Facilitator Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct

01Our Core Ethical Principles

Belief Coding^® Facilitators commit to:

Integrity

Acting honestly and professionally, even when nobody is watching.

Respect

Recognising the dignity, individuality and choices of every participant.

Autonomy

Supporting people to make their own decisions rather than making decisions for them.

Responsibility

Taking ownership of our professional conduct and recognising the limits of our role.

Confidentiality

Respecting and protecting information entrusted to us.

Professional boundaries

Maintaining relationships that are appropriate, safe and respectful.

Competence

Practising only within the limits of our training, experience and professional qualifications.

Do no intentional harm

Never knowingly using Belief Coding^® or the Facilitator relationship to exploit, manipulate, intimidate or harm another person.

02The Role of a Belief Coding^® Facilitator

A Belief Coding^® Facilitator facilitates a process.

Our role is not to tell another person what they should believe, feel or do.

A Facilitator may ask questions, offer observations, challenge patterns, guide processes and encourage reflection. Belief Coding^® can be direct. Facilitators do not have to agree with everything a participant says or avoid challenging conversations.

However, challenge must always be delivered professionally and with respect.

Directness must never become humiliation, intimidation, coercion, manipulation or an attempt to impose the Facilitator’s own worldview upon another person.

The aim is to support greater awareness and choice - not dependence upon the Facilitator.

03Scope of Practice

Facilitators must work within the scope of the Belief Coding^® training they have successfully completed and within their own level of competence.

Being certified as a Belief Coding^® Facilitator does not, by itself, qualify somebody as a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, counsellor or other regulated healthcare professional.

A Facilitator must not represent themselves as holding professional qualifications that they do not hold.

Unless independently appropriately qualified and acting within that separate professional capacity, Facilitators must not:

• diagnose medical or mental-health conditions;
• prescribe medication or recommend changes to prescribed medication;
• advise somebody to discontinue medical or psychological treatment;
• contradict or override instructions given by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional;
• claim to provide medical or psychiatric treatment; or
• practise outside their training or competence.

Belief Coding^® should not be represented as a substitute for appropriate medical, psychological, psychiatric or emergency care.

04Participant Autonomy & Choice

Every participant remains responsible for their own decisions.

The Facilitator’s role is to facilitate - not to control.

Participants are entitled to:

• ask questions;
• express disagreement;
• establish boundaries;
• decline an exercise or element of a session;
• request that a process pauses;
• decide what they wish to discuss;
• seek another professional opinion; and
• end their participation.

A Facilitator must respect a clearly communicated boundary.

No Facilitator should intentionally create dependency or suggest that a participant cannot progress, heal, succeed or make decisions without that Facilitator.

05Consent

Participation in Belief Coding^® must be voluntary.

Before beginning work together, participants should have sufficient information to understand the general nature of Belief Coding^®, the Facilitator’s role and any relevant terms or boundaries governing the service.

Belief Coding^® is an individual and responsive process. Facilitators are not expected to predict or pre-explain every question, response, topic or direction that may naturally arise during a session.

Consent is ongoing.

If a participant clearly withdraws consent to an activity or asks the Facilitator to stop, the Facilitator must respect that decision.

Additional consent should be obtained where appropriate for anything materially outside what a participant could reasonably expect from the agreed service.

06Compassion, Directness & Professional Challenge

Belief Coding^® recognises that meaningful personal development does not always come from comfortable conversations.

Facilitators may respectfully challenge a participant’s beliefs, assumptions, behaviours or patterns where doing so forms an appropriate part of the facilitation process.

A Facilitator can be compassionate and direct at the same time.

Facilitators should use professional judgment regarding the manner and degree of challenge appropriate to the individual and situation.

Challenge must never intentionally be used to:

• shame;
• belittle;
• punish;
• frighten;
• dominate;
• threaten;
• humiliate; or
• manipulate a participant.

Professional challenge should ultimately support awareness, autonomy and personal responsibility.

07Confidentiality

Information shared during Belief Coding^® sessions should be treated as confidential.

Facilitators must not casually discuss identifiable participant information with friends, colleagues, other participants or on social media.

Information may only be shared where there is an appropriate lawful or professional basis for doing so, including where:

• the participant has provided appropriate permission;
• disclosure is required by law;
• safeguarding obligations apply;
• there is a serious concern regarding risk of harm requiring appropriate escalation; or
• information is appropriately anonymised for legitimate professional supervision or development.

Where reasonably possible, Facilitators should explain relevant limits of confidentiality to participants.

08Privacy & Record Keeping

Any participant information collected by a Facilitator must be handled responsibly and in accordance with applicable data-protection and privacy requirements.

