ETHICAL  CODE

Bulgarian Association
of Music therapy (BAM)

 

INTRODUCTION

Every professional activity and its correspondent community at some moment of its development reach a stage of development where certain regulations and standards of the internal and external relations and interactions are needed. This is to produce more stability of the professional community and its specialized activities and services. This is a basis for providing a higher quality of services to people and institutions and so effecting in better social acknowledgement and recognition of the profession.

All the former is fully valid in concern to music therapy. They have reached this stage of development when the adoption of professional-ethic standards is an intra-professional and social need.

The Ethic Code is proclamation of the principles of behavior, in the interrelations between different individuals with certain social roles. The main presumption of those principles is that their violation may concern the interests of the patient, the client, the trainee, the therapist, the trainer, the colleagues; to bias the therapy or training program, the field of music therapy and the society as a whole.

The principles developed below are based on the following fundamental norms:

1. Human beings are naturally autonomous and creative. Every individual is the creator of his own life and all together create the society.

2. All human beings are of equal value no matter their race, religion, beliefs, nationality, sex, social-economic status or sexual orientation.

3. The individuals have the right, responsibility and potential to make their own decisions, to take responsibility for their own life and to function autonomous.

4. The individuals are responsible for their personal and professional development and for the pace of this development.

In this Ethical Code (EC) the regulations of the professional activity of the music therapists are exposed in seven sections as follows:

I. RESPONSIBILITY

1. In their activity music therapists should follow to the highest standards of the profession.

2. They should be able to realize the consequences of their professional activity and to be responsible for it.

3. They should do their best to prevent their work to be used in an incorrect way.

II. COMPETENCE

1. Music therapists (called below M T) provide only such services that are of their professional competence and comply with their qualification and experience.

1.1 They should realize their professional limitations and when needed they turn to other specialists for consultation or case reference.

1.2 In such practical activities where no standards are established yet, M T take all precautions for the sake of their clients.

2. They put forth effort to be informed of the latest scientific and practical research and developments in the profession.

4. If   M T have personal problems of such character and degree that they disturb their professional obligations, they seek professional help.

III. RELATIONS

1. Relations to clients

1.1 M T respect the autonomy of the client and protect his right of decisions, including the right to quit.

1.1.1 M T have to inform their clients or their representatives for the planed activities in a most understandable way, so they would be in position to decide whether to accept the propositions.

1.1.2 The relation to the client should promote their autonomy and self-decision and to avoid dependence creating behavior.

1.2 M T have to realize all relations, which could influence negative the professional evaluation and to higher the risk of abuse in the therapeutic situation.

1.2.1 Should not abuse their clients financially, psychologically or in any other way, which shows obvious to a neutral observer as a damage to the client.

1.2.2 Sexual relations with the client are not ethical.

1.3 If the conditions of hiring of the M T are against the interests of the client, this should be openly explained.

2. Relations to trainees

2.1 The trainers are responsible to organize their relations to their trainees in compliance with the ethic principles valid for clients (p.III,1.).

2.2 Trainers have as a main goal the professional and personal development of their trainees.

2.2.1 The trainer refers the trainee to a colleague when knowledge and skills he doesn’t have are needed for the training

2.3 M T which do training or other similar activities together with other professionals, should take care not to live the impression that their work doesn’t comply with the requirements of the professional work.

3. Relations to colleagues

3.1 M T respect the professional competence, obligations and responsibility of their colleagues and the representatives of other professions.

3.1.1 Abstain from not justified comments about their colleagues, but are free for criticizm.

3.2 M T who know about violations of the EC by their colleagues are to act according to the prescribed procedures.

IV. CONFIDENTIALITY

1.1 M T have the obligation to keep in secret the information for their clients the have obtained during work.

1.2 They can share such information with other people only with the consent of the clients or their legal representative.

1.3 Exception of this rule can be made only if this is harmful to the client or if there is obvious danger for the client or other people. In such cases information can be given only to people or institutions who can act appropriately.

2.1 For securing confidentiality in cases of psychological and psychotherapeutic research or interventions, M T are obliged to make a special contract with their clients.

2.2 In the contract should be specified the way of warranting confidentiality: who will have access to the materials and how long they will be guarded. This is valid also for computer information.

