My Ethics & Boundaries

Your Safety & Wellbeing Come First

Everything I do is focused on supporting your personal growth and wellbeing. I believe in ongoing, enthusiastic consent, before we begin any touch or bodywork, and throughout our time together.

What This Means in Practice:

You have complete autonomy to pause, adjust, or stop anything at any time. All touch serves your learning and healing, and I maintain strict hygiene and safety protocols, especially during intimate bodywork.

You set the pace. We work at your speed, not mine. Some clients spend months working fully clothed, and some never move to touch-based work at all. That is a complete way to work rather than a delay.

Consent is ongoing. Just because you consented to something last session doesn't mean you have to do it again. Every session starts fresh, and you can always change your mind.

Your nervous system is the guide. I'm trained to recognise signs of overwhelm, dissociation, or distress. If I notice these signs, I'll pause and check in with you, even if you haven't explicitly asked to stop.

Your Privacy is Sacred

What happens in our sessions stays between us. I treat all information you share with complete confidentiality and keep any records secure and private.

Confidentiality Includes:

• Everything you tell me during sessions
• Your physical and emotional responses
• Your identity as a client (I won't acknowledge knowing you in public unless you acknowledge me first)
• All written communications between us
• Session notes and records
• Payment and booking information

For full details about confidentiality, data protection, and the very limited legal exceptions where confidentiality may be broken, please see my Confidentiality Statement.

Creating Safety & Trust

I honour your agency and choice in everything we do together. I aim for transparent communication and will always discuss any concerns or changes as they arise. My goal is to create a space where you feel safe, empowered, and heard, and to model the kind of clear communication and boundary-setting that serves healthy relationships.

How I Create Safety:

Clear communication: I explain what I'm doing and why, and I invite your questions and feedback.

Your body's wisdom leads: I follow what your body shows me is helpful, not a predetermined agenda.

Trauma-informed approach: I understand that trauma lives in the body, and I work with your nervous system's natural healing capacity.

No assumptions: I never assume I know what's best for you. You're the expert on your own experience.

Boundaries are protective: Clear boundaries aren't limitations. They're what make intimacy and exploration possible.

My Boundaries

What I Offer:

My work focuses on education, personal growth, and wellbeing. I'm not providing medical treatment, diagnosis, or psychotherapy. I remain clothed unless you specifically request otherwise for certain types of bodywork, like body-to-body tantric massage.

Touch and Bodywork:

You're welcome to offer appropriate touch: hugs, holding hands for comfort, or hand-on-heart connection. Any sexual touch would only happen with your explicit request, a clear understanding of how it serves your growth, and thorough discussion of boundaries beforehand.

Sexological Bodywork is an educational, embodiment-focused practice. It may include touch to explore sensation, breath, and presence, but it's distinct from massage or sexual services.

Tantric Massage involves intimate, erotic touch within clear therapeutic boundaries. This is never the starting point of our work. It comes after establishing trust, understanding, and clear agreements.

Emotional Connection and Professional Boundaries:

While our sessions may involve emotional connection and intimacy, I'm mindful about attachment and don't form romantic relationships with clients. Any connection we develop is meant to enhance your capacity for healthy relationships in your life beyond our sessions.

What this means:

• Our relationship exists within the context of our professional work
• I care deeply about your growth and wellbeing within the therapeutic relationship
• The intimacy we develop serves your healing and self-discovery
• Clear boundaries protect the therapeutic space

Dual Relationships:

Working with people I already know personally requires careful consideration. While it's not impossible, it does add complexity to the work.

Why it's complex:

• Personal relationships and therapeutic relationships require different dynamics
• What you share in sessions might affect our friendship or family relationship
• It can be harder to maintain clear professional boundaries
• The therapeutic container needs protection from external relationship dynamics

If we already know each other:

I'm open to discussing whether working together is appropriate, but we both need to be comfortable that:

• We can maintain clear boundaries between our personal and professional relationship
• You feel safe being vulnerable without it affecting our friendship/family connection
• I can maintain professional objectivity
• We're both clear about confidentiality (what stays in sessions vs what's part of our outside relationship)

I've worked with close friends before, but it requires honest conversation about whether it will serve you, and whether we can both navigate the complexity. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it's better for me to refer you to another practitioner who doesn't have that dual relationship dynamic.

