1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

This Code of Ethics sets out the ethical principles and professional expectations for all students, practitioners, trainers, supervisors, assistants, and members associated with the Australia Resource Therapy Institute.

It exists to protect clients, students, supervisees, practitioners, and the public, and to preserve the integrity, reputation, and professional standing of Resource Therapy as a structured, attachment-informed, trauma-aware parts therapy.

1.2 Ethical Foundation

Australia Resource Therapy Institute recognizes that Resource Therapy may be used by practitioners from different professional backgrounds, including psychology, counselling, psychotherapy, social work, medicine, coaching, body-based therapies, and other therapeutic or helping professions.

All practitioners are expected to comply with:

this ARTI Code of Ethics
the ARTI Code of Conduct
the laws of the state, territory, or country in which they practise
the ethical and regulatory requirements of their own profession
relevant privacy, consent, complaints, advertising, record-keeping, and insurance obligations

Registered psychologists in Australia must practise in accordance with the Psychology Board of Australia Code of Conduct. The National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers may also apply to unregistered health practitioners, and to registered practitioners providing health services outside their registered scope.

1.3 Status of This Code

This Code does not replace any legal, professional, employment, or registration obligations. Where a higher legal, regulatory, or professional standard applies, that higher standard must be followed.

ARTI may amend this Code as required to reflect changes in professional standards, legal requirements, training standards, or organisational policy.

2. Core Ethical Principles

ARTI students, practitioners, trainers, and supervisors are expected to uphold the following principles:

Client welfare first – client safety, dignity, autonomy, and wellbeing must take priority over the practitioner’s personal, financial, professional, or organisational interests.
Competence – practitioners must work within their training, qualifications, experience, supervision, and scope of practice.
Integrity – practitioners must be honest about their training, role, limitations, and professional status.
Respect – practitioners must treat clients, students, colleagues, and the public with dignity and fairness.
Responsibility – practitioners must consider the foreseeable consequences of their professional decisions and actions.
Confidentiality – personal, clinical, and training information must be protected.
Non-exploitation – practitioners must not misuse power, trust, authority, dependency, or vulnerability.
Professional accountability – practitioners must respond ethically to concerns, complaints, risk, adverse events, and limits of competence.

3. Propriety And Professional Integrity

3.1 Client and Public Welfare

Client, student, supervisee, and public welfare must take priority over the self-interest of practitioners, trainers, employers, organisations, colleagues, or commercial interests.

Resource Therapy must be taught and practised in ways that are respectful, clinically responsible, trauma-aware, and aligned with the practitioner’s professional role.

3.2 Confidentiality

Confidentiality must always be observed. Practitioners, trainers, and supervisors must not disclose client, student, supervisee, or training material unless:

Informed consent has been obtained
Disclosure is required by law
Disclosure is necessary to reduce serious risk of harm
disclosure occurs in professional supervision or consultation, using de-identified information wherever possible

Legal and professional limits to confidentiality must be explained clearly to clients and students.

3.3 Conduct That May Bring ARTI Or Resource Therapy Into Disrepute

ARTI students, practitioners, trainers, supervisors, and members must not behave in a way that may reasonably bring ARTI, Resource Therapy, their profession, or the broader therapeutic field into disrepute.

This includes, but is not limited to:

unethical client conduct
misleading public claims
misuse of ARTI branding
unprofessional social media behaviour
harassment, bullying, discrimination, or intimidation
exploiting clients, students, or supervisees
practising outside competence or scope
making unsupported claims about outcomes or cures

3.4 Respectful Professional Behaviour

All ARTI-associated practitioners must conduct themselves with courtesy, maturity, professionalism, and respect in clinical settings, training rooms, supervision groups, online forums, professional correspondence, social media, public education, and collegial discussion.

Disagreement must be handled professionally. Public shaming, ridicule, personal attacks, or disparagement of colleagues or other modalities is not acceptable.

4. Competence

4.1 Accurate Representation of Training

Practitioners must not misrepresent their level of Resource Therapy training, certification, supervision, experience, or competence.