2.3 In case of audio or video recording, photographing or filming the consent of the client (group participant, etc.) is obligatory.

2.3.1 For demonstration, audition or other use of the material, additional written consent is necessary, which makes clear where, when, in front of whom and in what form this material could be used.

2.3.2 In this case also information for the time for guarding of this material is needed.

2.4 If a client or group member doesn’t give his consent, the material is to be destroyed immediately.

3.1 In case of necessity the M T inform the assignors and the clients about the rules and requirements for confidentiality in this EC.

V. INTERVENTIONS, METHODS, RESEARCH AND CONCLUSIONS

1.1 M T interventions are planned on the basis of well-defined problem and after considering suitable methods and alternative procedures.

1.2 The implementation of interventions and other actions and methods is to be made according to the standards or usual practice.

2.1 M T abstain from using methods with unknown or not satisfying parameters, safe for the cases when such are probation procedure. If so the clients should be informed and it can be proceeded only after their consent.

3.1 M T try to formulate their messages, conclusions and other statements in a way so they can hardly be misunderstood or misused.

3.1.1 Conclusions should be made understandable for the assignors.

3.2 M T take care so their methods are not published in mass media, which could diminish their effectiveness.

3.3 M T choose their methods of work autonomously.

VI. PUBLIC STATEMENTS

1. Public statements, messages, information, etc. made by M T aim to help people make informed and free choice.

1.1 When making statements in their capacity of specialists they seek objectivity and accuracy.

1.2 M T inform about the specificity of their activity in such a manner in order not to be misunderstood.

1.2.1 Public activities having the capacity of advertisement should be avoided.

2. The offering of M T services should contain only the following information: name, address, telephone, education, working hours and specialty.

2.1 In announcements about courses, information about the content and aims of the course could be included.

2.1.1 The announcement should not have the capacity of advertisement or to contain promises for specific results.

3. M T giving advises in the press or in special radio or TV programs or elsewhere, should do this only in general.

3.1 M T can publish under their name only their own work or a work where their contribution is substantial.

3.2 M T do not stop or obstruct the publication of critics of their work.

VI. PROCEDURES IN CASES OF VIOLATIONS THE EC

1. The violations of the EC are to be considered even if they are not violations under the laws of Bulgaria.

2. Information for EC violations is to be accepted from clients, colleagues or trainees.

2.1 If a “qualified member” of BAM receives information for violations of the EC of another member of the Association, he has first to talk to this colleague and the counterpart in an attempt to help the solution of the problem situation.

2.2 If this attempt is unsuccessful or the violation is very serious, he has to turn to the Ethic commission (Ec).

3. The claim for a violation case should be presented in a written form, with detailed description. They should be signed with the full name and address of the claimant.

3.1 Anonymous or oral claims are not given attention

3.2 No matter, to which organ of the Association the claims are addressed, they are passed to the President of the Ec.

4. Claims are considered from the Ec, which is entitled to make the final decisions.

4.1 The president of Ec has to appoint a session of the Ec in 10 days period after receiving the claim.

4.2 Ec chooses a reporter on the case, who has to listen to the parties, to collect the necessary information and to present it to the Ec.

4.3 The reporter presents a written report to Ec.

5. Ec takes into consideration the report and if necessary listens to the parties, checks the documents and conducts special investigations if prescribed by the standards of the Association.

5.1 If the Ec is not satisfied from the investigation it can change the reporter and new investigations.

5.2 The Ec communicates its decision in the term of 1 month after the claim has been accepted.

5.3 The members of BAM collaborate with all their information and documents to the Ec for their investigations.

6. Ec makes its decisions on the claims with a simple majority

6.1 The conclusions of the Ec are presented in written form to the Board of BAM and copies are sent to the parties.

6.2 The conclusions of the Ec can only confirm or disallow the points in the claim for violations of the EC. It doesn’t define or impose sanctions, but can propose to the member of the Association who has violated the EC some kind of supervision, training or education.

6.3 Decisions concerning the membership of the violators can be made only by the General Assembly as is pointed in the by-laws of BAM.

6.4 The decisions and expert opinions are definitive and are in power for the next six months.

7. All investigations and conclusions of the Ec are confidential and are not to be exposed in public without the consent of the involved parties.