INNERSOURCE 1 ETHICS COMMITTEE
Overview and Procedures
First Adopted November 4, 2006
Current Version: January 20, 2009
The Innersource Ethics Committee is established to review and act upon ethical complaints and concerns relating to the actions of:
Innersource Certified Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) Practitioners
Faculty and Students in the EEM Certification Program
For the purposes of this document, these individuals shall be collectively referred to as “practitioners.” These practitioners have agreed in writing to stay informed of and to abide by the most current version of the Eden Energy Medicine Code of Ethics posted at edenmethod.com/ethics.
The Ethics Committee shall be composed of three or more members, including Innersource’s Board President as its Chair or a person designated by the Board President as its Chair and a minimum of two certified EEM practitioners appointed by the Board President. Terms of office and number of Committee members beyond three are determined by the Board President. Committee meetings may be held in person, by telephone, or through the use of other electronic media at the discretion of the Committee Chair. The time and manner of Committee meetings are determined by the Committee Chair. Revisions to this “Overview and Procedures” document are made at the discretion of the Innersource Board of Directors.
Ethical conduct for practitioners is defined by the most current posted version of the Eden Energy Medicine Code of Ethics. Innersource reserves the right to take disciplinary action against practitioners, which may include but is not limited to, the assignment of remedial education, formal criticism or censure, probation, suspension, and/or revocation of certification. Ethical complaints or allegations about an Innersource practitioner submitted to Innersource via e-mail, telephone, face-to-face meetings, letters, or through the Innersource website shall go to the Committee Chair. The Committee Chair may request that written complaints or allegations be clarified or that complaints or allegations delivered orally be submitted in writing before proceeding with an ethics review.
Before taking any action, the Committee Chair shall clarify issues of confidentiality. Professional standards of confidentiality and of informed consent shall be adhered to by the Committee in conducting its investigations. In general, if a person is presenting a complaint or allegation, that person must be willing to be identified to the person about whom the complaint or allegation is being made in order for an investigation to be initiated. If this agreement cannot be obtained, the matter may, at the Committee’s discretion, lead to no further action. Instances where no formal complaint or allegation has been submitted but information of concern to the Committee comes via other channels shall be adjudicated on an individual basis according to the best judgment of the Committee.
The Committee Chair is authorized to decide whether a complaint or allegation warrants attention by the entire Committee. If the Committee Chair determines that (1) the matter is frivolous or inconsequential; (2) the complaint contains unreliable or insufficient information; or (3) the matter is not within the scope of the Eden Energy Medicine Code of Ethics or Innersource’s jurisdiction, then no further action will be taken and the complaint will be dismissed. In some instances the Committee Chair or a person designated by the Committee Chair (this would generally be another Committee member or an Innersource professional staff member) has the right and sole discretion to bring about a resolution by facilitating communication among relevant parties, clarifying issues, or other direct actions. If this occurs, pertinent information will be included in a letter to the practitioner and the situation will be considered “resolved.” The Committee Chair or designated individuals also has the right and sole discretion to make alternative recommendations to the practitioner for resolving the issue before initiating a formal review.
After the Committee has opened a formal investigation, the Committee Chair or other designated individual shall send a letter to the practitioner informing him/her about the complaint, allegation, or situation (the “Complaint”). The letter may be sent by an e-mail whose receipt has been confirmed or a letter sent by registered mail to the last address the practitioner provided to Innersource. The names of the Committee members shall be made known to the practitioner at that time and shall also be made known to the person making the Complaint. The practitioner or the person issuing the Complaint has seven (7) days from receipt of notice of the names of the Committee members to submit in writing any objections to specific members of the Committee. Based on this or on information gathered from other sources, the Board President, in consultation with relevant parties, shall determine if specific Committee members should be recused to insure a fair process, and if so, may appoint alternative Committee members for the case in question.
