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BUDDHIST PSYCHOTHERAPY PROGRAMME

GROUND RULES ATTENDANCE

Students attending courses are expected to maintain normal standards of professional behaviour. The training courses offered by Amida Trust are intended as an education in all aspects of work in the field involved. The expectation is that students will strive for excellence in all things including professional behaviour, so will meet a high standard of commitment and application. In particular the following ground rules apply: Attendance: Non-residential courses run from 10.00am - 5.00pm on all days apart from the last day of each section. On this day the course may end at 4.00pm. On Saturdays of psychotherapy blocks there is generally a student seminar which is obligatory for students and optional for non-students. All course participants must stay for the duration of any course which they attend. Arriving late or leaving early is disruptive to group process and unfair to other participants. In exceptional circumstances any changes to times should be negotiated with the group. Note that the F.E.B. courses are generally residential so working times may vary. Discuss any issues that may arise from this with staff in advance. Ethical standards: Participants are expected to adhere to the code of ethics that governs the course and to keep the five precepts within The Buddhist House. Specifically participants should not consume meat or alcohol within the house and should not attend courses for purposes of sexual adventure. Physical violence is unacceptable. Right speech should be practiced, especially with regard to gossip, untruth and aggressive language. Personal Sharing: Courses often involve personal sharing. People generally experience a high level of trust in Amida groups. Please regulate your own sharing, being aware of the purpose of the exercise in which you may be involved and the time which it will offer for de-briefing. Respect material that others share. Observe normal standards of confidentiality and discuss personal sharing of others in a respectful way. Interaction with the Buddhist House Community: Courses generally take place in The Buddhist House. This means that other people from the house community and visitors may be living alongside course participants. In general this is a rich experience. Please feel free to join in community life, meditation and other practice sessions, and share in the work of the house. The community is supported from course income and will help make your stay enjoyable as far as possible. If community members participate in courses, they do so under the same ground rules as other participants. On the other hand, other community members who do not participate are not part of the course group. Please be aware of the need to keep boundaries and preserve confidentiality by avoiding discussing sensitive group material in breaks and at meal times. (this should not pre-clude discussion of more theoretical topics outside the course boundary) Follow Through: Participants are responsible for ensuring that they have adequate ongoing support after courses. Sometimes participating in courses can stir up emotions or raise personal issues in unanticipated ways. Participants should be aware of support systems in their lives, whether through ongoing therapy or other networks. If you experience distress after attending a course and have no one to talk to, please feel free to contact course staff. Psychiatric History: Please make course staff aware of any history of psychiatric problems or any recent traumas, bereavements or other life crises. If you have concerns about another course participant's mental state, please speak in confidence with a member of the course staff. Concerns and Complaints: If you are unhappy with any aspect of the course, please raise the matter in the first instance with course staff. If an informal discussion is insufficient, please put your concerns in writing. Should you remain concerned, you should address your concerns to either the chairperson of Amida Trust or to the course's external moderator, who will discuss the matter with you. If this does not resolve things, the chairperson or moderator will either act as arbitrator or appoint an independent person able to do this.