Standards of Practice
The Sound Healing Academy (SHA) recognizes the need for a set of simple yet comprehensive standards for all SHA students and practitioners (members).
These standards clarify a minimum level of practice expected of our members, in order to work with clients in a professional and effective manner.
These Standards of Practice are based on the Standards of the Therapeutic Sound Association, which in turn conform to best practice standards for voluntary self-regulation in many fields of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
The aims of these Standards of Practice are to:
1. Provide a generic framework of Standards for all SHA members irrespective of the level or type of sound healing training they have completed.
2. Encourage adherence to health and safety requirements, legal, ethical, and moral codes of practice.
3. Encourage SHA members to practice in a manner that ensures the wellbeing of themselves and others.
4. Provide a generic structure to facilitate the monitoring and assessment of initial and continuing professional development (CPD).
The Standards of Practice have been grouped into the following three sections:
Section A – covers the ethical, legal framework of rights of SHA members and their clients.
Section B – covers the relationship with the client, the healing process and the monitoring and evaluation of the treatment provided.
Section C – covers the generic skills and abilities applicable, and necessary for any SHA member to offer competent, effective care.
The Standards are aimed to work with, and be used in conjunction with, the SHA Code of Ethics and the professional standards of any other membership body to which SHA members belong.
SHA members should ensure that they are familiar with the legislation in their country / state underpinning the standards set out below.
Section A: WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU AS A SOUND HEALER / SOUND THERAPIST
This first section provides a framework of ethical and legal considerations within the capacity of your work.
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE:
You agree to be aware of your professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities in offering a duty of care to your clients, other members of the health care team, and the public.
Your responsibilities include the following:
A1 Abiding by the SHA Code of Ethics.
A2 Maintaining the rights of your clients, to privacy, dignity, and respect.
A3 Providing the same degree of skill and integrity towards your clients, irrespective of age, gender, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs.
A4 Awareness of the rights of clients and colleagues to respectful verbal, physical, emotional and financial behaviour, commensurate with treatment received.
A5 Your own right as a sound healer / therapist, to be treated with respect by clients and others party to your practice.
A6 Your obligation to give appropriate information to your clients regarding your sound healing practice, professional affiliations, and complaints procedures.
A7 Your obligation to respect client confidentiality, and practice this when communicating with other members of the health care team.
A8 The importance of giving your client informed choices in respect of their treatment options.
A9 Following appropriate procedures to obtain and maintain informed consent prior to treatment.
A10 Following appropriate procedures to obtain and maintain informed consent with clients with limited capacity to consent. (e.g. children and vulnerable adults)
A11 The need to maintain appropriate documentation and records in all aspects of your practice.
A12 The requirement for appropriate levels of insurance and professional indemnity in connection with all aspects of sound healing / sound therapy i.e. your practice.
Section B: THE SOUND HEALING PROCESS
This section relates to your professional relationship with your clients and the sound healing process that you engage in with them.
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE:
As a SHA member, you will work in consultation with your client to assess, plan and evaluate an agreed treatment session or program.
The following statements detail the minimum requirements relating to the sound healing process.
You are expected to:
B1 Practice appropriate levels of verbal, and non-verbal, communication between you and your clients.
B2 Show courtesy, empathy, respect and timeliness to your clients, as appropriate to the sound healing practiced, throughout all sessions.
B3 Prepare yourself, and the therapeutic environment, as appropriate to your therapy, prior to each session with the client, taking into consideration such factors – amongst others – as personal hygiene, cleanliness, sobriety and your general health.
B4 Provide your client with appropriate information, and ascertain that your client understands, as far as possible, the therapy you are providing.
B5 Use appropriate assessment procedures relative to your clients’ needs.
B6 Take a case history, relevant to the sound healing that you provide.
B7 Formulate a treatment plan, treatment strategy and method of treatment that meets the specific needs of each client, with agreed aims for each sound healing session.
B8 Review, audit or evaluate the results and outcomes at the end of each session with the client.
B9 Observe the following in your documentation and record keeping.
B10 i Comply with procedures for documentation under the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information legislation, including storage and access procedures.
B10 ii Maintain legible, understandable, relevant up-to-date and accurate client information.
B10 iii Evaluate and process any complaints by your clients to the point of resolution.
B11 As an individual practitioner or member of a team, work in harmony and with respect for carers, and/or family members and the health care team.
Section C: SKILLS & COMPETENCIES OF A PRACTISING SOUND HEALER / THERAPIST
This section relates to the overall knowledge and abilities that you develop in order to improve the quality of your practice for the benefit of yourself, your clients, and the sound healing profession.
Your abilities and skills are learned through training and personal and professional development in a process of lifelong learning and improvement.
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE:
As a SHA member, you will develop your practice through a range of activities.
You will:
C1 Be qualified and competent to practice sound healing to the standards required by SHA .
C2 Adapt and change your practice, in response to new research, knowledge, information, evidence or guidelines and policies regarding sound healing.
C3 To the best of your ability maintain your physical and psychological well-being.
C4 Formulate and implement your own professional and personal development plans.
C5 Find and use appropriate resources to improve your skills.
C6 Keep up-to-date with developments relating to sound healing.
C7 Monitor and evaluate your performance and skills through such means as client feedback, supervision, mentoring, and coaching.
C8 Show efficient self-management in your sound healing practice, including financial probity (integrity).
C9 Support the profile and integrity of sound healing by:
C9 i Supporting the development of other sound healers through sharing sound healing knowledge and experience;
C9 ii Engaging with SHA, complying with regulatory requirements and maintaining up-to-date registration with appropriate organisations;
C9 iii Encouraging new members to the profession and helping them progress through mentoring, coaching, supervision, teaching, sharing information or other means.
C10 Understand and use quality assurance methods to demonstrate professional responsibility and accountability through audit, monitoring or evaluation processes (e.g.: CPD).
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