CODE OF ETHICS
Ethical Standards and Professional Practice Guide
As a Practitioner, I shall:
1 – Respect the dignity and worth of every human being and their right to self determination.
2 – Strive to act with integrity, independence and impartiality, avoiding conflicts of interests and acting in accordance with the NLP presuppositions as per below.
3 – Represent myself, my qualifications, experience and membership of professional bodies honestly and also (to the best of my knowledge) the skills, qualifications and experience of any third party to whom I refer any of my customers.
4 – Recognise my scope of practice and only practice NLP within the limits of my competency and to the highest possible standards.
5 – Strive to act within an ecological framework to ensure the safety of my customers at all times.
6 – Represent NLP interventions as an option and at no time as a certain solution for any given problem.
7 – Act as an ambassador for NLP so that it can be presented as a professional and effective approach which can help people and organisations, avoiding to bring NLP into disrepute.
8 – Respect legitimate needs and requirements for confidentiality.
9 – Respect the variety of different styles of NLP and complementary professions.
10 – Ensure that customers’ expectations, and the basis on which they will be met, are understood by both parties and that contractual agreements are not changed without appropriate discussion.
11 – Act within the law and not encourage, assist or collide with others engaged in unlawful conduct.
Some of the NLP Presuppositions
Have respect for the other person’s model of the world – We are all unique and experience the world in different ways. Everyone is individual and has their own special way of being.
The map is not the territory – People respond to their map of reality not to reality itself. People make sense of the world around them through their senses and from their own personal experience. This means that each individual’s perception of an event is different.
Mind and body are one system – Your mental attitude affects your body and your health as well as your behaviour.
If what you are doing isn’t working, do something else – Flexibility is the key to success.
Choice is better than no choice – Having options can provide more opportunities for achieving results.
We cannot not communicate – Even when we remain silent, we are communicating. Non verbal communication accounts for a large proportion of the message.
The meaning of your communication is the response you get – While your intention may be clear to you, it is the other person’s interpretation and response that reflects your effectiveness. NLP teaches the skills and flexibility to ensure that the message sent is the same as the message received.
There is no failure, only feedback – What seemed like failure can be thought of as a success that just stopped too soon. With the understanding, we can stop blaming ourselves and others, find solutions and improve the quality of what we do.
Behind every behaviour, there is a positive intention – When we understand that other people have some positive intention in what they say and do (however annoying or negative it may seem to us), it can be easier to stop getting angry and start to move forward.
Anything can be accomplished if the task is broken down into small enough chunks – Achievement becomes easier if activities are manageable. NLP can help you learn how to analyse what needs to be done and find ways to be efficient and effective.
(Adapted from http://www.anlp.org/files/members-code-of-ethics_51_340.pdf)