Team Handbook & Code of Conduct
Table of Contents
The Institute for Creative Mindfulness, LLC (“ICM”) ICM, its CEO, affiliates, and team members are in the business of providing continuing education to, and for, the health and human services industry, and, in particular, training services for EMDR Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy throughout and, on occasion, outside the United States of America. ICM provides these services through individuals in various capacities. In addition to the terms of those relationships, which are laid out in the separate agreements between ICM and these individuals, there are overarching principles and guidelines that apply to all of ICM’s relationships. They are found here, in ICM’s Code of Conduct.
The policies in this Code of Conduct do not set out every detail of ICM’s operations or its relationships with its employees, team members, affiliates, faculty, or consultants but rather serve as guidelines for these individuals in how they conduct their activities for ICM. They do not create property rights; each should refer to their agreements with ICM for the particular terms of their relationship with ICM. When applicable, these policies also govern the relationship between ICM and those to whom it (through its employees, team members, affiliates, faculty, or consultants) is providing services.
ICM reserves the right in its absolute discretion to modify, revoke, or suspend any part of this Code of Conduct with or without notice. You will be asked to signify that you accept, and will abide by, this Code of Conduct when you check the box at the end of this page.
Definition of Roles
Every role within the ICM organizational structure serves an important purpose. Founder and CEO Dr. Jamie Marich wants a true team atmosphere with the various roles working together. Yet clarity and appropriate boundaries are important, so we must first discuss each major role category and how people in that role category may refer to themselves.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO): The CEO is currently held by ICM’s founder and curriculum developer, Dr. Jamie Marich. All decisions about ICM policy and procedure are made by the CEO. Although she may consult with ICM Home Office employees and team members, she has the sole discretion over all decisions about operations. The most current version of operational procedures and policies appears in the Team Member Portal for EMDR Therapy and Team Member Portal for Expressive Arts Therapy (coming soon). A new CEO may, in the future, craft a new chain of command.
Team Members: When ICM refers to Team Members, it is referring to everyone involved with its business and outreach operations—the CEO, ICM Employees, ICM non-clinical contractors (e.g., graphic design, web/IT), faculty members, and consultants/consultants-in-training. If you hold any of these roles with ICM, you may refer to yourself as an ICM Team Member.
Affiliate: An Affiliate is an individual who is engaged in some type of licensing agreement with ICM. This typically means training faculty, but several consultants and other parties within the Expressive Arts Therapy program may also have a licensing agreement and corresponding financial relationship with ICM. If you hold this role with ICM, you may refer to yourself as an ICM Affiliate.
Employees: An Employee is an individual who is paid directly by ICM to handle administrative tasks for it, like human resources, financial management, training management, customer service, compliance, CE management, and team-member relations. If you hold this role with ICM, you may refer to yourself as an ICM Employee.
ICM Home Office: This is a general term that refers to the CEO and ICM employees working under the CEO’s direct supervision. This also includes the contracted non-clinical team members who directly serve ICM’s larger operations (e.g., web/IT, graphic design).
Faculty Members: There are three levels of faculty members in the ICM EMDR Therapy program: (1) adjunct faculty (those who are new and under monitoring, or are under special agreements for teaching in-house trainings only at their own facilities), (2) senior faculty (those with an established reputation of good performance, cooperation with the ICM Home Office, and a record of building their trainings for three or more years), and (3) general affiliate faculty (all other faculty). The term Faculty Trainee may be used to refer to individuals who are being vetted to join the ICM faculty at the adjunct level. All faculty members have a licensing or financial relationship with ICM and are expected to follow the terms of their most recent agreements. If you hold any of these roles with ICM, you may refer to yourself as an ICM Faculty Member (at the appropriate level) or a Faculty Trainee.
Consultants or Consultants-In-Training: Individuals who are registered as an EMDRIA-Approved Consultant or Consultant-in-Training work under the direction of an EMDRIA-Approved Consultant. Although an individual may have obtained this status from the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), one must also separately apply to join ICM in this capacity and to be able to offer consultation to ICM’s Customers/students who are completing their own basic training in EMDR therapy. While many Consultants or Consultants-in-Training have other roles within ICM, others are only connected to ICM in this capacity. If you are only connected to ICM as a Consultant or Consultant-in-Training, you may refer to yourself as an ICM Consultant or Consultant-in-Training or, in general, as a Team Member.
