The International Meta Consciousness Academy (IMCA) upholds the highest standards of professional and ethical practice.

Our Code of Ethics and Professional Practice outlines the formal standards all IMCA practitioners/coaches  and trainers agree to follow as a condition of certification and membership.

IMCA Ethical Guidelines for Practitioners/Coaches and Students

Honouring the unity of body, mind, and spirit in every interaction.

At the International Meta Consciousness Academy (IMCA), ethical practice underpins our commitment to awareness, empowerment, and trust. These guidelines apply to all certified Meta Consciousness Analysis Coaches (practitioners) and students in training, ensuring interactions honour the body’s innate intelligence and foster safety, autonomy, and respect.

Rooted in IMCA’s trauma-aware philosophy and natural laws of coherence and salutogenesis, these principles guide individuals to explore their body’s signals as meaningful communication within an educational, non-therapeutic scope.

Core Ethical Principles

Non-Therapeutic Scope

Meta Consciousness is not a therapy and cannot claim to heal or cure. Practitioners and students must not claim to diagnose, treat, heal, or cure any condition. Our role is to guide awareness, not replace medical or therapeutic care.

Trauma-Aware Empowerment

We recognise survival responses of the nervous system as intelligent adaptations. We create emotionally safe spaces that encourage curiosity, regulation, and self-responsibility.

Integrity and Transparency

IMCA members act with honesty, represent qualifications accurately, and ensure communications are clear, factual, and aligned with IMCA’s non-therapeutic scope.

Inclusivity and Respect

We honour diversity across culture, belief, gender, identity, ability, and neurodiversity, using accessible communication to ensure participants feel respected, heard, and included.

Responsibilities of Practitioners

Legal Compliance

Work within the laws of your country and your professional field. If you hold additional qualifications, clearly distinguish those roles from IMCA practice.

Informed Consent and Disclosure

Clients are informed of Meta Consciousness’s educational nature and boundaries before work begins. Clients should sign a disclosure form confirming their responsibility for health choices, acknowledging they:

• Are responsible for their health decisions.

• Should consult professionals for medical or psychological concerns.

• Understand Meta Consciousness complements conventional care.

Confidentiality

Client information is confidential, shared only with explicit consent or when required by law, including safeguarding or risk of serious harm. Use secure systems for storage and communication.

Boundaries and Professional Conduct

Practitioners never advise clients to alter, reduce, or discontinue prescribed medication and never contradict medical advice or make medical diagnoses. IMCA practice always honours and complements the guidance of qualified healthcare professionals.

Do not make diagnostic or healing claims. Maintain clear professional boundaries, avoiding dual relationships that could compromise objectivity. Seek supervision if overlaps arise.

We act respectfully towards fellow practitioners and trainers, never soliciting or criticising their clients or students, and we uphold collegial professionalism across all disciplines.

Collaboration

Build networks of cooperation with health and wellbeing professionals within a biopsychosocial model. Refer when needs exceed IMCA’s scope.

Ongoing Development

Engage in continuing professional development, supervision, and self-reflection to maintain competence and alignment with IMCA’s ethos.

Ethical Concerns

Address concerns promptly with a supervisor or IMCA’s Ethics Panel via ethics@imca.info, prioritising fairness and participant wellbeing.

Responsibilities of Students

Learning with Integrity

Treat practice sessions and role-plays as educational, clearly identifying student status in public-facing practice.

Supervised Practice

Engage with clients only under approved supervision, within IMCA’s trauma-aware, non-therapeutic principles.

Self-Awareness

Use reflective tools to notice biases, triggers, and nervous system states, seeking guidance to maintain integrity.

Reporting Ethical Concerns

Report concerns to trainers or IMCA leadership promptly to support a safe learning environment.

Safeguarding and Inclusivity

We prioritise the wellbeing of all participants, including vulnerable adults, young people, and those with additional needs:

• Recognise signs of distress and respond with compassion, avoiding re-traumatisation.

• Offer reasonable adjustments on request, including plain-language options, flexible pacing, captioned or transcribed recordings, and alternative submission formats.

• Follow IMCA safeguarding procedures, available at www.imca.info/safeguarding, for reporting concerns.

Age and Consent

IMCA trainings are for adults unless specified. Work with anyone under 18 requires written parental or guardian consent, an age-appropriate explanation of purpose and boundaries, and adherence to local law and safeguarding policy.

Recording Policy

No session or training is recorded without prior consent. If agreed, state the purpose, access, storage, and retention period. Participants may decline recording and still participate where feasible.

Case Studies and Publication

Case material is anonymised and de-identified. Separate consent is required for use beyond internal assessment. Individuals may withdraw consent for future use, with previously published materials corrected or removed where feasible.

Emergency Contact Details

Emergency contact information is collected solely for duty of care in urgent situations, stored securely, accessed only when necessary, and deleted when no longer required.

Record Keeping and Data Protection

All case notes, recordings, and personal data are stored securely and in compliance with UK GDPR. Standard retention is seven years unless law requires otherwise. Individuals may request access, correction, portability where applicable, or deletion subject to legal limits. Individuals may raise data-protection concerns with a relevant authority.

Data Controller: International Meta Consciousness Academy.

Contact: penny@changeahead.biz or www.imca.info.

Postal: 3 Chichester Road, CT20 3BN, UK.

Accountability

Ethical practice requires openness to feedback. Breaches may lead to remedial training, suspension, or revocation of certification or student status following a fair review by IMCA’s Ethics Panel.

Commitment to Ethical Practice

By engaging with IMCA, practitioners and students acknowledge these guidelines via signed agreement (for certification or training enrolment) and commit to professionalism, compassion, and integrity. Ethics evolves with our understanding of trauma, consciousness, and humanity. Regular review of these guidelines is encouraged.

© International Meta Consciousness Academy

www.imca.info

Our Code of Conduct and Ethical Guidelines (2025 Edition) expands on these standards through a trauma-aware, inclusive, and educational lens.

It offers practical guidance on how to embody IMCA’s values of integrity, respect, and empowerment in daily practice and training.

Download the IMCA Code of Conduct and Ethical Guidelines (PDF) below to read the full document.