Couples Work: Special Considerations

When working with couples, I maintain clear boundaries around confidentiality and communication:

Individual Sessions:

If I work with you and your partner individually, what you tell me in private stays private unless you explicitly give permission to share specific information.

Transparency:

I won't keep secrets that undermine the couples work, but I will discuss any concerns directly with you first before bringing them to a joint session.

Working Agreements:

All couples work begins with a clear written agreement about boundaries, confidentiality, and how we'll work together. Both partners must consent to the terms before we begin.

For more details, see the [Couples Working Agreement](link to couples working agreement).

Financial Boundaries

Clear Pricing:

All fees are discussed upfront. There are no hidden costs or surprise charges.

Standard session: £180 (90 minutes)
Tantric massage: £360 (3-hour minimum)
Programmes: Pricing provided during discovery call

Reduced-Rate Spaces:

I hold limited reduced-rate spaces for those experiencing financial hardship. Financial constraints should not be a barrier to this work. Please mention this during your discovery call.

Payment and Cancellation:

• Payment is required at the time of booking or at the start of each session
• Cancellation policy: 48 hours' notice required, otherwise full session fee applies
• This protects my time and ensures the work remains sustainable

When Things Don't Feel Right

Your Right to Feedback:

If something doesn't feel right, please tell me. I welcome feedback. It helps me understand what serves you and what doesn't. You won't hurt my feelings, and addressing concerns strengthens our work together.

Your Right to Stop:

You can end our work together at any time, for any reason. You don't owe me an explanation. If you'd like to discuss what led to your decision, I'm open to that conversation, but it's not required.

If You Have Concerns About My Practice:

If you believe I've crossed a professional or ethical boundary:

1. Speak with me directly if you feel comfortable doing so. I want to address concerns openly
2. Contact my professional bodies:
   • Association of Certified Sexological Bodyworkers (ACSB)
   • Association for Somatic and Integrative Sexology (ASIS)
3. Seek support from a trusted friend, therapist, or adviser

Your wellbeing is paramount. If something doesn't feel right, trust that feeling.

Working With Other Professionals

I work collaboratively alongside medical professionals, therapists, and other practitioners when appropriate. I'm not a replacement for medical care or psychotherapy. I'm a complementary support for embodied healing and sexual wellbeing.

When I'll Suggest You See Someone Else:

• If you need medical diagnosis or treatment for physical conditions
• If you're experiencing severe mental health crisis (I'll support you in accessing appropriate help)
• If trauma work requires specialist trauma therapy beyond my scope
• If our work together isn't the right fit for your needs

I see collaboration as strength, not competition. Your care team working together serves you best.

My Commitment to You

I'm committed to:

✓ Maintaining clear boundaries that protect our therapeutic relationship
✓ Ongoing transparency about what we're doing and why
✓ Respecting your autonomy and pace at all times
✓ Professional development to serve you better
✓ Ethical practice guided by ACSB and ASIS standards
✓ Creating safety through clear communication and consent
✓ Honouring your whole self: your body's wisdom, your boundaries, your story

Questions?

If you have questions about my ethics, boundaries, or how we'll work together, please ask. These conversations are important, and I'm always happy to discuss what will help you feel safe and supported.

Contact me: melanie@conscious-sexuality.co.uk

Related Information

For more detailed information, please see:

• Confidentiality Statement - Full details on privacy, data protection, and confidentiality
• Privacy Policy - How your personal data is collected and protected
• Couples Working Agreement - Specific agreements for couples work
• FAQ - Common questions about how we work together

This Ethics & Boundaries statement reflects my commitment to trauma-informed, consent-based practice in accordance with ACSB and ASIS professional standards. Last updated December 2025.