*At this time, the Institute for Creative Mindfulness is at administrative capacity and is not able to take on any new consultants-in-training (CITs), especially those who have just become CITs. We are in a position to make limited exceptions if, as a CIT, you are part of a demographic group that is not well-represented currently on the ICM team or if you have a clinical specialty that is not well-represented currently. If you are interested in working on your skills as a CIT, we encourage you to continue working with your Approved Consultant to build a practice with those who need lower cost consultation in pursuing their EMDRIA Certification. If you show exceptional performance after a year based on your Approved Consultant’s recommendation, we may be able to revisit your case.
Facilitator: An ICM Consultant or Consultant-in-Training who has also completed another level of vetting and training within ICM to work at basic trainings may be referred to as a Facilitator. If you have a written agreement with ICM as a facilitator, you may also refer to yourself as an ICM Facilitator.
REAT Supervisors: This term is only used in ICM’s Expressive Arts Therapy program; it refers to those who hold the credential of Registered Expressive Arts Therapist with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association® (IEATA) and who have a written agreement with ICM to offer supervision services towards ICM’s Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy. REAT Supervisors are also authorized to offer Dr. Jamie Marich’s Expressive Arts Therapy content under a licensing agreement, and, in practice serve as our faculty for the Expressive Arts Therapy program. If you hold this role with ICM, you may refer to yourself as an ICM Expressive Arts REAT Supervisor or Expressive Arts Faculty Member.
Dancing Mindfulness Partner: This term refers to individuals who are eligible to license the ICM’s Dancing Mindfulness curriculum to teach in their own settings and programs without ICM’s formal involvement in the registration or continuing education process. If you hold this role with ICM, you may refer to yourself as a Dancing Mindfulness Partner, but you may not refer to yourself as an ICM Affiliate or an Affiliate of ICM.
Customer: A Customer is an individual who participates in any event or activity organized, affiliated, or sponsored by ICM. Using this term does not imply that there is any clinical relationship between the Customer and ICM.
Values and Mission Statement
At its core, ICM follows a trauma-informed mindful approach to education that is centered on the person, whether our clients or the public. There are five components to ICM’s core values: transformational experiences, no two people are the same, practitioner intuition, evidence-based practice, and social justice.
1. Social Justice
ICM actively promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion within trainings, programs, and publications. ICM acknowledges the importance of anti-racism and anti-oppression work as imperative to trauma-focused care. ICM devotes itself to the purposeful cultivation of a community that is representative of society and the inclusion of individuals of all backgrounds, traditions, and individual differences. ICM is an LGBTQ+ affirming organization committed to elevating the experiences of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and traditionally underrepresented voices in whatever it can.
2. Transformational Experiences
Transformation is facilitated through honoring the person-centered values of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence. ICM values qualitative approaches like flexibility, openness to context, and honoring individual, lived experience as the guiding principles for services. ICM also believes in fostering opportunities for growth that both validate and challenge.
3. No Two People Are the Same
No two people respond to treatment or education in the same way. ICM carries this value into the way that we train, assuring quality formation of professionals seeking our services. ICM respects that people come to us from varied and diverse paths and acknowledges that we have as much to learn from you as you may from us.
4. Practitioner Intuition
Practitioner intuition is one of the most important assets in the delivery of clinical and community-based wellness services. Intuition can be developed and honed through the vital practices of self-care, spiritual practice (if desired), and networking/consulting with other practitioners, clients, and stakeholders in services.
5. Evidence-Based Practice
ICM approaches evidence-based practice through a holistic, culturally-responsive lens. As stated by the American Psychological Association (2006), context, clinical experience, and client preference are major components of evidence-based practice. ICM aims to give the other elements the primary attention that is lacking in many dimensions of the helping professions. ICM also emphasizes the integration of this total definition alongside practitioner intuition.
