CODE OF ETHICS ASSOCIATION "SERBIAN ANALYTIC SOCIETY"

1. Introduction

1.1. The Association of the Serbian Analytical Society adopted the Code of Ethics (hereinafter referred to as the "Code") which defines the ethical and moral values, principles and standards of professional behavior of the members of the Serbian Analytical Society (SAS), (hereinafter referred to as the "Association") in relation to clients, other members of the Association and the general public. The Code also covers issues of members' responsibilities, relations with clients, complaint procedures for violations of ethical rules and the work of the Ethics Committee.
1.2. All members of the Association are obliged to respect the principles stated here in their work and act conscientiously in accordance with them.
1.3. All regular members (analysts and candidates for acquiring the title of analyst), associate and honorary members of the Association, more closely defined by the Statute of the Association, are obliged to comply with the obligations established by the Code, and to act in accordance with it.
1.4. When joining the membership of the Association, members will be familiar with the principles of the Code, after which they are obliged to give their written consent to accept the Code of the Association.

2. Principles of the Association

2.1. The work of the Association is based on confidentiality, objectivity, expertise and the principle of non-discrimination.
2.2. All issues that potentially represent a conflict of interest (e.g. in terms of professional, personal, financial competing interests) between members of the Association and members in relation to the Association, an ethical dilemma or would affect the reputation of the Association, must be presented to the Ethics Committee of the Association and must be discussed in an open, honest, professional and comprehensive manner.
2.3. In all cases where there is a conflict of interest between members of the Association, personal or professional interests and the interests of the Association, the interests of the Association will prevail.
2.4. The association is in no way connected with any political organization.

3. The principle of non-discrimination

3.1 The principle of non-discrimination is defined by the Code of Ethics of the Association, and its observance is of particular importance.
3.2 The principle of non-discrimination means that when undertaking any actions, care must be taken to treat everyone equally, regardless of any of their personal characteristics, and in particular that no discrimination is carried out on the basis of race, religious or political beliefs, ethnic origin, gender and/or sexual orientation.
3.3. Members of the Association are expected to follow the Principle of non-discrimination, respect it and act in accordance with it.
3.4 This professional and personal attitude is expected from all regular, associate and honorary members of the Association in all activities of the Association, starting with personal statements, psychotherapy practice, membership in professional associations, training programs, public performances and events for the professional and general public.
3.5 Any deviation from the Principle of non-discrimination entails the responsibility of the member of the Association and action according to the rules defined by this Code.
3.6. The Association firmly opposes any kind of discrimination and encourages its members to inform the Association's Ethics Committee in a timely manner if they recognize the same among their colleagues and members of the Association.
3.7 All members of the Association are obliged to familiarize themselves with and apply the standards/principles of the associations to which the Association belongs (INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY (IAAP) and the Union of Associations of Psychotherapists of Serbia, including but not limited to the standards/principles of non-discrimination.

4. Responsibility and professional competence of members

4.1. The application of ethical principles is fundamentally related to the protection of the client's well-being. The responsibility requires all members to use their psychological knowledge and therapeutic skills in their work in accordance with the best interest of the client as well as in accordance with the rules and principles of the profession.
4.2. Each member is obliged to respect the personal integrity of clients and colleagues, to observe professional secrecy and data privacy rules, and not to abuse the trust that arose from the analytical relationship.
4.3. It is inadmissible for a member of the Association to expose the client to any form of extortion, coercion or blackmail, to perform political, ideological, religious or any other indoctrination on him, as well as to engage in sexual relations with him.
4.4. The psychotherapy practice of all members of the Association, regardless of whether they perform it as analysts or candidates for acquiring the title of analyst, excludes all forms of discrimination - especially those based on religious affiliation, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation.
4.5. A member of the Association may claim to have qualifications or a specialty that he does not have, nor to falsely present himself in any context (professional, private or public) and appropriate a status/function in the Association that does not belong to him. If he is a member of the Association in the status of a candidate for acquiring the title of analyst, he must present himself exclusively as a psychotherapist in training under supervision. If the member of the Association is in the status of acquiring the title of analyst, and already holds the title of psychotherapist of some other orientation, he can present himself as a psychotherapist with a note to which psychotherapy orientation this title refers.
4.6. Each member of the Association is obliged not to damage the reputation of the Association or the profession by their behavior and statements in public / social networks or in any other way. If a member intends to use his membership in the Association as a reference for the promotion of his individual and/or business engagement, he can do so only if the activities in question relate to the topics that the Association deals with. The member is obliged to request prior approval from the Ethics Committee that such a way of promotion is acceptable and does not conflict with his duties towards the Association or the interests/values of the Association.
4.7. In order to view and present the Association in public, it is necessary to inform some of the members of the Ethics Committee about the public presentation of the members of the Association.
4.8. Work with clients must not be carried out when a member of the Association is under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances, when his/her condition is currently or permanently impaired by psychiatric symptoms that require treatment or physical symptoms that reduce his/her ability to reason and adequately apply therapeutic knowledge and skills. In such situations, the member of the Association will consult with the supervisor or turn to an expert who will provide him with adequate assistance.
4.9. A member of the Association is obliged to inform the President of the Association if any previous and main criminal proceedings are being conducted against him before the competent authorities, or if he has been convicted of any criminal offense, and to present all relevant facts to the Ethics Committee about the proceedings and the final verdict. It is also obliged to inform the appropriate bodies of the Union of Psychotherapists' Associations of Serbia and the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) about the aforementioned.

