By virtue of your personal
Authority You have the Right to . . .
- Manage your life according to your own values and
judgment.
- Direct your recovery, answerable to no one for
your goals or progress.
- Gather information to make intelligent decisions
about your recovery.
- Seek help from many sources, unhindered by
demands for exclusivity.
- Decline help from anyone without having to
justify the decision.
- Believe in your ability to heal and seek allies
who share your faith.
- Trust allies in healing so far as one human can
trust another.
- Be afraid and avoid what frightens you.
- Decide for yourself whether, when, and where to
confront fear.
- Learn by experimenting, that is, make mistakes.
To guard your personal
Boundaries
You have the Right to . . .
- Be touched only with, and within the limits of,
your consent.
- Speak or remain silent, about any topic and at
any time, as you wish.
- Choose to accept or decline feedback, suggestions,
or interpretations.
- Ask for help in healing, without having to accept
help with everything.
- Challenge any crossing of your boundaries.
- Take action to stop a trespass that does not
cease when challenged.
For the integrity of your personal
Communication
You have the Right to . . .
- Ask for explanation of communications you do not
understand.
- Express a contrary view when you do understand
and you disagree.
- Acknowledge your feelings, without having to
justify them.
- Ask for changes when your needs are not being met.
- Speak of your experience, without apology for
your uncertainties.
- Resolve doubt without deferring to the views or
wishes of anyone.
For safety in your personal
Dependency in Therapy
You have the Right to . . .
- Hire a therapist or counselor as coach, not boss,
of your recovery.
- Receive expert and faithful assistance in healing
from your therapist.
- Know that your therapist will never have any
other relationship with you-business, social, or
sexual.
- Be secure against any disclosure by your
therapist, except with your consent or under
court order.
- Hold your therapist's undivided loyalty in
relation to all abusers.
- Obtain informative answers to questions about
your condition, your therapist's qualifications,
and any proposed treatment.
- Have your safety given priority by your therapist,
to the point of readiness to use all lawful means
to neutralize an imminent threat to your life or
that of someone else.
- Receive a commitment from your therapist that is
not conditional on your "good behavior"
(habitual crime and endangerment excepted).
- Make clear and reliable agreements about the
times of sessions and of your therapist's
availability.
- Telephone your therapist between scheduled
sessions, in urgent need, and receive a return
call within a reasonable time.
- Be taught skills that lessen the risk of re-traumatization:
- containment (boundaries for recovery work);
- control of attention and mental imagery;
- systematic relaxation.
- Enjoy reasonable physical comfort during sessions.
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