Ethics Code of My Counseling Practice

Core Values of My Counseling Work

Introduction

Psychological counseling is sustained by trust. This trust arises not only from professional expertise but above all from a clear ethical stance. The following principles express my conviction that counseling can only be effective when it rests on a transparent and binding ethical foundation. They serve as a compass and standard of accountability—both for those seeking guidance and for myself. By making my values explicit, I assume responsibility for my actions and invite dialogue.

Preamble: Human Dignity as an Inherent Foundation

Dignity is inherent in every human being by virtue of their humanity. It cannot be earned or enlarged. It cannot be revoked or questioned. Dignity does not arise from achievement, nor is it lost in its absence.

Do No Harm

Psychological counseling must never become an instrument of harm and resists any form of instrumentalization.

Equal Opportunity Through Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the foundation that enables people, regardless of social standing or public role, to seek psychological counseling. It safeguards privacy and ensures that even those with a heightened need for protection find a secure space.

Equality Beyond Hierarchy, Role, or Office

Every client has the right to be seen and addressed in the counseling process independently of office, role, social status, or public visibility.

Principle of Minimal Trace

Confidentiality means not only protecting information but also ensuring that its origin cannot be traced. Clients must be able to speak freely without leaving identifiable traces. This principle of minimal trace creates an atmosphere of utmost discretion and is regarded as a key factor in effective psychological dialogue.

Right to a Non‑Pathologizing Perspective

Counseling refrains from pathologizing labels. The client’s reality is first understood as the expression of a system that has adapted to stressors or particular circumstances. Change is initiated only once viable alternatives are established.

Right to Self‑Definition

The definition of identity lies solely with the individual. Clients decide for themselves which aspects of their biography or present life are identity‑forming. Counseling may accompany this process, but never define it on their behalf.

Universal Belonging Instead of Selective Inclusion

Counseling is directed toward human beings. This alone is the criterion.

Authority Over One’s Own Past

Every person has the right to interpret their past as part of their own story. The past is not treated as immutable historical fact, but as memory belonging to the client. The possibility of re‑interpreting that past opens a path to question old patterns and to view the present and future with greater freedom. Counseling makes this potential visible and supports its realization.

Judging in the Context of Its Time

Past actions may only be evaluated according to the knowledge available at the time they were taken, including the prevailing circumstances. Counseling commits to making assessments always within their historical context.

Protection of Memory and Identity

Counseling acknowledges neurobiological insights into reconsolidation and the risk of memory distortion through suggestive questioning or premature interpretation. It therefore maintains technical and organizational safeguards to protect sensitive memory content—and thus the identity of the client—throughout the counseling process. The protection of memory is treated as a principle akin to data protection: paramount, binding, and non‑negotiable.

Open‑Source Psychology

Counseling is committed to transparency. Clients are entitled to understand which methods are applied, for what reasons, and with what possible effects. Communication is conducted in clear, accessible language. Transparency is the foundation of trust and of independent personal development.

Scientific Breadth

Clients are entitled to receive guidance that is independent of methodological schools or disciplinary boundaries. Evidence is understood not only as the results of current effectiveness studies, but above all as scientifically grounded foundational knowledge and practices proven in real‑world application. Restricting evidence to individual methods would render the greater part of academic knowledge, as well as insights gained through practical experience, inaccessible to clients. In this context, the evidence provided by academic foundational knowledge is generally regarded as carrying greater quality and weight than the effectiveness data of individual methods.

Right to Independence from the Counseling Process

Counseling strengthens the capacity for self‑help and must not create dependency. Information is conveyed in a way that enables clients to act independently. The goal is sustainable autonomy, not permanent attachment to the counseling process.

Respect for Inviolable Convictions

Counseling acknowledges that clients may hold convictions or inner “sacred spaces” that are not negotiable—whether temporarily or permanently. Rather than challenging them, these are respected as fixed points. Precisely through this respect, their gravitational pull can be constructively engaged. Thus, what is unchangeable does not become an obstacle but a catalyst for meaningful development.

Clarity of Purpose

If the counselor perceives that conversations are not, or are no longer, purposeful, this must be communicated openly to the client. If necessary, counseling is to be concluded in order to preserve transparency and protect the integrity of the process.

Exclusively Human‑to‑Human

All counseling in my practice is founded on direct human encounter. Every message—whether organizational or substantive—is read and answered solely by me, Karl-Heinz Meisters, in person. Neither staff members nor technical systems are involved in this part of the process. In this way, counseling remains grounded in personal responsibility, confidentiality, and the unique potential for genuine inspiration.

Ongoing Professional Development

Counseling is committed to continuous reflection and professional growth. Knowledge, literature, and open questions are systematically documented, organized, and reviewed. This ensures the integration of new insights, provides context, and supports a holistic and interconnected practice of continuing education. My personal development is grounded in the principle of continuous improvement (Kaizen). Should new scientific or societal insights prove too fundamental to be integrated within a process of gradual adaptation, they must be carefully examined internally and outside of ongoing counseling work, and contrasted with established practices. A transition may only occur once the new foundation has proven to be both robust and sustainably beneficial. In this way, change is realized gently, responsibly, and always in service of those who place their trust in me.

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