5. The relationship between the analyst / candidate under supervision and the client

5.1. An analyst is a person who has successfully completed training accepted by the IAAP, who is recognized as a member of the IAAP, and who, on that basis, performs the activity of Jungian analysis.
5.2. A candidate is a person who has started and is attending training to obtain the title of analyst at the IAAP, or the title of analytically oriented psychotherapist at the SAS, and who still does not meet the requirements for obtaining the title of analyst, that is, the title of analytically oriented psychotherapist.
5.3. The analyst/candidate will not engage in therapeutic work with persons with whom he has any type of private or business relationship. A member of the Association is obliged to provide adequate conditions for therapeutic work and to maintain clear boundaries with the client. It is the responsibility of the analyst and the candidate to acquaint the client with the general rules of therapeutic work, which are stated in the next point of the Code.
5.4. At the beginning of the therapeutic treatment, the analyst/candidate must clearly inform the client about the conditions and procedures of the treatment, e.g. on the duration and frequency of sessions, as well as on the regulation of financial obligations. The analyst/candidate is obliged to obtain the client's consent to accept these conditions. The analyst/candidate is obliged to notify the client in a timely and adequate manner about planned changes to the agreement (eg change of financial arrangement, change of address, appointment, etc.), as well as about breaks in work due to the anticipated absence of the analyst/candidate.
5.5. During the therapeutic process, it is necessary to implement restrictions regarding social contacts with the client. After the end of the treatment, it is necessary to keep in mind the specifics of the established relationship (extension of transference and countertransference feelings) and use limitations and discretion in any social contact, including contact on social networks.
5.6. Social contact with the client's relatives should be approached with great caution and should only occur with the knowledge and consent of the client. Exceptions may exist in rare and defined circumstances: in the therapeutic treatment of children or when the client poses a danger to himself or others. The analyst/candidate will not enter into a therapeutic relationship, relationship or other activities, including connecting on social networks, with persons close to the client who may jeopardize the therapeutic relationship with the client.
5.7. The analyst/candidate is obliged to never abuse the therapeutic relationship with the client. This prohibition includes all forms of financial abuse, obtaining some benefit or personal promotion, or promotion of the analyst's/candidate's political, religious and other beliefs.
5.8. The analyst/candidate is prohibited from having sexual relations with the client. Termination of a therapeutic relationship in order to have sex is also unethical.
5.9. The analyst/candidate must not carry out any physical or psychological violence/assault against the client. An exception can only be a situation when the client is physically dangerous to himself and others, and must be prevented from his destructive intent (eg self-defense in accordance with positive regulations). In this situation, the analyst/candidate will turn to the appropriate service (e.g. Ministry of Internal Affairs, Emergency Service) for assistance in order to ensure safety, public order, and further adequate care of the client.

6. Confidentiality

6.1. Confidentiality and preservation of the client's anonymity are of primary importance and one of the most important responsibilities of the analyst/candidate in therapeutic work with the client. This provision also applies to supervisory work - it is binding for the analyst in the role of supervisor.
6.2. The analyst/candidate, as well as the supervisor, are obliged to protect the client's privacy, which includes the protection of notes and all other information related to the client, which the analyst/candidate/supervisor obtained directly or indirectly.
6.3. During the presentation of clinical material at clinical seminars, as well as other forms of professional consultations, special attention must be paid to the principle of confidentiality, that is, to the protection of the client's privacy and anonymity. Clinical material may not be published without the prior written consent of the client to whom it relates.
6.4. Exceptionally, a deviation from the rules of confidentiality and preservation of anonymity may occur in the following cases:
• in case of learning about child abuse (which is subject to the obligation to report to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other competent state bodies/services);
• in the event that the analyst/candidate/supervisor receives a court order in accordance with which he is obliged to act, all with the aim of discovering the perpetrator of serious crimes;
• in all other situations when the regulations of the Republic of Serbia require it. The aforementioned deviations from the confidentiality rules apply to analysts, candidates and supervisors, but also to other members of the Association.
6.5. It is necessary that all deviations from the rules of confidentiality be reported to the Ethics Committee without delay, that all deviations be carefully considered and that the correctness of the actions be checked beforehand through consultation with the Ethics Committee, which in certain situations, can, if it is expedient, make a decision which deviation from confidentiality rules is not allowed.

