/documents/index.php?CategoryID=23
Biofeedback Certification Institute of America
10200 W. 44th Ave, Suite 310
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-2840
(303) 420-2902
www.bcia.org
bcia@resourcenter.com
To view this organization's code of ethics, go to:
www.bcia.org/associations/5063/files/EthicalPrinciples.pdf
Family Therapists
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
112 South Alfred Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3061
(703) 838-9808
www.aamft.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: www.aamft.org/resources/lrmplan/ethics/index_nm.asp
Pastoral Counselors
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
9504A Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031-2303
(703) 385-6967
www.aapc.org
info@aapc.org
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: www.aapc.org/ethics.cfm
Massage Therapists
National Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300
McLean, VA 22102
(800) 296-0664
info@ncbtmb.com
www.ncbtmb.com
To view this organization’s code of ethics, go to: www.ncbtmb.com/ethics_&_standards.htm
Nurse Practitioners
American College of Nurse Practitioners
1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 659-2190
acnp@acnpweb.org
www.nurse.org
This organization does not post a code of ethics.
In Australia, the codes of ethics for Psychologists and Psychiatrists can be found at:
Australian Psychological Society
http://www.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/APS-Code-of-Ethics.pdf
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry
https://www.ranzcp.org/Files/ranzcp-attachments/Resources/College_Statements/code_ethics_2010-pdf.aspx
In Australia, occupations such as Counsellor, Social Worker, Psychotherapist or Caseworker are not required by government legislation to be registered. Some practitioners choose voluntarily to be members of relevant voluntary professional associations. The codes of ethics for some relevant organizations include:
Australian Association of Social Workers
http://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/1201
Australian Counseling Association
http://www.theaca.net.au/documents/ACA%20Code%20of%20Ethics%20v8.pdf
Psychotherapy and Counseling Federation of Australia
http://www.pacfa.org.au/sitebuilder/aboutus/knowledge/asset/files/4/2012pacfacodeofethics.pdf
In Korea, the codes of ethics for Psychologists can be found at:
Korean Psychological Association
http://www.koreanpsychology.or.kr/eng/KPA-Regulation/sub_02.asp
See also: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aRHHvU8us1Aj_6mNtyuyTcv0CD5piXY4/view>
In the UK, counsellors and psychotherapists do not have to be registered with a professional body. There are three main bodies (plus many others), each with different ethical frameworks and processes. Information on these organizations may be viewed at:
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
http://www.pacfa.org.au/sitebuilder/aboutus/knowledge/asset/files/4/2012pacfacodeofethics.pdf
UK Council for Psycotherapy
https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/media/bkjdm33f/ukcp-code-of-ethics-and-professional-practice-2019.pdf
British Psycoanalytic Council
https://www.bpc.org.uk/regulation/ethical-framework/
If you know of other professional organizations that should be included on this list, please e-mail name and contact information to: jan@therapyabuse.org.
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