Professional Values

Where the practice stands, and why.

Some of the values Gestalt Therapy International holds in regard to the mental health profession and its practices — and a political position on why professional indemnity insurance is considered unethical in its current form.

Eight stances

On diagnosis, dialogue, dual roles, and independence.

— 01

Professional differences

Differences with colleagues are explored as differences, not reframed as 'unethical'. Critical thinking precedes encouraging complaint.

— 02

The 'psychiatric bible'

ICD-10 and DSM-5 are read critically. Mental-health categories can be shaped by politics and marketing as much as by science. All diagnoses are constructed.

— 03

Digital communication

Communication mode is shaped by the client. Email, text, video, chat, or in-person sessions are accommodated where clinically appropriate.

— 04

Neurodiversity

Atypical neurological architecture is not pathologised. Autism is not a disease; language is 'Autistic person', not 'person with autism'.

— 05

Custody

Custody-type letters are not written. Acting as both treater and custody evaluator is avoided.

— 06

Risk management

Practice is held from clinical integrity — not from the fear of attorneys and licensing boards. Rigid, fear-based risk management is named and set aside.

— 07

Children & diagnosis

Stand against inappropriate ADHD and Bipolar diagnosis in small children and against chemical interventions without longitudinal evidence of benefit.

— 08

Independence

A fee-for-service private practice — not under managed-care control — preserves the practitioner's ability to treat according to client need.

A political statement

Why the practice opposes professional indemnity insurance.

Trust. Clients reveal a great deal of themselves; they trust the practitioner to respect boundaries, maintain confidentiality, and support growth.

Responsibility. Therapy in the Gestalt style is like the player and the coach — the coach supports, but what the player does on the field is not the total responsibility of the coach.

The problem. Indemnity insurance does not prevent harm. It provides a lawyer and a fund — and protects practitioners from the costs of legal action rather than encouraging ethical practice.

Five problems with the current system

Adversarial
Winners and losers — not useful for relational repair.
Beneficiaries
The legal profession and the insurance industry — not the client.
Encourages greed
Reduces human pain to monetary value.
A climate of fear
Constrains normal professional consideration and trust.
Spiralling costs
Added onto basic services and passed on to the public.

Alternatives

Other ways to pursue a concern with a practitioner.

· Raise the issue directly with the practitioner.
· Dispute mediation.
· Contact associations of which the practitioner is a member.

Gestalt Therapy International is committed to the codes of ethics of the European Association of Gestalt Therapy (EAGT), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the National Board for Certified Counsellors (NBCC), and the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA). These codes emphasise respect, the welfare of the client, competence, integrity, non-exploitation, dignity, privacy, and working within the law.

Take the next step

Questions about these values?

Write to the team — the practice is committed to working at the relationship, even when difficult.