Representing ICM
The only person who can speak on ICM’s behalf is the CEO. You may not refer to yourself as being ICM’s representative or speak on its behalf unless the Home Office has permitted you to do so. You may contact EMDRIA or IEATA to list your own trainings (which the Team Member protocols in the Team Member Portal require you to do) or to manage your personal credentialing, but you may not contact EMDRIA or IEATA them on ICM’s behalf to conduct any other business or on issues related to policy, procedure, or curriculum.
Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence Policy
1. All Unlawful Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited
ICM is committed to maintaining a professional and collegial environment where individuals are treated with respect and dignity. ICM does not condone harassment of any kind against its Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, Dancing Mindfulness Partners, customers, students (current and former), and participants of ICM events or activities, and by other individuals who conduct business with ICM because of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), gender (including sexual orientation, gender identity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. No form of harassment will be tolerated, and harassment is prohibited both at the ICM workplace and at all ICM-sponsored or -approved events and activities.
2. Types of Harassment
Sexual harassment means any harassment based on someone’s sex or gender. It includes harassment that is not sexual in nature (for example, offensive remarks about an individual’s sex or gender), as well as any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or any other conduct of a sexual nature, when any of the following is true: (1) submission to the advance, request or conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of the relationship being initiated or continued; (2) submission to or rejection of the advance, request or conduct is used as a basis for decisions relating to the parties’ relationship; or (3) such advances, requests or conduct have the purpose or effect of substantially or unreasonably interfering with an individual’s performance or participation by creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. Harassment also includes inappropriate and unprofessional conduct toward others. But harassment does not include the legitimate efforts of a supervisor or superior to motivate, discipline or direct a subordinate.
ICM’s anti-harassment policy also applies equally to harassment based on an individual’s race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, present or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
ICM will not tolerate any form of harassment (sexual or otherwise), regardless of whether it is: (a) verbal (for example, epithets, derogatory statements, slurs, sexually-related comments or jokes, unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors); (b) physical (for example, assault or inappropriate physical contact); (c) visual (for example, displaying sexually suggestive posters cartoons or drawings, sending inappropriate adult-themed gifts, leering or making sexual gestures); or (d) online (for example, derogatory statements or sexually suggestive postings in any social media platform including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.). This list is illustrative only and not exhaustive.
3. Consensual Relationships
ICM desires to minimize the risk of conflicts of interest and promote fairness while respecting the ability of consenting adults to voluntarily enter into romantic or dating relationships. ICM permits such relationships between Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, and Dancing Mindfulness Partners. ICM also permits such relationships between those individuals and Customers, so long as the relationship is consistent with, and does not violate the Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence Policy. If a Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner does enter into such a relationship with a Customer, then the individual must disclose the existence of that relationship to another Team Member Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner, or the Home Office.
4. Violence Not Tolerated
ICM provides as safe as possible of an environment for its Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, and Dancing Mindfulness Partners and for those who participate in its activities and events. To ensure the best possible working conditions and learning conditions for our Customers and to reduce the risk of violence, ICM has implemented this policy.
Threats, threatening conduct, or any other acts of aggression or violence in the workplace or at any event or activity organized, affiliated, or sponsored by ICM will not be tolerated. ICM will not tolerate any type of violence committed by or against Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, and Dancing Mindfulness Partners, customers, and participants of any event or activity organized, affiliated, or sponsored by ICM, and by other individuals who conduct business with ICM. No one may make threats or engage in violent activities towards another person while on ICM property or participating in any event or activity organized, affiliated, or sponsored by ICM. Examples of prohibited conduct include, but are not limited to, causing physical injury to another person, making threatening remarks, aggressive or hostile behavior that creates a reasonable fear of injury to another person or subjects another individual to emotional distress, intentionally damaging the property of another or ICM’s property, or violations of ICM’s Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence Policy.
5. Complaint Procedure and Enforcement
Anyone who feels victimized by harassment or who witnesses any conduct that individual believes violates this policy should report the harassment to ICM, and ICM will ensure that a prompt investigation is conducted to the extent possible. Although not mandatory, a Complaint Form is available at ICM’s website under Organizational Policies (Grievance Policy) to make your complaint if you wish to use it.
