Professionalism Workgroup


Introduction

A new Professionalism Workgroup was formed in 2023 to help IBF develop and strengthen professionalism, training standards, and ethical conduct in breathwork. Working alongside the IBF Integrity Committee, this group of IBF professionals aims to promote professional standards and support IBF members in improving their practice.

Background

Following significant breaches of ethics by Breathwork professionals (IBF Members and non-members) over the recent years, the IBF community went through a crucial period of reflection. A new forum for discussion and advocacy of professionalism was needed. This group was created to address professional misconduct issues and strengthen and develop professionalism in our practice.

This working group is not an ethics committee:

  • The group will not handle complaints or incidents; this is the role of the Integrity Committee.
  • Instead, the group acts as a resource to the IBF, helping to plan and create policies, liaising with the GPBA, and generating meaningful actions and responses to issues raised by significant events.

Community Consensus:

  • We support a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct in our work.
  • We recognise that other breaches of professionalism must also be addressed.
  • We desire that breathwork schools and associations align with international standards of training and conduct for professional breathwork practitioners.
  • IBF aligns with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA) Training and Ethical Standards and requires all members to agree to these guidelines.
  • We encourage professional members to apply for certification with GPBA or their national breathwork association or accrediting body.

The IBF Professionalism team

• Pippa Wheble, IBF Professionalism Workgroup Leader
• Liisa Halme, Constellation Leader Internal Communications
• Griet Verstrate, Constellation Leader Ethical Procedures
• Matoula Piscopani, Constellation Co-Leader Training Standards
• Indalecia Rohita Ziritt, Constellation Co-Leader Training Standards
• Kateryna Kotenko, Constellation Leader Ukraine Project
• Jim Morningstar, GPBA Liaison
• Tilke Plateer-Deur, IBF Elder
• John Stamoulos, IBF Integrity Committee
• Adela Barcia, IBF Integrity Committee
• Alakh Analda, IBF Elder
• Lauren Chelec Cafritz, IBF Executive Support Team
• Vanessa Dietzel, IBF Executive Team
• Nilgül Tavsel, IBF Executive Team
• Mario Domig, IBF Executive Team
• Steph Magenta, IBF Professional Member
• Ana Berengeur, IBF Ambassador

Aims

1. Our Workgroup’s primary Mission is as follows: 
Promote ethical, professional, and training standards and raise awareness of their importance.

2. Support IBF in reflection on conscious or unconscious breaches of these standards, as well as learning and evolving in response to them, to improve the professionalism and safety of our practice.

3. Help establish breathwork as a widely respected, legitimate, safe healing modality.


Agenda

• IBF aligns with the GPBA’s Training and Ethical Standards (currently stated in our bylaws) and requires all members to agree to these guidelines.

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• IBF encourages professional members to apply for certification with GPBA or their national breathwork association/accrediting body.
• The GPBA is updating its training and ethical standards to align with international standards. These will be presented to the IBF community at the AGM for a vote before inclusion in the IBF bylaws.
• Champion ethical practice and uphold the training standards set by the GPBA by:
• Ensuring that our ethical & training standards are visible on our website.
• Creating IBF statements and guidelines on essential topics.
• Offering training and workshops about ethics and training standards for IBF members.
• Educating the public about breathwork ethics and training standards through our website, social media, and the press.
• Raising public awareness of the dangers of unaccredited schools and inadequately trained practitioners.
• Offering guidance on assessing suitability for professional training.
• Support the alignment of international breathwork schools and associations on ethics and training standards by:
• Building partnerships and collaboration with relevant associations.
• Promoting accreditation of breathwork schools and IBF professional members with relevant associations.

 

Professionalism

Raise the public consciousness of professionalism in breathwork by:

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• Creating information about professionalism for the IBF website
• Championing professionalism through social media, newsletters & press releases
• Study and gain a more profound understanding of professionalism by:
• Reflecting and learning from breaches of standards.
• Fostering conversation about professionalism in breathwork
future breaches, for example:
• Create guidelines and educational opportunities to prevent future breaches, for example:
• Choosing a breathwork practitioner or modality,
• Client and Practitioner responsibility before, during and after a breathing session.
• Intimacy and Relationships with clients and students
• Consent and power dynamics
• Trauma-informed breathwork
• Promote professionalism in the IBF by:
• Reviewing the IBF Professional Membership process and privileges
• Promoting that professionalism requires deeply knowing oneself, one’s inner strengths and weaknesses, and an absolute willingness to be supervised
• Creating a process for the provision of peer support within & between IBF members.

 

IBF Ethical Procedures

• Clarify IBF procedures and actions that can be taken in response to conscious or unconscious breaches of ethical and training standards by its members as well as non-members.

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• Clarify IBF procedures for information sharing with accrediting organizations regarding breaches of ethical and training standards.
• Clarify IBF policy and procedures to address unaccredited schools or breathwork professionals.
• Clarify procedures and create resources for individuals affected by misconduct in breathwork.
• Promote the duty of IBF members to report and address misconduct in breathwork.
• Communicate IBF complaints procedures on the IBF website.

 

UN Group Member Requirements:

1. Be a professional member of the IBF

2. Hold a current Breathwork Practitioner, Group Facilitator or Breathwork Trainer certification.
3. Hold a commitment to engage with monthly meetings online.

Contact 

Please contact the Workgroup Leader to express your interest or raise a topic for discussion in the workgroup. 

Other Ways to Contribute 

Support IBF initiatives by donating to the IBF Breathwork Development Fund
Become an IBF member and join our team of volunteers
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