Our professional standard
Code of Ethics
This Code sets out the values, ethical principles and professional standards that guide Ocea Marie’s private services. It exists to protect each client’s dignity, autonomy, privacy and right to clear, honest support.
Why this code matters
A clear standard for private work.
Ethical practice is not only about avoiding harm. It is about creating the conditions for trust, informed choice and honest professional relationships.
This Code guides reflection, decision-making and accountability across Ocea Marie’s private services. It supports clear agreements, appropriate boundaries, responsible information handling and continued professional development.
Private services are not an emergency or crisis response and do not replace medical, psychological or other specialist care. When a client’s needs fall outside my competence or the agreed scope of our work, I will say so and, where appropriate, encourage other professional support.
- Clarity Explain the scope, limitations, fees and terms of the service before work begins.
- Autonomy Respect each client’s right to make informed decisions and to end the professional relationship.
- Integrity Represent qualifications, experience, services and potential outcomes truthfully.
- Development Continue learning, reflect on limitations and seek appropriate professional guidance.
Shared language
What these terms mean.
These definitions are provided so the commitments below can be read clearly and consistently.
- Client
- An adult individual who engages Ocea Marie for a private service.
- Private service
- A private session, package or retainer delivered within an agreed scope for the purpose of reflection, informed support and practical guidance.
- Professional relationship
- The relationship formed under an agreement that explains the roles, rights, responsibilities, expectations and boundaries of Ocea Marie and the client.
- Confidentiality
- The protection of information obtained through the professional relationship, subject to the client’s consent and any disclosure authorised or required by applicable law.
- Conflict of interest
- A situation in which financial, personal, professional or other interests may interfere, or appear to interfere, with impartial professional judgement.
- Equality and inclusion
- A commitment to dignity, fairness, access and respectful treatment across human differences, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences.
Responsibility to clients
In my work with clients, I will:
Place dignity, informed choice, confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries at the centre of the relationship.
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Explain, before or at the first meeting, the nature and potential value of the service, its scope and limitations, the limits of confidentiality, financial arrangements and any other material terms.
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Create a clear agreement that sets out the roles, rights and responsibilities of Ocea Marie and the client before services begin.
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Maintain confidentiality in accordance with the agreement and applicable law, and handle personal information and communications responsibly.
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Explain how information may be collected, used, stored and exchanged during the professional relationship.
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Explain the circumstances in which confidentiality may be limited, including where disclosure is authorised or required by law, or where it is reasonably necessary to respond to a serious threat to life, health or safety. Any disclosure will be limited to what is relevant and appropriate in the circumstances.
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Identify and manage actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest through disclosure, clear agreements and ongoing conversation. Where a conflict cannot be managed appropriately, I will change or end the professional relationship.
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Take reasonable steps to protect records, electronic files and communications from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, and retain or dispose of them in accordance with applicable law and agreed obligations.
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Remain alert to whether the client continues to receive value from the service. Where appropriate, I will discuss changing the work, ending the relationship or seeking another professional or resource.
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Respect the client’s right to end the professional relationship at any time, subject to the terms of the agreement.
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Consider carefully any multiple roles or relationships with the same client and take reasonable steps to prevent impaired judgement, exploitation or conflicts of interest.
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Recognise and actively manage power or status differences that may arise from cultural, relational, psychological or contextual factors.
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Disclose any compensation, commission or other material benefit I may receive for referring a client to a third party.
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Provide a consistent standard of care and professional attention regardless of the amount or form of agreed compensation.
Practice and performance
In maintaining my practice, I will:
Continue developing my competence and respond honestly when personal circumstances may affect the quality of my work.
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Commit to continued personal, professional and ethical learning and development.
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Recognise personal limitations, health concerns or circumstances that may impair, conflict with or interfere with my professional performance. I will seek appropriate support or professional guidance and, where necessary, pause or end a professional relationship.
Professionalism
In representing my work, I will:
Communicate truthfully, stay within my competence and maintain boundaries appropriate to a private professional relationship.
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Represent my qualifications, competence, expertise, experience, training and certifications accurately.
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Make truthful, accurate and supportable written and verbal statements about my services and their potential value. I will not guarantee outcomes or overstate what a service can provide.
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Communicate the ethical responsibilities established by this Code to any person who reasonably needs to understand them.
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Set and maintain clear, appropriate and culturally sensitive boundaries governing professional interactions, whether in person, online or through written, voice or other forms of communication.
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Not enter into a sexual or romantic relationship with a current client. I will remain attentive to the level of personal intimacy appropriate to the professional relationship and take prompt action if boundaries become unclear or compromised.
Responsibility to society
In my wider responsibility, I will:
Respect human dignity, acknowledge the work of others and communicate research or evidence with care.
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Avoid unlawful discrimination and seek fairness, inclusion and respectful treatment in my services, while remaining attentive to culture, context and individual difference.
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Recognise the contributions and intellectual property of others and claim ownership only of work that is my own or that I am entitled to use.
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Represent research, scientific information and professional guidance honestly, within recognised standards and the boundaries of my competence.
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Consider the broader effect of my work on clients, communities and society, seeking to contribute positively while taking reasonable steps to prevent harm.
My ethical pledge
I accept responsibility for the trust placed in my work.
I will seek to fulfil my ethical and legal obligations, communicate honestly, honour my commitments and remain accountable for mistakes or shortcomings. I will continue learning, act with courtesy and integrity, and bring my best professional judgement to each client relationship.
Questions or concerns
A conversation can begin with clarity.
If you have a question about this Code, or wish to raise an ethical concern about an Ocea Marie service, please contact Ocea directly. Your concern will be considered respectfully and without avoidable delay.