A person must not claim to be:

a Resource Therapy practitioner beyond their actual training level
a Clinical Resource Therapy graduate unless they have completed the relevant program
an Advanced Clinical Resource Therapy practitioner unless they have completed recognised advanced training
a Resource Therapy trainer unless formally authorised
an ARTI-approved trainer, supervisor, or representative unless this has been confirmed in writing

4.2 Working Within Scope

Practitioners must only provide services that fall within their lawful scope of practice, professional training, competence, and insurance coverage.

Practitioners must not use Resource Therapy to treat presentations beyond their competence, including high-risk or complex presentations, unless they have appropriate professional qualifications, training, supervision, and referral pathways.

4.3 Limitations of Training

Attendance at an introductory or Foundation Certificate program does not, by itself, qualify a person to work with complex trauma, dissociation, severe mental illness, family violence, suicidality, or high-risk clinical presentations.

Students new to mental health practice must not present themselves as mental health clinicians unless separately qualified and legally permitted to do so.

4.4 Ongoing Learning

Practitioners are expected to maintain and develop their competence through continuing professional development, supervision or consultation, ethical reflection, appropriate record keeping, staying current with relevant clinical and professional standards, and recognising when referral or collaboration is required.

5. Responsibility

5.1 Professional Decision-Making

Practitioners are personally responsible for their professional decisions. They must consider the foreseeable consequences of their actions, including the potential emotional, relational, psychological, financial, legal, and ethical impact on clients, students, supervisees, and the public.

5.2 Referral And Collaboration

Practitioners must recommend appropriate medical, psychiatric, psychological, allied health, legal, crisis, or specialist support when a client’s needs fall outside the practitioner’s competence, scope, or role.

This includes concerns involving:

suicide or self-harm risk
family violence or coercive control
child protection
psychosis, mania, or severe destabilization
severe dissociation
substance dependence
eating disorders
medical symptoms requiring assessment
complex trauma requiring specialist care
legal or forensic issues

5.3 No Discouragement of Medical or Psychological Care

ARTI practitioners must not discourage clients from seeking, continuing, or following appropriate medical, psychiatric, psychological, or allied health advice.

Resource Therapy may be used as part of a broader therapeutic approach, but it must not be presented as a replacement for necessary health care.

5.4 Adverse Events and Risk

Practitioners must take appropriate action if a client becomes distressed, destabilized, unsafe, dissociative, medically unwell, or otherwise at risk during or after Resource Therapy work.

This may include pausing the intervention, grounding and stabilization, safety planning, supervision or consultation, referral, contacting emergency services where required, and documenting the event and response.

6. Consulting, Therapy, And Supervision

6.1 Confidential Consulting Information

Clinical, consulting, supervision, and evaluative information must be kept confidential and communicated only for legitimate professional purposes, with consent or as required by law.

6.2 Records

Practitioners must keep appropriate, accurate, timely, respectful, and secure records in accordance with their profession, practice setting, and legal obligations.

Records may include:

consent
presenting concerns
clinical observations
Resource Therapy interventions used
risk assessment and safety planning
referrals or collaboration
supervision notes, where relevant
treatment planning and review

6.3 Informed Consent

Practitioners must obtain informed consent before providing Resource Therapy. Clients must be given clear information about:

the nature of Resource Therapy
the practitioner’s qualifications and training level
likely benefits and limitations
possible emotional discomfort
alternatives
confidentiality and its limits
fees and cancellation policies
record keeping
the client’s right to pause, decline, ask questions, or withdraw consent

Informed consent must be understood as an ongoing process rather than a single event.

6.4 Minors and People Unable to Consent

Where clients are minors, or where decision-making capacity is impaired, practitioners must follow relevant legal, professional, and ethical requirements regarding consent, guardian involvement, assent, confidentiality, and best interests.

6.5 Training Demonstrations And Roleplays

Training demonstrations and roleplays must be conducted with care, consent, and respect. Trainers must ensure students understand:

they may decline participation
personal disclosure is not required
demonstrations are confidential
training is not a substitute for personal therapy
emotional activation should be handled safely and respectfully

7. Client Relationship

7.1 Respect For the Client

Practitioners must respect the client’s emotional, psychological, physical, cultural, spiritual, relational, and personal context.

Practitioners must not abuse clients through actions, words, silence, neglect, coercion, humiliation, pressure, or misuse of the therapeutic relationship.

