ethical considerations in ibogaine therapy
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Ethical Considerations in Ibogaine Therapy. Sandra Karpetas Iboga Therapy House Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance (GITA) 2 nd International Ibogaine Therapy Provider Conference Barcelona, Spain 2010. Ethical insensitivity can contribute to: Health and safety problems - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Ethical Considerations in Ibogaine Therapy
Sandra Karpetas
Iboga Therapy House
Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance (GITA)
2nd International Ibogaine Therapy Provider Conference
Barcelona, Spain 2010
Why do we need ethical
standards?
Ethical insensitivity can contribute to: – Health and safety problems
– Dissatisfied clients/patients
– Public relations problems
– Financial problems
– Legal problems
– Organizational challenges
How can ethics in therapy
be helpful?Ethical Standards:
– Increase the quality of care and services
provided
– Increase transparency and accountability
– Help to protect clients and therapists from
undue harm
– Foster greater recognition from the public
domain
– Create conditions for maximizing therapeutic
potential
Ethical GuidelinesInternationally Recognized Ethics in Therapy and
Research:– Beneficence: Promotion of well-being
– Non-malfeasance: Avoid potential harms
– Dignity: Respect for the person
– Informed Consent: The person's right to information, to
ask questions and to weigh the risks/benefits before
making a decision
– Transparency: Open communication about
policies/procedures, disclosure of key information for
client decision making
– Confidentiality: Respect for privacy
– Feedback: The right to provide feedback, whether
positive and/or negative and to file a grievance or
incident report
Beneficence: Promotion of
well-beingIbogaine therapists should promote health in all aspects of
their programming, procedures and policies.
This includes key concepts such as health promotion, harm
reduction
and physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual and social
well-being
– Foster knowledge, skills, attitudinal changes and
supports needed to help people engage in safer and
healthier lifestyles
– Avoid deficit thinking, build on strengths and support
positive perspectives
Non-malfeasance: avoid
potential harms– There is an urgent ethical responsibility to decide
whether the risk is too great for some participants,
and thus to act to reduce or eliminate the risk even
if that means stopping or modifying the therapy.
– Therapists also have a responsibility to
continuously educate themselves and remain up to
date on ibogaine safety related information.
Neglect of this responsibility can be considered
negligence and/or misconduct and may contribute
to adverse events and/or death.
Dignity: Respect for the
person– Respect autonomy and support informed decision-
making
– Accept and work with individual differences in client
characteristics in both preventing and responding
to potential challenges. These include unique risks
associated with gender, age, sexual orientation,
cultural/religious identity, etc...
– Recognize that the realities of poverty, class,
racism, social isolation, past trauma,
discrimination, labels, stigma and other social
inequalities affect both people's vulnerability to
and capacity for effectively dealing with self care.
Informed ConsentThe client has a right to information, to ask questions
and to weigh the risks and benefits before making a
decision to undergo therapy
Minimal Risk
If potential subjects can reasonably be expected to regard
the probability and magnitude of possible harms implied
by participation in the research to be no greater than
those encountered by the subject in those aspects of
his/her everyday life that relate to the research, then
the research can be regarded as within the range of
minimal risk.
-Tri Council Policy Statement 1998
What does an ethical consent
form consist of?A proper consent form should include:
– Introduction/Background Information about
ibogaine
– Ibogaine's Legal Status in the country where
therapy takes place
– Therapeutic and Other Procedures from start to
finish - in detail (include search, source of ibogaine,
dosing, monitoring protocols,
complementary/additional therapies, etc...)
– Ibogaine's Potential Effects, Side Effects and Risks
– Emergency Protocols (including specifics of what
you would do in case of an adverse event, injury or
death)
What does an ethical consent
form consist of?– Potential Benefits (including a disclosure regarding
no guarantee that it will help)
– Quitting or Withdrawing from Participation in the
Therapy - including your procedures and risks
should someone decide to leave the site of therapy
whilst under your care
– Data Collection, Publication and Communication of
Results - disclose any plans to share information
with others/public
– Confidentiality - handling and storage of personal
info, files, medical info etc... plus staff/team
confidentiality agreements
What does an ethical consent
form consist of?– Alternative Sources of Therapy – ibogaine therapy
is not the only option and not necessarily the
easiest/safest
– Incentives– disclose any vested interests including
financial
– Client Rights and Responsibilities - include DWF Bill
of Rights, outline client responsibilities, the right to
file incident or grievance reports and how to do so
– Who to contact for more information – include
contact info
– The actual Informed Consent statement page to be
signed
Elements of a consent form:– Each page should be numbered and have a space
at the bottom for initials acknowledging the
following statement:
I have read the contents of this page. I have had the
opportunity to ask questions about it, and I
understand what it says. Initials____
– The form should be written in an easy to
understand manner (8th grade reading level).
Complicated terms should be defined in an easy to
understand way
– The actual informed consent statement page –
include a statement regarding minimal risk
– Space for date, signature of client and witness
signature/date
Note: A copy should be available for client without
extra charge
Confidentiality– Respect for privacy before, during and after care
– Handling and storage of sensitive information:
- keep all files/personal/medical info secure and
locked
- consider using a secure server w/ SSL certificate
- do not use publicly-accessible computers
• Ask client how they prefer to be contacted and when
– Omit personally identifying info in
publications/reports/discussions
– Each staff member should sign a confidentiality
agreement
Feedback
Every client (regardless of whether they paid for the
services or not) has the right to provide feedback,
whether positive and/or negative and to file a
grievance or incident report if they deem necessary.
It is the responsibility of the therapy provider to
provide information on how to do so.
Ibogaine Incident or Grievance Report Form:
http://www.doraweiner.org/incident.html
A few other considerations:Compassion, empathy, strong interpersonal, listening,
counseling and facilitation skills are of utmost
importance. Individuals on the staff/team should
possess the following:
– Recognition of and respect for diversity
– Awareness of one’s own learning process
– Ability to be attentive/good listening skills
– Trust in one’s way of working
– Ability to work with authority
– Willingness to do one’s own inner work
Also: Have a fair and just conflict resolution policy in
place
Sandra Karpetas
+ 1 604 785 0924
www.ibogatherapyhouse.net
Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance
www..ibogainefederation.org