Our Code of Ethics sets the basic ground rules for all dreamwork done by Natural Dreamwork Practitioners. The code seeks to develop practitioner and client relationships that have integrity, sensitivity and mutual respect. It places the dreamwork within the frame of basic ethical principles of honesty and fair dealing so that clients can know that practitioners are worthy of their trust, in seeking to be accountable to ordinary common-sense standards of right and wrong.

Overview

Dreamwork Practitioners make a commitment to:

• Collaborate with the utmost respect for the client’s values, culture and spiritual framework, while exploring each dream.

• Continue ongoing learning and personal growth — from each dream, each client — encounter and ongoing personal dreamwork. 

Practitioner/Client Relationship

Confidentiality

• Practitioners ensure that sessions are strictly confidential. Only with prior, written permission of the client will session contents be anonymously shared for teaching or professional purposes.

• Practitioners recognize and disclose legal limitations of session confidentiality. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Natural Dreamwork Practitioners commit to:

• Clearly specify roles and responsibilities of both practitioner and client in writing, including but not limited to session length, frequency of sessions, fees, cancellation policy and scope and limitations of dreamwork practice

• Recognize the inherent imbalance of power in the relationship between practitioner and client and take care not to exploit this imbalance.

• Establish and maintain appropriate physical and psychological boundaries with clients, and avoid imposing their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors on clients.

• Provide clients with tools and perspectives that encourage taking personal responsibility for their own work.

• Avoid any form of manipulation or coercion toward client, refrain from sexualized behavior.

• Make clear what is appropriate contact in between sessions.

Practitioners recognize and address difficulties that multiple roles or relationships pose to the effectiveness or clarity of the ‘dreamwork relationship’ and:

• Avoid relationships with clients outside the dream session that would make the client dependent on the practitioner or make the practitioner dependent on the client. Examples: borrowing or lending money, asking/receiving favors, or requesting/ providing unrelated services. 

• Remove themselves from situations that compromise integrity of Practitioner-Client relationship

Professionalism

Natural Dreamwork Practitioners:

• Disclose that Natural Dreamwork evokes powerful feelings that may lead to emotional discomfort.

• Seek support from other practitioners when the well-being of a client is uncertain or unclear.

• Appropriately advise/refer clients to other professionals when their needs or condition is beyond the practitioner’s skill, experience or training.

• Refer clients to another dreamwork practitioner when accepting a client will result in a conflict of interests.

• Engage in ongoing professional development as a dreamwork practitioner.

• Maintain collegial relationships with other Natural Dreamwork Practitioners.

• Make available to clients the Dreamwork Practitioner Code of Ethics.