7. Relations with colleagues

7.1. A member of the Association is not allowed to insult, disparage or in the presence of the client (as well as other individuals, in public) express negative assessments/opinions about the professional qualities of his colleagues in the Association, as well as in the wider framework of colleagues from related professions.
7.2. A member of the Association will not start the process of analysis with a client who is at the same time in an analytical relationship with another colleague.
7.3. When making public statements, a member of the Association is obliged not to harm the well-being and reputation of his colleagues, the profession and the Association.
7.4. In case that a member of the Association notices or learns that any of his colleagues, i.e. members of the Association, by his behavior violates or does not act in accordance with the provisions of the Code of the Association, he is obliged to inform the Ethics Committee of the Association without delay, and in accordance with Article 9 of the Code.

8. Relationship between supervisee and supervisor

8.1. A supervisor is a person recognized by the IAAP as an analyst with at least five years of experience, who trains and supervises a candidate in the role of a psychotherapist in training under supervision.
8.2. A supervisor is a person who is trained to perform Jungian analysis or analytically oriented psychotherapy and is recognized as a psychotherapist in training under supervision in the SAS.
8.3. The supervisor will respect the specificity of the relationship established with the supervisee. The supervisor will not abuse his greater authority in the relationship with the supervisor whom he supervises, evaluates, promotes or recommends for promotion. A similar vigilance must be exercised after the completion of the supervision process due to possible unresolved transfer issues that may have arisen during the supervision process.
8.4. All the rules prescribed by the Code apply to both the supervisor and the supervisee.

9. Obaveza prijave povrede Kodeksa Udruženja

9.1. Each individual member of the Association is obliged to inform the president of the Ethics Committee without delay about the unprofessional behavior of the members of the Association, including his own violation of the Code or the Statute of the Association. This procedure will not release the member from possible personal responsibility for inappropriate behavior, i.e. acting contrary to the Code or the Statute of the Association.
9.2. When a member of the Association is concerned about suspected unprofessional or unethical behavior of a colleague, i.e. violations of the rules established by the Code/Statute of the Association, it is preferable to talk to the colleague in person without delay and to try to stop such unethical/illegal behavior in question, as well as to inform the colleague about his obligation to inform the President of the Ethics Committee.
9.3. A direct address to the President of the Ethics Committee is mandatory for a member of the Association who has observed a violation of the Code of Ethics, and who is unable to personally conduct an interview with a colleague, due to the risk of violating the confidentiality rules or the delicacy of the specific case.
9.4. According to the principle of good practice, the Ethics Committee may choose to first admonish the colleague and, if necessary, encourage more frequent supervisory consultations or the continuation/intensification of the analytical treatment of the colleague. If the unethical procedure/action/behavior continues even after this intervention, and certainly no later than within 60 days from when the Ethics Committee was informed about the unethical behavior in question, i.e. behavior that is contrary to the obligations established by the Code or the Statute of the Association, the President of the Ethics Committee initiates the procedure in accordance with Article 11 of the Code.
9.5. The Ethics Committee of the SAS is obliged to take into consideration the complaints against the member of the SAS received from the competent members of the associations to which the Association belongs, whether they were expressed orally or in writing.
9.6. Unprofessional or unethical behavior of a SAS member in public (in public appearances, on social networks, etc.) is considered public information and may be grounds for initiation of the Ethics Committee procedure under Article 11 of the Code even without an oral or written ethical complaint against the member.

10. Composition of the Ethics Committee

10.1. The Ethics Committee is a permanent body of the Association and consists of three regular members of the Association who are elected for a period of three years by the Assembly of the Association.
10.2. Election, recall, method of decision-making and other issues related to the work of the Ethics Committee are regulated by the Statute of the Association.