7.2 Boundaries

Practitioners must maintain appropriate professional boundaries and must not exploit emotional vulnerability, financial dependency, therapeutic trust, student dependence, supervisee dependence, professional admiration, cultural differences, or power differences.

7.3 Sexual Misconduct

Practitioners, trainers, supervisors, and assistants must not engage in sexual or romantic conduct with current clients, students, supervisees, or trainees where a professional power relationship exists.

Practitioners must comply with the stricter requirements of their profession, regulator, employer, insurer, and jurisdiction.

7.4 Non-Discrimination

Practitioners must not discriminate against clients, students, supervisees, colleagues, or the public on the basis of age, disability, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, relationship status, religion, spirituality, neurodivergence, political belief, health status, social background, or other protected attributes.

7.5 Financial Arrangements

Financial arrangements must be clear, fair, and agreed before services begin. Practitioners must clearly communicate fees, cancellation terms, refund policies, package arrangements, supervision fees, report or letter fees where relevant, and any financial limitations or conditions.

Practitioners must not financially exploit clients, students, or supervisees.

8. Professional Conduct, Development, And Insurance

8.1 Complaints and Concerns

Where appropriate and safe, minor concerns may first be addressed directly and respectfully.

However, concerns involving serious misconduct, safety, exploitation, boundary breaches, risk, unlawful conduct, mandatory reporting, child protection, or professional impairment must be escalated to the appropriate professional, legal, regulatory, employment, complaints, or health complaints body.

8.2 Formal Grievance Process

Where concerns relate specifically to ARTI training, supervision, certification, membership, branding, or public representation, concerns may be submitted to ARTI in writing.

ARTI may take appropriate action, including:

clarification
education
mediation
supervision requirement
written warning
suspension from training or membership
removal of recognition
refusal of trainer or supervisor status
referral to an appropriate external body

8.3 Collegial Conduct

ARTI practitioners must not publicly disparage, attack, shame, or misrepresent other practitioners, students, colleagues, professional bodies, or therapeutic modalities.

Professional disagreement may be expressed respectfully, accurately, and without personal denigration.

8.4 Continuing Professional Development

Practitioners must keep their professional skills and knowledge current according to the requirements of their own profession and the level of Resource Therapy practice they offer.

8.5 Supervision

Practitioners should seek regular supervision or consultation, especially when working with trauma, dissociation, complex presentations, suicidality, family violence, child protection, somatic symptoms, medical complexity, couples and relational trauma, practitioner uncertainty, or emotional reactivity.

8.6 Insurance

Practitioners using Resource Therapy must hold appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance for their scope, jurisdiction, modality use, online practice, and client population.

9. Advertising And Public Representation

9.1 Honest Advertising

All advertising must be honest, responsible, accurate, and not misleading. Practitioners must not make claims that imply:

guaranteed outcomes
guaranteed trauma recovery
guaranteed symptom relief
cure of serious illness
superiority over all other therapeutic approaches
recognised qualifications they do not hold
endorsement, certification, or trainer status not formally granted

9.2 AHPRA And Regulated Practitioners

Registered health practitioners must ensure all advertising complies with AHPRA, National Board, and relevant professional advertising requirements. This includes caution with testimonials, protected titles, claims of specialisation, misleading claims, and representations about health outcomes.

9.3 Use of ARTI Name, Logos, And Branding

ARTI logos, seals, stamps, certificates, wording, and branding may only be used in accordance with ARTI permission and current status.

Where ARTI membership, certification, or recognition has expired, been withdrawn, or not been granted, all claims, seals, logos, badges, and references suggesting current status must be removed.

9.4 Accurate Training Descriptions

Practitioners may only advertise their Resource Therapy training level accurately. Acceptable descriptions may include:

Foundation Certificate In Resource Therapy
Clinical Resource Therapy Graduate
Advanced Clinical Resource Therapy Practitioner
Resource Therapy Trainer, only where formally authorised
Resource Therapy Supervisor, only where formally authorised
Trained In Resource Therapy, where accurate

9.5 No Coercion or Misleading Recruitment

Practitioners, trainers, and members must not pressure, mislead, manipulate, or coerce others into joining training, membership, supervision, or professional services.