Sometimes, when one exercises good judgment, one determines that the situation requires immediate action. For example, an individual may be exhibiting behavior that is a sign of a potentially dangerous situation. Such behavior includes, but is not limited to: inappropriately discussing weapons or bringing them to the workplace or ICM space; displaying overt signs of extreme stress, resentment, hostility or anger; making threatening remarks; sudden or significant deterioration of performance; or displaying irrational or inappropriate behavior. In such circumstances, you should report the situation to the ICM Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner.
In all other instances, your complaint should be as detailed as possible, including the names of all individuals involved and any witnesses. ICM will directly and thoroughly investigate the facts and circumstances of all claims of perceived harassment and will take prompt corrective action, if appropriate. Because allegations of harassment or discrimination are serious matters for all concerned, employees, team members, affiliates, faculty, and consultants will be expected to fully cooperate in ICM’s efforts to investigate and enforce this policy. For the same reasons, ICM will use discretion in investigating, and when appropriate, remedying improper conduct.
Any ICM Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner who observes conduct that violates the Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence Policy must report it following the General Complaint Procedure so that an investigation can be made and corrective action taken, if appropriate.
Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, and Dancing Mindfulness Partners will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination, for violations of this policy. Such violations include, but are not limited to, harassing or retaliatory conduct, failure or refusal to cooperate in a harassment investigation, or other actions contrary to this policy.
Non-employees engaged in violent acts or threatening acts on ICM’s premises or at an event or activity organized, affiliated, or sponsored by ICM will be reported to the proper authorities, will be removed from and prohibited from entering ICM’s premises or any other event or activity organized, affiliated, or sponsored by ICM thereafter, and will have their agreements with ICM immediately reviewed.
6. Anti-Retaliation
No Employee will be subject to any form of retaliation or discipline for pursing a harassment complaint.
Social Media Policy
ICM recognizes that the Internet provides unique opportunities to participate in interactive discussions and share information on particular topics using a wide variety of social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, blogs, and wikis. However, the use of social media by ICM’s employees, team members, affiliates, faculty, or consultants can pose risks to ICM’s confidential and proprietary information, reputation, and brands, can expose ICM to discrimination and harassment claims, and can jeopardize ICM’s compliance with business rules and laws.
Participating in blogs and other social media outlets and contributing to relevant online communities can also be a terrific way to expand and elevate your presence and your status as an expert in our field. When an ICM Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner (“Covered Person”) publishes on the Internet and that individual also publicly identifies themself as being affiliated with ICM (or can be readily identified as being affiliated with ICM), then that individual may be perceived by the public to be acting as ICM’s representative in the social media arena (even if that is not the individual’s intent) and the individual’s statements can be attributed back to ICM or be interpreted as ICM endorsing the statements because the individual is affiliated with or readily identifiable with ICM.
ICM’s policy regarding a Covered Person’s use of social media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, chat rooms, etc.) prohibits the use of such social media to post or display comments about ICM, its clients, other Covered Persons, or anyone participating in an event or activity sponsored by or affiliated with ICM that are vulgar, obscene, threatening, intimidating, harassing or a violation of ICM’s workplace policies against discrimination, harassment, or hostility on account of age, race, religion, sex, ethnicity, nationality, disability, or other protected class, status or characteristic. Many individuals who have experienced or are experiencing trauma or are recovering from various addictions choose ICM because of its trauma-focused approach, so we ask you to be mindful of posts involving alcohol/drugs, and mental health disorder and how those posts may be perceived.
ICM may therefore monitor a Covered Person’s social media activity. Any publication that violates this Code of Conduct or does not uphold ICM’s values and mission statement may subject the Covered Person’s relationship with ICM to being examined, leading up to, and including, termination or separation.
Ethical Media Use
ICM recognizes that its Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, and Dancing Mindfulness Partners may want to capture real-time photographs and videos of their ICM-related events. Before doing so, such an individual will take the following steps:
- Let individuals know that you are taking photographs or shooting video.
- Give individuals the ability to opt-out of having their photographs or videos shared on social media or the Internet by privately approaching you.
- Even if you note that photography or videography will be taken on the advertisements or invitations for your event, you still need to follow Step 1 at the event.
- Always photograph or video in as discrete manner as possible.
