This updated version of guidelines for the EDT-List email discussion group (listserv) was approved by the IEDTA Board in February, 2019.  The original guidelines were drafted by Michael Alpert, Allen Kalpin, Kristin Osborn, and Susan Warren Warshow, and approved by the IEDTA Board in December 2012.

The current moderator of the listserv is Allen Kalpin (akalpin@aol.com).

Listserv Guidelines

The IEDTA wishes to promote a vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming community, including on the EDT-List email discussion group (listserv). To promote this goal, the IEDTA Board has established the following listserv guidelines.

1. Thoughtful and passionate debate is encouraged, but implied or direct devaluation is strongly discouraged.

2. Please remain respectful of all colleagues and be considerate of the different levels of experience and professional development represented on this listserv. In order to promote safety and open sharing, we want to strive for a constructive atmosphere in which all of us can learn from each other.

3. In cases of doubt, we recommend self-reflection and/or feedback from a trusted colleague before you hit “send.”

4. Please avoid topics that are strictly personal if unrelated to the professional interest of this community.

5. We welcome the sharing of feelings as well as concepts related to our work and encourage empathetic, compassionate, and non-authoritarian responses.

6. We ask that the listserv community serve as monitor for our discussions and offer supportive feedback when we stray from the listserv guidelines.

7. If there is an unresolved conflict, appeals can be made to the listserv moderator. When necessary, action will be taken to uphold these guidelines and their underlying spirit. In difficult cases, the moderator is encouraged to consult with the Board. The moderator has the authority to remove participants from the listserv when other resolutions are not available. It is possible to appeal the moderator’s decisions to the Board, which has ultimate authority in these matters.

8. The subject matter of a post should be clearly stated in the subject line; if you are replying to an earlier email to reach the listserv on a new subject, please change the subject line and delete the previous thread from your reply. If your post is lengthy, it is considerate to notify readers in the first sentence or subject line. Participants should feel free to ignore or delete any posts they do not wish to read, and should refrain from complaining regarding length of posts.

9. Please try to keep colleagues’ email “clutter” to a minimum. Thoughtful contributions are welcome. Brief expressions of support, appreciation, congratulations, condolence, etc. are often better sent just to the intended recipient (that is, “back channel”) rather than to the entire list.

10. No political statements are allowed.

11. Discussion of cases is appropriate and helpful, but please be mindful that the listserv is not responsible for the comments of its members. Thoughts or suggestions about treatment made by members are not part of a supervisory process. Therefore, do not use the listserv as a replacement for supervision. The IEDTA maintains a list of supervisors who have met our criteria to be IEDTA-Certified, if supervision if needed.

12. In posting case material or in seeking referrals for therapists, it is essential to protect patient confidentiality. It is not sufficient simply to refrain from naming a patient; it is important to omit any detail or details that might permit a patient’s identity to be guessed.

13. To advertise events, services, or other matters on the listserv you must be a current IEDTA member.