Prospective students must be given clear information about course level, prerequisites, hours, delivery mode, assessment requirements, scope limitations, fees, refund policies, supervision recommendations, and certification or completion status.

10. Ethical Resource Therapy Practice

10.1 Respect For Parts and Resource States

Resource Therapy must be practised in a way that respects the person’s internal system.

Practitioners must avoid pathologising, shaming, blaming, ridiculing, or coercing any Resource State or part of the person.

The therapist’s role is to support clarity, healing, cooperation, emotional processing, and improved internal connection.

10.2 Avoiding Suggestion and Memory Misuse

Because Resource Therapy may involve emotionally significant memories, practitioners must avoid leading, suggestive, or coercive methods.

Practitioners must not claim that Resource Therapy proves the factual accuracy of any memory, trauma, event, or allegation.

10.3 Trauma-Aware Pacing

Practitioners must pace Resource Therapy according to the client’s readiness, stability, consent, and therapeutic goals.

The practitioner must monitor for:

overwhelm
dissociation
shame
fear
confusion
shutdown
flooding
destabilisation

Where needed, stabilisation, resourcing, referral, or a change in therapeutic direction must take priority.

11. Additional Ethical Requirements for Students New To Mental Health Practice

Students entering Resource Therapy from a second-career background, or without prior mental health, counselling, psychotherapy, psychology, social work, medical, or allied health training, must take particular care not to overstate competence.

These students must:

clearly identify their current professional background
work only within their lawful and insured scope
avoid high-risk or complex mental health work unless separately qualified
complete additional learning in ethics, consent, boundaries, trauma-informed care, risk recognition, referral pathways, and record keeping
seek supervision from an appropriately qualified professional
refer clients to registered or specialist practitioners where client needs exceed competence

Completion of Resource Therapy training does not automatically authorise a person to practise as a mental health clinician.

12. Breach Of This Code

A breach of this Code may occur when a practitioner, trainer, supervisor, assistant, student, or member:

misrepresents qualifications or training
practises outside scope or competence
breaches confidentiality
exploits a client, student, or supervisee
engages in sexual misconduct
fails to respond appropriately to risk
makes misleading advertising claims
misuses ARTI branding
fails to maintain insurance
behaves in a way that brings Resource Therapy or ARTI into disrepute
breaches relevant legal, ethical, regulatory, or professional obligations

ARTI may take action where needed to protect clients, students, the public, the profession, and the integrity of Resource Therapy.

13. Commitment Statement

All ARTI students, practitioners, trainers, supervisors, assistants, and members are expected to uphold this Code of Ethics.

Resource Therapy is a powerful, structured, respectful, and attachment-informed parts therapy. It must be practiced with humility, care, professional integrity, and deep respect for the person seeking help.

Australia Resource Therapy Institute is committed to safe, ethical, trauma-aware, culturally respectful, and professionally responsible Resource Therapy training and practice.

Australia Resource Therapy Institute maintains a formal Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for all students, practitioners, trainers, supervisors, assistants, and members. These documents require practitioners to work within scope, maintain appropriate insurance, obtain informed consent, protect confidentiality, avoid misleading claims, refer when client needs exceed competence, and comply with relevant professional, legal, privacy, advertising, and health complaints requirements. Registered practitioners must comply with their own National Board and professional standards. Non-registered practitioners and registered practitioners working outside their registered scope are expected to comply with the National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers and relevant state or territory requirements.

Compliance References for Review

This document has been prepared with reference to the IICT Code of Ethics structure, the National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers, AHPRA advertising and conduct principles, and the Psychology Board of Australia Code of Conduct. IICT Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct information: https://www.myiict.com/boring-info/#code-of-ethics

NSW Health National Code of Conduct for Health Care Workers information: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/phact/Pages/code-of-conduct.aspx
Psychology Board of Australia Code of Conduct: https://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/Standards-and-Guidelines/Professional-practice-standards/Code-of-conduct.aspx
AHPRA advertising resources: https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Advertising-hub.aspx

Review And Adoption

This Code shall be reviewed regularly and updated as professional standards, health complaints frameworks, privacy obligations, insurance requirements, and Resource Therapy training pathways evolve.

Approval Record

Approved By	Philipa Thornton
Role	Director
Date Adopted	1 April 2026
Next Review Date	1 April 2027