- Use a photography and videography release whenever you intend to use the photographs or video for promotional purposes, whether online or in-print.
- Please consult the article on ethical photography use posted in the ICM Team Member Portal for further clarification on these requests.
Business Communications Turn-Around
People expect that you will promptly respond to their communications. ICM Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, and Dancing Mindfulness Partners should adopt a timeframe within which they will respond to communications and, if the circumstances do not allow for that timeframe to be met, then the communicant should be advised that you are considering the matter and will respond to them in another period of time or you should use an appropriate “away message” that relays the same message. For customers with customer-service issues, the turn-around time should be 48 business hours, and for communications from ICM, 72 business hours. Unanswered messages are unprofessional and, with respect to ICM communications, repeated violations of this policy could subject the individual’s relationship with ICM to being examined, leading up to, and including, termination or separation.
Ethical Conduct & Dual Relationship Policy
ICM recognizes the need for healthy boundaries between individuals. An ICM Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner may engage in professional activity that establishes a relationship with an individual that would rise to a level where there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the individual. This harm can arise in what are generally referred to as “dual or multiple relationships” with clinical clients or former clients.
In the ICM context, this situation can arise when an individual who has an existing professional relationship with a Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner outside of the ICM context desires to take an ICM training, session, or consultation with the Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner. For example, customers of ICM services may engage clinically qualified ICM Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, or Dancing Mindfulness Partners for clinical services within the boundaries of good discretion: a Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner should not take money from the same person for two roles at the same time (e.g., consulting/training and clinical services). Clinical clients of Team Members, Affiliates, REAT Supervisors, or Dancing Mindfulness Partners may want to take ICM trainings, sessions, consultation, or other programs. When faced with that situation, you should not provide that ICM training, session, consultation, or other program to the existing client but instead advise the existing client that you cannot provide the ICM training, session, consultation, or other program and recommend an alternative Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner who can provide the existing clinical client with the desired training, session, consultation, or other program. Additionally, clinical clients of ICM team members may wish to take trainings or other programming with ICM. Wherever possible, we encourage you to refer them to another ICM team member for a training assuming that the training they want to take is available with another team member.
ICM understands that, under certain circumstances, there can be a potential benefit from dual relationships, as highlighted in many of our ethical codes. Yet you must discuss and appropriately document any discussions that you have about this matter in accordance with the ethical codes of your profession and state. If, at any time, you feel that dual relationships or changed role relationships are causing more problems for you as the Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner, or for the customer, you are encouraged to seek your own consultation.
This policy does not prohibit a Team Member, Affiliate, REAT Supervisor, or Dancing Mindfulness Partner who previously provided a training, session, consultation, or other program to an individual from later establishing a professional-client relationship with that individual outside of the ICM setting.
General Complaint Procedure
ICM expects that every person will treat others with respect. ICM takes seriously an allegation or concern that one of its Team Members is engaging in, or has engaged in, conduct that violates its Code of Conduct or that is disruptive to the ICM team atmosphere. Lingering or unspoken concerns or allegations do not foster a positive and productive working environment, so Team Members have a responsibility to timely raise such an allegation or concern to Dr. Jamie Marich so that the allegation or concern can be promptly addressed.
Customers and students should also timely raise any allegations or concerns; if an issue arises during an ICM-affiliated training, then the concern should be raised directly with the primary Faculty Member conducting the training or, if the issue is with that individual, with the Home Office or the CEO.
Likewise, if the Home Office observes or receives consistent complaints about your conduct from other Team Members, customers, or students, we will request a formal meeting with you to discuss a plan of action.
ICM and Dr. Jamie Marich understand that trauma, like so many other lived experiences, is a subjective experience. It can always be difficult to bring together so many Team Members with different outlooks and personality styles, but our hope is that Team Members can settle differences amongst themselves through conversation and mutual respect. If the Home Office or the CEO needs to get involved, Team Members may involve us in this capacity.
A form to submit complaints is available on ICM’s website under Organizational Policies (Grievance Policy). A request for a meeting with the Home Office, the operations officer or Human Resources Director, or the CEO must be made in writing (including email). Even if you are not comfortable describing the details or nature of your complaint in writing, you must still request a meeting in writing.
