Laying a Complaint about a Pascha Therapist

This document contains information for people wishing to raise concerns or make a complaint about a Pascha Therapist.

Therapists who are members of the New Zealand Association of Intuitive and Pascha Therapists are required to comply with the NZAIPT Code of Ethics.

A copy of the Code of Ethics is available in a downloadable PDF document on this website.  Please go here to view that 

 

Notification of Concern

Complaints about a Therapists behavior may be brought to the attention of the Ethics Committee by:

• a client or clients of the Therapist

• a legal guardian of a client

• another therapist who is working with the client. (The client's permission would be required)

• a colleague, supervisor or manager of the Therapist

• a member of the public

 

Raising the Concern with the Therapist

You are encouraged to discuss any concerns you may have directly with the Therapist involved. This is often the most direct way to clear up any misunderstanding or disagreement.
Pascha Therapists are educated to be self aware and take responsibility for their actions and are always encouraged to be open to feedback, discussion and concern from clients.
You may wish to have support to discuss the issue and choose to bring a support person with you. If you would like help or guidance in having such a discussion please contact the President of the NZAIPT at info@pascha.co.nz.
If a such a discussion does not resolve the matter for you, or if the incident was too serious for you to consider a direct approach then you may ask the Association to either assist in resolving it or to initiate a formal investigation.
In this situation please write to the President of the Association via email to info@pascha.co.nz or Postal Address to 125 Main Road, Governors Bay, RD1, Lyttleton, 8971 with your complaint.( Please see the guidelines attached for submitting a complaint.)

Receiving Complaints

Complaints relating to a member of the Association will be considered in relation to professional misconduct, behaviour which adversely affects the NZAIPT or behaviour that brings disrepute to the profession of Pascha Therapy.

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Guidelines for Making a Complaint

The following information helps speed the process of making a complaint:

1. Your name and address, telephone numbers and an email address if available.
2. The name and address of the Pascha Therapist involved and their place of work.
3. The nature of the Therapy relationship, ie individual, couple counseling, supervision etc.
4. The dates of the appointments with the Therapist and the duration of the relationship.
5. If you are complaining for yourself or for someone else. If for someone else please let us know the relationship you have to them.
6. What did the Therapist do or say that has caused you to lay a complaint? Please describe these as clearly as possible.
7. Let us know if you have already taken any action in addressing your complaints, for example talking to the Therapist or other member of the organisation they work for.
8. Also let us know if you have made a complaint about this matter through any other avenues.
9. Let us know if you are available to attend a formal hearing to present your complaint and answer questions.

Procedure

Upon receipt of the complaint the President will check that the member complained of is a member of the Association and then begin the procedure as shown below.

Initial Assessment

When a written complaint is lodged with the Ethics Committee an assessment will be made by the President or Vice President whether or not the behaviour described is professional misconduct, behaviour unbecoming a member of the Association or behaviour prejudicial to the interests of the NZAIPT.  If not, you will be informed and offered advice about other avenues or support that may be open to you.

If the initial assessment concludes that there is a case to answer you will be asked for written agreement to proceed with the matter and for your permission to send a copy of your letter to the member concerned.

Upon receiving your consent the Ethics Committee will read and consider your concern. They will then decide on the most appropriate step as listed below:

Assist you to seek private resolution

The President will offer you advice about approaching the Therapist and the  support that might be available for you to take this step.

Request a written response from the member

The member is advised of the complaint and given a month to respond in writing.  Once the reply is received the Ethics Committee will decide on what further steps may be taken. You will be informed of those steps.

Further Action

Upon receipt of the response from the member the President or Vice President may respond in the following ways.

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Decide there is no case to answer;
Both you and the respondent will be informed that there will be no further action taken by the Committee. You will be offered advice about other avenues that may be open to you.

Decide that more information is required.
Letter/s will be sent seeking further information and requesting a further written response from the member. This may conclude the matter satisfactorily or lead on to the following steps.

