TERMS OF REFERENCE REGULATIONS OF THE PROFESSIONAL ETHICS COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY for PSYCHOANALYTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
RECITALS
These regulations govern the terms of reference and the functions of the
Professional Ethics Committee (PEC) of the Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. These Regulations are approved by the Management Board of the Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.
PEC is a standing committee of the Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, elected by the SPP’s General Meeting. The Professional ethical standards are outlined in the SPP’s Code of Ethics (CoE).
I. PURPOSE, MEMBERS AND TERMS OF REFERENCE OF PEC
- PURPOSE
1.1. PEC shall ensure that the Members of the Association observe the Professional ethical standards.
1.2. PEC shall bestow great care on establishment, promotion and development of the culture, values and relations at the Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy based on professional ethical principles and good practices.
- MEMBERS
2.1. PEC has three Members duly elected by the Association’s General Meeting.
2.2. All PEC’s Members are elected from the full-time members, distinguished by long-standing clinical experience and strict adherence to good professional practice.
2.3. PEC’s Chairman is elected amongst the PEC’s Members.
2.4. The PEC’s Members shall not be Members of the Management Board.
2.5. The Members shall be vested with full powers and authority for three years and may be reelected for maximum two consecutive mandates. These same Members may be candidates for the said committee at minimum three-year regular intervals.
- TERMS OF REFERENCE
3.1. PEC shall take charge of the consideration of inquiries and complaints which may specifically be referred to as ethical in nature and duly submitted against the Association’s Members.
3.2. PEC shall consider issues/cases on its own initiative when in its own discretion they might be considered to breach the Association’s Code of Ethics.
3.3. PEC shall deliver statements of opinion, draft resolutions, proposals for actions or sanctions.
3.4. PEC shall submit reports to the PPA’s Management Board.
3.5. PEC shall keep business records and shall report directly to the Society’s General Meeting on an annual basis.
3.6. PEC shall transact business with respect to development of culture, values and relations based on ethical principles and good therapy practice (events, advisory services, recommendations to individual members, etc.)
3.7. It is within the PEC’s competence to draft amendments and to implement the SPP’s Code of Ethics.
II. PEC’S RULES AND PROCEDURES ON INQUIRIES AND COMPLAINTS
- PEC shall only consider inquiries and complaints made in writing – via e-mail or by post to the address of the PEC’s Chairman (available on the Society’s website) with the sender and return address, phone number and/or e-mail specifically contained therein.
1.1 All anonymous and/or verbal inquires and complaints fall out of the competence of the Society’s PEC.
2. PEC shall consider and handle all inquiries and complaints private and confidential.
3. All ethics-related cases that are submitted to PEC are referred to as:
3.1 Inquiry – for interpretation of cases in relation to the PPA’s Code of Ethics;
3.2 Complaint – verified and substantiated information of breach of the Society’s Code of Ethics.
4. All complaints/inquiries are required to state any or all reasons to bring forward the matter of interest or parties concerned.
5. Inquiries and complaints may be submitted by an individual Member of the Society or any other party (patient or next of kin, academic circle representatives, members of any other association or society of public renown, etc.)
6. All inquiries and complaints which may specifically be referred to as ethical in nature and posted in writing to the PPA, shall be forwarded to the PEC’s e-mail.
7. All inquiries and complaints made in writing shall be entered in the inbound register kept in the PEC’s custody.
8. PEC shall deliver judgment in a meeting held within fourteen days from entry of the inquiries and complaints on the matter, whether or not being a breach of ethics standards or within the competence of PEC.
8.1 PEC shall notify the Management Board on the business to be transacted at PEC’s meeting within the abovementioned term. In view of the generality of the case at this stage, the parties concerned shall go unnamed. Any further information thereof shall be contained in the final PEC’s report to the Management Board.
8.2 Provided that the inquiries and complaints are filed against an PEC’s Member, he/she shall be notified in due course and suspended from his/her duties arising out of or in connection with the committee membership.
9. Within seven days from the said meeting, PEC shall come out with a resolution in reply in writing to the sender of the inquiry or complaint whether it falls within the PEC’s competence to consider the matter any further.
10. All draft resolutions on any particular case shall be adopted by a simple majority by the PEC’s Members.
10.1In the absence of full majority, PEC shall duly report all arguments thereof to the SPP’s Management Board.
11. The final resolution on the cases shall be adopted by SPP’s Management Board.
12. In the event of discrepancy between the PEC’s and the Management Board’s resolutions, it shall be within the competence of the Management Board to take the final resolution while PEC shall be empowered to deliver difference of opinion.
III. ACTIONS AND SANCTIONS
SPP shall initiate actions and sanctions relating to breach of the Code of Ethics in evaluating the gravity of a violation.
- Hearing and elucidation. PEC shall conduct individual confidential hearings of the parties concerned to make inquiries into the cases of violation. If an inquiry or a complaint is deemed to be wholly devoid of foundation, the arbitral proceedings are terminated by written reply to the parties concerned.
- Should PEC consider certain factors in extenuation of the violation in evaluating the gravity of a violation, PEC shall recommend steps to enhance the professional competency of the associate in breach of the PP’s Code of Ethics. Actions to be taken as to supervision, intervision, individual psychotherapy or training are outlined herein.
- There being no adequate information to contribute to an elucidation or dispute, PEC shall enroll expertise outside PEC itself.
- In the event of grave violations of the Code of Ethics, PEC shall come out with a motion before the Association’s Management Board to disempower the Member found to have committed violation.
4.1. The Member to have perpetrated violation may be relieved of his/her executive or expert duties by the Society (membership or Management Board’s special functions, membership committee, workshop, etc.). It may be referred to fixed-term or non-fixed- term disempowerment depending on the gravity of violation.
5. In the event of unusually grave violation of the Code of Ethics or repudiation to bring clarity to a violation-related situation, PEC shall come out with a motion before the Society’s Management Board to dismiss the Member. There may be fixed- or non-fixed-term dismembership.
5.1. The Management Board shall duly notify the Society’s Membership at the General Meeting of the resolution of dismissal of the Society’s Member in a confidential manner in ways that respect the human dignity.
5.2. The PPA’ Management Board shall duly notify the Management Board of the Bulgarian Association of Psychotherapy of the resolution of dismissal of the Society’s Member where he/she is a BAP’ Member in a confidential manner and usually in ways that respect the human dignity.
IV. Records related to PEC’s Terms of Reference
- PEC shall keep inbound and outbound registers in its custody.
- PEC shall keep the records of proceedings at the Committee’s meetings.
- PEC shall draw up progress reports on the inquiries or complaints to be submitted to the Management Board in compliance with the terms and conditions of respect of human dignity and virtues of the parties concerned.