Records should be:

• relevant and proportionate;
• accurate where appropriate;
• stored securely;
• accessible only to authorised persons; and
• retained or disposed of appropriately.

Personal stories, screenshots, messages, recordings, photographs or session information must not be published or used for marketing without appropriate permission.

09Recording Sessions

A Facilitator must not secretly record a private Belief Coding^® session.

Where a session is to be recorded, participants should be made aware of this and appropriate consent obtained.

Recordings must be stored and used responsibly and only for the purpose for which permission was obtained, subject to applicable law and contractual terms.

10Professional Boundaries

Facilitators must maintain appropriate professional boundaries.

The Facilitator-participant relationship must never be exploited for personal, sexual, emotional or improper financial advantage.

Facilitators must remain aware that participants may place significant trust in them.

That trust must never be deliberately used to control another person’s behaviour, relationships, finances, beliefs or decisions.

Sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and inappropriate sexual conduct within the professional relationship are prohibited.

Where another relationship exists alongside the Facilitator relationship, the Facilitator should consider whether it creates a conflict of interest or compromises professional judgment.

11Physical Contact

Where a Belief Coding^® technique involves appropriate physical contact, the Facilitator must respect personal boundaries and obtain appropriate consent.

Consent to one form of contact does not automatically constitute consent to another.

A participant may withdraw consent to physical contact at any point.

Facilitators must never use unnecessary, sexualised, inappropriate or coercive physical contact.

12Safeguarding & Serious Risk

Facilitators must take reasonable concerns regarding safety seriously.

Belief Coding^® Facilitators are not emergency or crisis services unless independently qualified to provide such services.

Where a Facilitator reasonably believes that a participant requires urgent medical, psychiatric, safeguarding or emergency support, the Facilitator should act within their competence and encourage or facilitate access to appropriate professional or emergency services where necessary.

Facilitators should not attempt to manage situations outside their competence simply because they wish to help.

Knowing when another professional is required is part of ethical practice.

13Working with Children & Vulnerable People

Facilitators must comply with any applicable law, safeguarding requirements, Belief Coding^® policies and insurance conditions relating to children or adults requiring additional safeguarding.

A Facilitator must not undertake work for which they do not have the appropriate training, safeguards, permissions or insurance.

Where additional consent or parental/guardian involvement is legally or professionally required, this must be obtained.

14Fitness to Practise

Facilitators have a responsibility to consider whether they are personally fit to facilitate safely and professionally.

A Facilitator should not conduct sessions while significantly impaired by alcohol, recreational drugs or another condition that materially compromises their judgment or ability to practise appropriately.

Where personal circumstances temporarily affect a Facilitator’s ability to practise safely, they should take appropriate steps, including pausing practice, reducing their workload, obtaining support or referring participants elsewhere.

15Professional Competence

Certification is not the end of professional development.

Facilitators should maintain and develop their skills through appropriate continued learning, reflection, practice, supervision, mentoring or further training.

Facilitators should recognise the limits of their experience.

If something falls outside their knowledge or competence, saying “I don’t know”, seeking guidance or referring elsewhere is professional practice - not failure.

16Referral to Other Professionals

Belief Coding^® exists alongside many other forms of personal, medical and professional support.

Facilitators should recognise when another form of expertise may be appropriate.

Where necessary, participants may be encouraged to seek support from professionals such as their GP, appropriately qualified mental-health professionals, emergency services or other relevant specialists.

Facilitators should never discourage appropriate professional help in order to retain a participant.

17Medication & Medical Advice

A Facilitator must never instruct a participant to stop taking prescribed medication or alter its dosage unless the Facilitator is separately legally and professionally authorised to provide that medical advice.

Participants taking medication or receiving medical treatment should be encouraged to discuss relevant concerns or changes with the healthcare professional responsible for their care.

Belief Coding^® must never be used as justification for disregarding appropriate medical advice.

18Advertising & Representation

Facilitators must market themselves and Belief Coding^® responsibly.

Advertising must not deliberately mislead people regarding:

• qualifications;
• professional status;
• expected outcomes;
• scientific evidence;
• testimonials;
• the nature of Belief Coding^®; or
• the Facilitator’s experience.

Facilitators must comply with applicable advertising law, regulation and current Belief Coding^® brand and claims guidance.

Where evidence or research is referenced, it must be represented accurately and within the limits of what that evidence actually establishes.

19Outcome Claims

No ethical Facilitator can guarantee another person’s individual outcome.

Facilitators must not guarantee that Belief Coding^® will cure, prevent or successfully treat a medical or mental-health condition.

Participant experiences and testimonials may be shared where appropriately permitted, but individual experiences must not be deliberately presented as proof that everybody will experience the same result.

