CODE OF CONDUCT

The Nurtured Parent Support Group is a safe, confidential, supportive environment. Our code of conduct is our standard through which we honor the needs, safety, and overall health and wellbeing of our group.  To participate in a Nurtured Parent support group meeting, you must sign and agree to abide by our code of conduct.  Thank you for honoring our sacred space!

1. Confidentiality: We expect that you will honor the privacy and safety of our members at all times. By signing this code of conduct and participating in a support group, you agree that you will at no time share names or private information about any member outside of group without their explicit permission.
   

2. Cell Phones: As you enter the group, please turn cell phones to vibrate or off.  If you must take a call, please exit the room as quietly as possible to minimize the disturbance to your fellow members, and quietly take your seat upon your return.  As members are speaking, please save texts for after group. Every member deserves our full attention!
   

3. Arriving LATE/Leaving EARLY: The Nurtured Parent is a gift to you. Make the most of it!  Do your best to arrive on time and stay for the duration. If you arrive late or need to leave early, please do so as quietly as possible out of respect to fellow members. This means refraining from announcing your late arrival or early departure when a fellow member is in the process of sharing. Think: cat-like stealth!  However, when you arrive late, please note that your opportunity to share will be at the end of group, after everyone else has shared. Occasionally group ends early, but more often than not, it runs over.  You are not expected to stay when group runs over.
   

4. Participation: The Nurtured Parent is a give-and-get support group. Your participation is necessary. Positive comments, compassion, patience, and a willingness to receive feedback is the foundation for healing and growth.  We ask that you be mindful and respectful of each member’s individual journey, and honor their time to share.  Observe the way the group in general operates, and go with the flow. Be patient. Everyone will be given an opportunity to share their story and contribute in a meaningful way.
   

5. Side Conversations: We encourage love and camaraderie amongst our members. But please refrain from side conversations, as they are a disruption to the flow of the group.  If your private conversation cannot wait until group ends, please quietly exit group together, reconvene in the hallway, and silently return to your seat when you are finished.
   

6. Feelings of Being Triggered: If you find yourself becoming too upset or distressed, it is perfectly acceptable to take a walk in the hallway whenever you need a break. If you need additional support, alert a facilitator. If you have the time, stay after group with a facilitator, or make arrangements with a facilitator to discuss it at a later time. You and your healing process are important to us. Be patient and kind to yourself.
   

7. Respect for Everyone’s Healing Process – Including My Own: You may experience moments (or personalities) in the group that will feel especially upsetting to you.  These upsets may come from recounting the trauma you suffered as a child long ago, or from sharing about a way your abusive partner treated you very recently. They might come from your current life stressors, or from hearing the content of another member’s story. Whatever the source is, we encourage you before you react to sit silently with those feelings, and observe them.  Ask yourself these qualifying questions:
   

• Am I safe at this very moment?
• Why am I feeling so uncomfortable?
• Is this an invitation to heal something unfinished within myself?
• What can I learn from this experience?
• Am I being kind and supportive to myself in my thoughts?
• Are my thoughts being kind and supportive to my fellow members?
• Am I safe to contribute honestly about how I am feeling with the group?

When it’s your turn to speak again, we encourage you to respectfully share those feelings with us. This is an essential part of your personal awareness and our collective healing as a group. Remember, feelings of being challenged to move outside your comfort zone and look at things in a new way is a good thing.   Challenging false beliefs, beliefs that do not honor our highest good, is a wonderful opportunity for healing and growth.

8. Safety: Everyone has a right to feel safe at our meetings. Members are expected to participate in a group setting appropriately.  As a domestic abuse support group, we will not allow the mistreatment of our members, nor will we allow excuses for it.  A successful working relationship involves cooperation and awareness of your personal contribution to the health and well-being of the group as a whole. We welcome everyone who is seeking help and can demonstrate sympathy, trust, and love.  If you have a tendency to interrupt members in a disruptive manner, a facilitator will ask to speak with you alone and remind you of our code of conduct. If a disruptive behavior persists, or if your behavior makes others feel unsafe, the facilitator has the right to end group.  Please be aware that group may not be the appropriate environment for everyone. Any member that ignores our code of conduct and warnings about their disruptive behavior will be asked to take a hiatus from group.  Referrals for individual counseling or more appropriate programs to serve your needs can be provided at that time.
   

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT – CODE OF CONDUCT

I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE NURTURED PARENT SUPPORT GROUP’S CODE OF CONDUCT. BY SENDING THIS FORM I ADHERE ELECTRONICALLY TO ACKNOWLEDGING THIS CODE OF CONDUCT.

Please type “YES” for your ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the CODE OF CONDUCT in the box labeled “ACKNOWLEDGEMENT – CODE OF CONDUCT”.

If you would like to PRINT and bring an acknowledged copy of our CODE OF CONDUCT to the Weekly Meeting, we encourage this method as well. You can do so by clicking on the form icon below: