This Charter was elaborated by the French Federation of Psychotherapy on the occasion of its general states. It was voted by the WCP, on the proposition of France, July 14th 2002, during its members general assembly, gathered during the 3rd world congress of psychotherapy in Vienna (Austria) – congress that reunited 4000 psychotherapists from 80 countries from all continents.
This Charter was signed on March 22th 2005 by representatives of the following organisations :
FF2P : Fédération Française de Psychothérapie et Psychanalyse
FNAPPsy : Fédération Nationale des Associations de Patients et ex-Patients "Psy"
AUP : Assistance Usagers Psy.The FF2P requires all practitioners it federates to respect this charter.
Right to dignity and respect
Whatever its demand is or its psychic state, the person in psychotherapy has the right of respect, of dignity and of the integrity of its physical and mental person, without any kind of discrimination.
Right to free choice
The person in psychotherapy has the right to freely choose its method and its psychotherapist and to modify that choice, if it considers it necessary.
Right to information
The person in psychotherapy has the right to know the method(s) used by the psychotherapist, also that his qualification, his training and his professional affiliation.
Conditions of the therapy
The conditions of the therapy must be specified before any commitment : the modalities (verbal, emotional, physical…), the duration and number of seances, the presumed duration of treatment and its terms of extension or stopping, the financial cost (fees, possible coverage, insurance terms, payment of missed seances).
Right to confidentiality
The psychotherapist must commit, to the person in therapy, to absolute professional secrecy, concerning everything that is confided to him during the therapy. This confidentiality is an essential condition to the therapeutic relationship.
Ethical commitment of the psychotherapist
The practitioner is required to respect the code of ethics of its reference professional organism. This code is communicated on demand. The psychotherapist is obliged to take his responsibilities : he must commit to not use the trust established in purpose of political manipulation, sectarian or personal (emotional dependance, economic interests, sexual relations…).
Complaint procedure
In case of complaint, the person in psychotherapy can adress to professional organizations of appeal or to Justice.
This Charter is intended to be disseminated as widely as possible.