Decide that the behaviour complained about does not match the standards required of a Pascha Therapist and/or has caused distress to the complainant but does not warrant a full hearing but can be handled by an educational and restorative approach.
The matter will be referred to a senior supervisor to work with the member concerned and recommendations made concerning courses and classes which will need to be attended to support the changes needed for the member.  This may also involve a formal apology to you.  You will be informed of this outcome and offered assistance to find a replacement Therapist if this is requested.

Decide that there is enough evidence of conduct which requires a formal hearing of the Ethics Committee as contained in the following criteria. 

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• The behaviour complained of fails to meet the required standards of behaviour described in the NZAIPT Code of Ethics or

• Is behaviour not of a standard of a competent practitioner or

• Brings the profession of Pascha Therapy into disrepute

• And is unlikely to be resolved without formal sanctions being imposed.

Ethics Committee Resolution Process

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The following steps are involved in the formal hearing process.

Administration
The resolution team will consist of three members one of whom will be the President or Vice President of the Association. The President or Vice President will select two other team members who have no conflict of interest with either the member or you to assist with the hearing and resolution of the complaint. They will be provided with copies of any documentation relevant to the complaint.

Further Information about your complaint
Two of the resolution team members will meet with you. You are welcome to bring a support person. This purpose of the meeting is to hear your account of the incident which lead to the complaint and to discuss your expectations and needs in relation to an outcome.

Meeting with the Member
The same two resolution team members will meet with the member who has been complained about. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the member to give their account of what happened, to learn of any other circumstances that may have contributed to the incident and to invite reflection on the incident by the member if warranted.

Post Interview Assessment
At the completion of the interview process the resolution committee may decide on the following possible outcomes.

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• No further action will be taken

• Conclusion of a private resolution between the parties

• Recommending restorative and educational steps for the member to undertake such as acknowledging the incident and the affect it had on the complainant, writing a formal apology to the complainant, increased or specialist supervision, attending further classes or training.

• Recommending that a formal hearing be convened to review the member’s actions and response to the incident and how this may affect their accreditation and or membership of the NZAIPT.

Convening a Formal Hearing

A formal hearing to address a complaint about a member of the association will only be convened if all other avenues for resolution are unsuccessful or the behaviour complained of is deemed important enough to warrant suspension or expulsion from the Association.

The hearing will follow the principles of natural justice, providing the member the right of reply and to seek advocacy and legal advice.
A panel consisting of the President or Vice President and two senior Therapists or NZAIPT Teachers will be convened by the President of the Association. The panel will consult with appropriate legal representation prior to and during the preparation for the hearing.
The Hearing Panel gathers information to determine whether the behaviour occurred, whether the behaviour is deemed to be professional misconduct, behaviour adversely affecting the NZAIPT or the profession of Pascha Therapy.
You will be asked to attend and give your account of the incident that led to the complaint and may be asked questions by members of the panel, the member in question or their legal representative. If the behaviour is confirmed by the panel, and found to be of concern, the panel will then determine any sanctions that may be imposed. These may include but not be limited to formal apology, increased supervision, requirement to undergo retraining, suspension of membership and expulsion from the NZAIPT.
Depending on the seriousness of the incident public notification of the expulsion from the Association is also an option. Other members of the Association will be informed through the regular newsletter and the sanctions will also be announced at the NZAIPT AGM.
The incident will be deemed to be closed when the Ethics Committee members are satisfied that the matter is resolved.
Information about the outcome or progress of the proceedings will be sent to you within a month of the initial interview and continue to be sent at regular intervals until the matter is resolved.

Records

The written complaint, the response and all other formal correspondence relating to the complaint will be kept on file by the Secretary of the Association.
The convener of the panel, either the President or Vice President, shall be responsible for the correspondence required during the course of the formal hearing.  Any copies of material held by other members of the panel during the hearing shall be destroyed at the completion of the hearing.

 

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