Advertising Standards Policy

1. Core standard

All public communications must be legal, decent, honest and truthful. Claims must be clear, proportionate and supported by evidence held before publication. Members must comply with the law and advertising rules that apply in the country and medium concerned, including the UK CAP Code where relevant.

2. Evidence and efficacy claims

• Do not state or imply that IEMT is proven, evidence-based, clinically validated or effective for a condition unless the precise claim is supported by sufficiently robust evidence.
• Do not describe preliminary, exploratory, component or case-study evidence as proof of the complete IEMT model.
• Do not transfer evidence from EMDR, working-memory tasks, NLP, eye-movement desensitisation or another intervention to IEMT.
• Do not guarantee results, use universal claims, imply rapid or permanent change, or suggest that non-response reflects client failure.
• Do not claim to diagnose, treat or cure a medical or mental-health condition unless the practitioner is lawfully qualified to do so and the claim itself is properly substantiated.

Accurate wording may describe IEMT as an emerging technique and explain the practitioner’s service, process and intended scope without promising a clinical outcome.

3. Qualifications and professional status

Titles, certificates, memberships and logos must be current and described exactly. Certification in IEMT does not by itself confer the title of therapist, psychotherapist, psychologist, counsellor, doctor or other regulated or protected professional status. Association membership and voluntary registration must not be presented as statutory regulation, government approval, PSA accreditation or a licence to practise.

Approved Trainer status applies only while current and only to the training for which approval has been granted. Course advertising must distinguish attendance, assessment, certification, Association membership and any separate accreditation process.

4. Comparisons and endorsements

Comparisons with EMDR, CBT, medication or any other service must be fair, verifiable and not misleading through omission. Do not claim that IEMT is faster, safer, superior, equivalent or a replacement without appropriate comparative evidence. Do not imply endorsement by the NHS, NICE, WHO, universities, insurers, armed-forces organisations or other bodies merely because they are mentioned, linked, attended or involved in unrelated work.

5. Testimonials, case material and reviews

• Obtain valid permission and protect confidentiality.
• Do not edit a testimonial so that its meaning or typicality is distorted.
• Do not present an individual experience as evidence that others will obtain the same result.
• Disclose material incentives, relationships or selection methods.
• Never fabricate reviews, case histories, credentials, citations or professional affiliations.

6. Vulnerability, risk and targeting

Advertising must not exploit fear, distress, trauma, diagnosis, financial pressure or a person’s limited capacity to evaluate claims. Do not discourage medical assessment, prescribed treatment, safeguarding action or emergency help. Prices, refund terms, material limitations and foreseeable additional costs must be clear before commitment.

7. Websites, social media and AI

This policy covers websites, directories, search advertising, social media, video, podcasts, webinars, printed materials, messages and AI-generated content. The member remains responsible for accuracy, sources, permissions and disclosure. Engagement metrics, disclaimers or wording such as “for information only” do not correct an otherwise misleading claim.

8. Concerns and enforcement

Potential breaches may be reported through the Complaints process. The Association may request evidence, correction, removal or clarification and may take proportionate interim action where public protection requires it. Disciplinary findings follow the Membership Disciplinary Policy. External advertising regulators retain their own jurisdiction.

This policy should be read with the Scope of Practice Policy, Standards of Competence and Data Protection and Online Privacy Policy.

Policy owner: The Association for IEMT Practitioners Ltd. Review following material legal, regulatory or operational change, and otherwise at least every two years.