Our Professional Standards & Commitment to Ethics
At Firefly Somatics™, our Codes of Ethics and Conduct reflects the core values and principles that guide our work with clients. It is designed to ensure a professional, safe, and respectful environment in which every individual can experience growth, healing, and empowerment. Our codes outline the ethical standards we uphold, including professionalism, informed consent, respect, autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity.
Professionalism
We offer a professional service and operate as such. The services and activities whereby a Firefly Practitioner offer a professional service, in a helping capacity, to a Firefly client, who seeks our service. Our role is to facilitate the client’s functioning in ways that respect the client’s values, personal resources and capacity for self-determination. We can take different forms including directive and non- directive approaches to achieve this.
Professional Liability
Firefly Somatics™ operates with full Professional, Private, and Public liability coverage, insured under Brian Mullins Insurance Brokers. Our insurance certificate is available upon request, ensuring the highest standard of care and safety for all clients.
Informed Consent
The principle of informed consent is the cornerstone of our service and we recognise and uphold the importance of confidentiality in establishing a trustworthy therapeutic relationship with all clients. We provide formal activities involving a mutually agreed contract between therapist and client. Our codes of conduct apply to our professional activities and also any behaviour that might impinge on those.
Respect
Respect for the whole person lies at the core of our ethical stance. The goal of wholeness which characterises our work, and the professional relationship which serves it, requires a conscious ethical stance ultimately rooted in the ancient rule ‘do no harm’. We favour awareness, respect for all aspects of what it means to be human, awareness of pain, of the ultimate questions of life, death and destiny. We encourage the analytical mind, the ability to see things afresh, to strive for autonomy and to help change take place. Ultimately, we believe that everyone deserves the chance to experience renewal and growth from pain and suffering.
We respect the uniqueness of each person with whom we work with, valuing individual characteristics, personal resources, core experiences personal values and meanings and the capacity for self-determination.
We expect for the client to be respectful towards their therapist, to behave respectfully, and to adhere to personal boundaries. This includes respectfully withholding contact within your therapist’s non-operation hours. Operation hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 10.30am to 7.30pm GMT, Sunday 11.30am to 6.30pm. The welfare of our therapist’s is pivotal to us, and downtime for self-prioritising is essential for our personal well-being.
Autonomy
We believe in fostering the right to control the direction of your life, supporting your autonomy
Nonmaleficence
We support avoiding actions that cause harm
Beneficence
We work for the good of the individual and society by promoting healing, embodiment, consciousness, health and well-being
Justice
We treat individuals equitably and foster fairness and equality
Fidelity
We honour commitments and keeping promises, including fulfilling one’s responsibilities of trust in professional relationships
Veracity
We deal truthfully with individuals with whom Firefly Therapists come into professional contact with
Contracting
Clear contracting is the bedrock of ethical practice. We are responsible for communicating the terms on which your service is being offered. We will explicitly explain to clients the nature of all services provided. This means informing clients about issues such as, but not limited to, the following: the purposes, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks, and benefits of services; the facilitator’s qualifications, credentials, relevant experience, approaches to healing, and so forth. We will inform clients about fees and billing arrangements, including the cancellation policy and rescheduling of appointments. We specify clear professional boundaries and include same within Contracting.
You can access our Payments, Cancellations, Rescheduling and Refunds policy on the website.
Confidentiality
We maintain and protect the confidentiality of prospective and current clients. We only disclose information with consent or with sound legal or ethical justification. All clients must sign various waivers and disclosure forms prior to working with any Firefly Therapist. These will be stored on file, for future reference, until you ask for them to be destroyed.
Safety
Safety is pivotal to us, for both the client and facilitator. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that all parties are safe, and neither physical or psychological harm is experienced during sessions. Any behaviours, be it verbally or physically that feels unsafe, directly or indirectly is not accepted. This includes reactive behaviour towards your therapist (be it in persona, via email or text message), aggression and confrontational behaviour including verbal abuse and aggressive tone of voice. Professional and respectful boundaries are key to navigating a sense of safety and allowing co-regulation to take place.