The practitioner has thirty (30) days from receipt of notice to submit a written response to the Complaint and/or present any additional evidence in support of his or her position. Failure by a practitioner to respond to the notice of a Complaint within the thirty (30) days shall be sufficient grounds to impose sanctions. The Committee Chair may extend the period for the practitioner’s response, upon a timely written request by a practitioner containing a reasonable explanation of the need for an extension. During the course of its investigation, the Committee may seek assistance or additional information from legal counsel, independent investigators, and any other appropriate individuals or organizations. All investigations are conducted objectively, with no prejudgment. Complaints will be considered without hearings, trial-type proceedings, witnesses, cross-examinations, appearance by practitioner, formal legal rules or evidence and hearsay. Decisions by the Committee are based entirely on the written record. After receiving and reviewing the response from the practitioner, the Committee will review the available information and may take action or gather additional information before taking action.
If the Committee decides there is no violation of the Eden Energy Medicine Code of Ethics, the Complaint is dismissed with written notice to the practitioner within fifteen (15) days of the completion of the investigation. If the Committee makes a determination that the Eden Energy Medicine Code of Ethics was violated and imposes a sanction, the Committee will issues its decision in writing to the practitioner within fifteen (15) days of the completion of the investigation. Possible sanctions by the Committee include but are not limited to:
- Decision of “no action” because of lack of grounds for action.
- Decision leading to a formal reprimand from the organization.
- Decision requiring retraining, remedial education, supervision, or professionally relevant personal development activities with specified mechanisms of updates to the Committee.
- Decision to remove the individual from EEM practitioner lists, TA opportunities, or Innersource-sponsored teaching opportunities and to suspend use of Innersource professional credentials for a specified period of time.
- Decision to permanently remove the individual from EEM practitioner lists, TA opportunities, or Innersource-sponsored teaching opportunities and to permanently bar use of Innersource professional credentials.
If the practitioner is an EEM Certified Practitioner and the sanction imposed is suspension or revocation of certification, then the practitioner must cease from identifying or representing herself/himself as an Eden Energy Medicine practitioner. If the practitioner is a student in or faculty member of the EEM Certification Program, then the practitioner must cease from
identifying or representing herself/himself as a student or faculty member, whichever is applicable.
A practitioner who is an EEM Certified Practitioner and the subject of a Complaint may voluntarily surrender his or her Certificate at any time before the Committee renders a final decision. Upon surrender, the Complaint will be dismissed without any further action by the Committee. In the event a practitioner voluntarily surrenders his or her Certificate, the practitioner must return his or her Certificate to Innersource within thirty (30) days of notifying Innersource of such surrender and cease from identifying or representing herself/himself as an Eden Energy Medicine practitioner. A practitioner who is a student in or faculty member of the EEM Certification Program and the subject of a Complaint may voluntarily surrender his or her status as a student or faculty member, whichever is applicable, at any time before the Committee renders a final decision. Upon surrender, the Complaint will be dismissed without any further action by the Committee. In the event a practitioner voluntarily surrenders his or her status as a student or faculty member, whichever is applicable, the practitioner must cease from identifying or representing herself/himself as a student or faculty member, whichever is applicable.
The Committee has the power to suspend the practitioner’s Innersource activities and associations with Innersource while it is making its determinations if it judges the Complaint to be of such a serious nature as to warrant this action.
The Committee’s deliberations may be conducted privately at the Committee’s discretion. The parties involved in a Committee action shall be informed of the Committee’s conclusions within a reasonable period of time and at a level of detail determined by the Committee. If the Committee’s action includes removing an individual from EEM practitioner lists, TA opportunities, or Innersource-sponsored teaching opportunities or suspending or barring use of Innersource professional credentials, the Committee may inform Innersource staff and the practitioner’s Innersource peers of this action as it deems appropriate.
1 Innersource Unlimited, LTD (a.k.a. Innersource) was registered in Oregon as an “S” corporation on January 1, 2006.
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