Facilitators should distinguish appropriately between personal experience, participant experience, theory and research evidence.

20Fees & Financial Integrity

Fees, payment arrangements and material contractual terms should be communicated appropriately.

Facilitators must not use undue pressure, fear or information obtained through the facilitation relationship to manipulate somebody into making a purchase.

Financial arrangements should be handled honestly and professionally.

Where refunds, cancellations or payment plans are governed by contractual terms, those terms should be applied fairly and in accordance with applicable law.

21Conflicts of Interest

Facilitators should identify circumstances where their personal, professional or financial interests could conflict with the interests of a participant.

Where a significant conflict exists, it should be managed transparently and appropriately.

If the conflict cannot reasonably be managed, ending or transferring the professional relationship may be appropriate.

22Equality, Dignity & Respect

Belief Coding^® welcomes people with different backgrounds, identities, beliefs, experiences and perspectives.

Facilitators must not unlawfully discriminate against participants.

A Facilitator may hold their own beliefs and opinions, but must not use the professional relationship to pressure participants into adopting the Facilitator’s religious, spiritual, political, personal or lifestyle beliefs.

The participant’s worldview belongs to the participant.

23Colleagues & the Belief Coding^® Community

Facilitators should treat fellow Facilitators, trainers, professionals and members of the wider community respectfully.

Professional disagreements are permitted. Bullying, harassment, intimidation and knowingly false statements about another professional are not.

Concerns about another Facilitator’s conduct should be raised through appropriate channels rather than handled through public hostility or online attacks.

Protecting professional standards is a collective responsibility.

24Social Media

The same ethical standards apply online as offline.

Facilitators must consider confidentiality, boundaries, accuracy and professionalism when communicating through social media, messaging platforms, communities and other digital channels.

A participant sharing something privately does not automatically give permission for that information to become content.

Facilitators should take particular care when discussing individual cases online, even where names have been removed, if the circumstances could reasonably identify the person concerned.

25Online Facilitation

Where Belief Coding^® is delivered online, Facilitators should take reasonable steps to provide an appropriate environment and protect participant privacy.

Facilitators should consider whether online delivery remains suitable for the participant and circumstances.

Technology does not change the Facilitator’s ethical responsibilities.

26Personal Responsibility of Participants

Belief Coding^® is collaborative.

Participants remain responsible for their own decisions, actions and choices outside the facilitation process.

A Facilitator does not take ownership of another adult’s life decisions simply because those decisions were discussed during a session.

At the same time, Facilitators remain responsible for their own professional conduct and cannot transfer that responsibility to the participant.

Both principles can exist simultaneously.

27Complaints

Participants have the right to raise legitimate concerns about professional conduct.

Facilitators must not intimidate, threaten or retaliate against somebody simply because they have made a complaint in good faith.

Complaints should be handled fairly, professionally and in accordance with the applicable Belief Coding^® complaints procedure.

Facilitators are expected to cooperate appropriately with legitimate investigations into alleged breaches of this Code.

28Breaches of This Code

Belief Coding^® takes professional standards seriously.

Where there is evidence that a Facilitator may have breached this Code, the matter may be reviewed under the relevant complaints or disciplinary procedure.

Depending upon the circumstances and seriousness of the matter, outcomes may include:

• guidance or additional education;
• a requirement for further training or supervision;
• restrictions or conditions upon practice;
• temporary suspension of certification or permissions;
• termination or withdrawal of certification or licence rights; or
• referral to an appropriate authority where legally required.

Any process should be proportionate and provide a reasonable opportunity for the Facilitator to respond to allegations made against them.

29Responsibility for Personal Practice

Every Facilitator is responsible for understanding and applying this Code.

Where there is uncertainty about an ethical issue, Facilitators should seek appropriate guidance rather than simply assuming an action is acceptable.

The question should not only be:

“Can I do this?”

It should also be:

“Is this responsible, appropriate and consistent with the trust somebody has placed in me as a Belief Coding^® Facilitator?”

30Our Commitment

Belief Coding^® exists to support greater awareness, choice and personal transformation.

We believe powerful facilitation and ethical facilitation belong together.

We can be compassionate without being passive.

We can be direct without being disrespectful.

We can challenge without controlling.

We can support somebody deeply without taking responsibility for their life away from them.

Every Belief Coding^® Facilitator carries responsibility for maintaining that standard.

By practising under the Belief Coding^® name, Facilitators commit to protecting the dignity, autonomy and confidentiality of participants; respecting the limits of their competence; behaving with professional integrity; and protecting the standards and reputation of the wider Belief Coding^® community.