Core Values
Respecting boundaries, engaging with integrity and having mutual respect between client and therapist. We grant appropriate respect to the basic rights, dignity and self-worth of all people. This respect reaches out to people’s privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, religion, spirituality, morality, responsibility and self-determination, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, disability, involvements and socio-economic status. We do not participate in or condone any kind of discrimination on whatever grounds.
Assessment Forms and Waivers
All clients must complete assessment and waiver forms prior to appointment. These forms include:
- Health Assessment Form
- Personal Health Questionnaire
- Anatomical Assessment
- Liability Waiver (subjective to treatment type)
- Media Release Form
- Window of Tolerance Assessment
- NDA (protects the integrity of The Firefly Method®)
You will not be facilitated without completion of these forms, signed and dated, and email returned 48 hours ahead of your session.
Time Management
Arrival on time is essential, and should you arrive late, this time will be deducted from your appointment allocation time. We understand that sometimes this is unforeseeable (e.g. car break down, traffic), but we are operating on busy time schedules and must adhere to time allocations. If you are going to be late, please kindly and respectfully notify your therapist via email. Feel free to arrive 10 minutes prior to your session and you will be directed to our Waiting Area.
Taking Ownership
We are here to guide you in your healing, and hold the space for you to unravel. However, we are firm with respectful boundaries, do not support enmeshment and attachment. We do not promote trauma bonding; rather we are here to help you liberate yourself. This is your journey in which you are investing in yourself. It is essential that you take ownership for your healing, beliefs, behaviours, actions, choices, how you hold yourself and present yourself to the world.
Inability To Give Consent
If you are unable to give consent, due to sicknesses that impede cognition, fine motor skills (such as writing), if compos mentis, or a minor under the age of 18, the next of kin must present written consent for the receiving party. In order to facilitate a child or teen under the age of 18, it would require:
- Signed Parental /Primary Caregiver consent – there is an option on the various waivers prior to session, allocated to caregiver(s) where you extend written consent for your child;
- All various forms must be filled in coherently and accurately by the main caregiver(s), and any input from the child would be fantastic;
- If under 16, the child must be accompanied by the caregiver(s), to the appointment location and collected on allocated finishing time
Hygiene Etiquette
All clients are expected to withhold good hygiene, and are expected to present themselves clean and fresh for their body works session. All Firefly therapist’s work hands on, physically touching the whole body. Please be mindful of this and wash afresh before any in person session. For women, please adhere to no make-up, including foundation and mascara, again being mindful of your therapist’s bed linen, covers, towels, and so forth. Please be sure to bring make up removal wipes or liquid, deodorant, a small towel and change of underwear (if needed).
Data Protection and Privacy
Firefly Somatics™ is committed to protecting your personal data. We collect, use, and store information securely, sharing it only with the Firefly Team when necessary and always with your consent. All client data is monitored and safeguarded, with access limited according to the therapist facilitating your sessions. Assessment forms, NDAs, and waivers are retained for record-keeping, while check-in communications on platforms like Telegram are permanently deleted at the end of your journey. Your privacy and trust are our top priority.
Garda Vetting & Police Clearance
Here at Firefly Somatics ™ vetting is a necessary and positive step in the protection of both our facilitator and clients, and the development of professionalism within the practice. Danielle is a registered teacher, with an active Teaching Council Registration Number which includes up to date Garda Vetting. Danielle also has up to date Police Clearance, for working with international clients. Coach Amy also has up to date Garda Vetting. These can be asked for upon request, if needed.
Personal Belongings
Any belongings brought to session are of your own responsibility and discretion. Please be mindful of your belongings and take them with you after your session. If you forget something, we can of course hold them for you. But it will be done so at your own discretion. We do not post return these items. You will have to retrieve them yourself within our operation hours and of course, when we are available outside of appointment times.
Inebriation & Substance Use
We do not accept clients arriving for appointments under the influence of any illegal or legal substances. This includes alcohol, weed, cannabis, and plant medicine such as mushrooms. If your therapist detects you are under the influence, you will be declined your session and asked to leave immediately. Your appointment will be marked as being facilitated, and no refund will be issued.
Firefly Somatics™ 