Preamble
The purpose of this code is to establish standards of ethical practice and professional conduct applicable to practicing clinicians registered with the CLA (psychoanalysts and psychoanalysts-in-training).
Article 1
CLA clinicians respect the essential humanity and dignity of all those seeking treatment and refrain from exploitation and discrimination in any way. This requires that the clinician does not impose their own ideals of wellbeing.
Article 2
CLA clinicians are expected to engage fully in providing professional treatment. This includes being reasonably available for contact, practicing only within the limits of expertise and of physical and mental health, and giving appropriate notice, where possible, of any changes in the clinician’s situation that will have a bearing on the treatment. In the event of a clinician’s incapacity, alternative treatment is to be sought where appropriate.
Article 3
CLA clinicians are responsible for communicating the terms on which treatment is being offered. This includes the nature of a psychoanalytic treatment, fees and arrangements concerning missed appointments, holidays, and any other business relevant to the treatment.
Article 4
CLA clinicians respect and uphold the rights of those seeking treatment, as protected by The Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994.
Article 5
Where a person is incapable of giving informed consent to treatment, consent will be sought from the appropriate authority. Procedures and safeguarding measures, including those specific to working with minors, are outlined in the CLA’s Consent to Psychoanalysis and Risk Management and Assessment Protocols documents.
Article 6
6.1 CLA clinicians are obliged to respect the right to confidentiality and to safeguard all information associated with the treatment. All records, whether in written or any other form, must be protected with the strictest of confidence in accordance with The Privacy Act 2020.
6.2 When other professionals are involved in a treatment, the CLA clinician must obtain consent to share information. Only information necessary for treatment should be shared.
6.3 If a case is discussed or written about for the purposes of professional development, details should be disguised so that the person is unidentifiable and their privacy is protected.
6.4 The ethical requirement to protect confidentiality continues after the termination of treatment unless there are overriding legal considerations.
6.5 Confidentiality ought to be the guiding principle when disclosures of patient information are required, within the limits imposed by the law and by a proper concern for the safety of the patient and other persons.
Article 7
CLA clinicians have an obligation to continue professional development throughout their professional lives and to seek consultation regarding issues of special complexity as they arise.
Article 8
8.1 CLA clinicians must not make misleading or inappropriate representations of their qualifications, level of competence and expertise, or degree of association with any professional body.
8.2 Only those included on the CLA Register of Practicing Psychoanalysts are recognized as psychoanalysts by the CLA. Likewise, only trainees formally approved to commence clinical work are recognized by the CLA as a registered psychoanalyst-in-training. Persons may not otherwise imply that they are recognized as clinicians by the CLA.
8.3 CLA clinicians are expected to be familiar with current legislation affecting their work.
8.4 If a CLA clinician becomes aware of the professional misconduct of a colleague, steps must be taken to address the situation. This may include speaking to the colleague concerned and reporting it to the CLA Ethics Committee, doing so without malice and with no breaches of confidentiality other than necessary of the proper investigatory procedure.
Article 9
CLA clinicians holding practicing certificates with other professional bodies, in addition to the CLA, are required to uphold the ethical codes of those other professional bodies in their psychoanalytic practice.
August 2022