11. Jurisdiction and work of the Ethics Committee

11.1. The Ethics Committee acts on the complaints of the members of the Association or their clients and other persons, and in connection with the violation of the Code or the Statute, by the members of the Association.
11.2. All complaints are submitted without delay to the President of the Ethics Committee in writing. If the complaint was submitted to another body of the Association or a representative of the Association, he will forward it to the president of the Ethics Committee.
11.3. Upon receipt of the complaint, the President of the Ethics Committee will deliver the complaint to the member of the Association against whom it was filed and invite him to respond to it in writing within 15 days. This procedure may or may not be corrected in accordance with Article 9.4. of the Code, if the Ethics Committee opts for the principle of good practice before initiating the procedure defined in Article 11 of the Code.
11.4. After considering the complaint and the response to the complaint, the Ethics Committee, if necessary, can organize a direct meeting with the member of the Association to whom the complaint relates and/or the complainant, where the relevant case of violation of the Code will be considered and relevant facts will be determined.
11.5. If a member of the Association is invited to respond to an ethical complaint or is personally invited to a discussion about a possible violation of ethical principles, he is obliged to respond and cooperate with the Ethics Committee. Failure to respond to the invitation of the Ethics Committee and non-cooperation with that body of the Association is the basis for initiating the procedure of expulsion of a member from the Association or the imposition of other measures in accordance with this Code and the Statute.
11.6 If the Ethics Committee determines that there are no conditions for initiating further investigation, it will notify the complainant in writing.
11.7. If the Ethics Committee determines that the complaint is well-founded, it submits its proposal to the Board of Directors for the imposition of appropriate measures in relation to the member to whom the complaint refers.
11.8. The Ethics Committee may propose to the Management Board the imposition of one or more of the following measures;
• sending an apology or compensation to the complainant;
• issuing a warning or admonition;
• requiring supervision over the member's work, which will be carried out by a senior colleague, determined by the Ethics Committee, with a previously defined duration and the manner in which it will be carried out;
• recommendation to continue personal analysis / therapy;
• imposing a temporary suspension (up to two years);
• exclusion from the membership of the Association.
11.9 The Management Board is obliged to take into consideration the proposal of the Ethics Committee and make its discretionary decision on the proposal within one month from the date of receipt of the proposal, by a majority vote of its members.
11.10 Suspension and expulsion of a member due to an ethical violation is not possible without the majority consent of the Assembly. In that case, the Management Board convenes an extraordinary session of the Assembly within the period defined by Article 11.9. of the Code. Voting at the Assembly is carried out in accordance with Articles 15 and 27 of the Statute of the Association.
11.11. In case of approval of the proposal of the Ethics Committee, the Management Board delivers the decision to the member of the Association, who can file an appeal within 15 days from the day of its receipt. The Assembly decides on the appeal, by a simple majority vote of all members.
11.12. The member of the SAS who is the subject of the complaint does not have the right to vote in the Assembly when it is decided on the adoption of the decision on further action, which refers to him. A member of the association acting as an analyst for the SAS member to whom the vote relates shall be excluded from the vote.
11.13. If a member of the Association acts in all respects according to the decision of the Management Board or according to the final decision of the Assembly made following an appeal, his membership in the Association will automatically end after the expiration of the deadline for acting in accordance with the decision of the Management Board or the Assembly, or on the day of making such a decision in case of exclusion .
11.14. The Ethics Committee informs the complainant in writing about the outcome of the procedure against its member to whom the complaint referred.
11.15. The SAS Management Board is obliged to inform the competent authorities of the associations to which it belongs about the suspension or expulsion of its member if this measure was adopted due to an ethical violation.

12. Final provisions

12.1. The materials and experiences of existing groups under the umbrella of the IAAP, as well as the norms of the Code of Ethics of the Union of Psychotherapists Associations of Serbia, were used in the development of this Code.
12.3. This Code is subject to changes and additions in the future, in accordance with new knowledge in the field of ethics, as well as the needs and development of the Association.
12.4. All amendments and additions to the Code are adopted at the session of the Assembly of the Association in accordance with the provisions of the Statute of the Association.
12.5 Amendments to the Code of Ethics are adopted by the SAS Assembly. The decision on the change is made by harmonizing the views of all members (consensus). In the event that compliance cannot be achieved at the SAS Assembly, a new meeting is organized within one month. Members are expected to consider all arguments entered in the Minutes during this period. In the event that there is no agreement at the second meeting, the decision is made by a two-thirds majority. Arguments of members who do not agree with the adopted decision are also entered in the Minutes.
12.6. This Code enters into force on the eighth day from the day of its publication on the Association notice board, with the fact that the publication of the Code is made on the day of its adoption. The Code of Ethics of the Association is available to the public, i.e. it is also published on the website of the Association SAS-SRB

Chairman of the
Association Assembly extraordinary session
Serbian Analytical Society
Bojana Stamenković Rudić, M.D.