Cyndi Brannen, PhD, bases her ethics and professional practice on her career as an applied social psychologist and an educator. They are further informed by the core values of Keeping Her Keys: passion, kindness and integrity. 

Dr. Brannen owns and operates The Covina Institute and all content related to Keeping Her Keys. 

All meditations, rituals, practices, and plant medicine content is provided for educational purposes. Dr. Brannen, her staff, students, and volunteers are not responsible for any outcomes associated with their use.

Ethics and Professional Practice Training

Dr. Brannen, as part of her training and career, has received training in ethics and professional practice. She is educated in supporting groups that are traditionally marginalized by the power structure including: women, children, individuals with trauma, persons of color, first nations/aboriginal peoples, those with chronic illness and disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals. She is an acknowledged expert on gender based analysis, vulnerable populations and determinants of health.

Dr. Brannen is a feminist scholar and educator. She holds an earned doctorate in applied social psychology from an APA accredited university. She also has an earned Diploma in University Teaching, specialist training in adult education.

Supervision and Training of  Staff and Volunteers

All Covina Institute and Keeping Her Keys staff (including contractual and temporary) are directly supervised by Dr. Brannen. All staff are trained in ethics and professional practice. 

All volunteers are trained in ethics, and adhere to a strict code based on passion, kindness and integrity.

Confidentiality and Privacy

All  students and members of the general public who contact Dr. Brannen , Keeping Her Keys or The Covina Institute privately are assured of privacy. 

All information, including identifying details will be kept private and will not be shared in any matter.

Confidentiality of all members is ensured. No details of members actions, writings or other works shall be discussed with anyone, except for the following circumstances:

- Imminent risk of harm to the member of Keeping Her Keys.

- Discussions of members with Keeping Her Keys staff.

No member information shall be shared or sold.

Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

Dr. Brannen and the staff of Keeping Her Keys/The Covina Institute strive to benefit those with whom they work and take great care to do no harm to any of the community members within the Keeping Her Keys network and members of the public with whom they interact.

Professional Boundaries

Dr. Brannen and her staff and volunteers adhere to strict professional boundaries with clients, students, and the members of the public with whom they interact. 

Neither Dr. Brannen nor her staff or volunteers engage in dual relationships with her staff, students. In plain language, this means that they do not use their position of advantage to engage in inappropriate behavior or personal, intimate, romantic or sexual relationships.

Because Dr. Brannen's judgments and actions may affect the lives of others, she is alert to and guards against personal, financial, social, organizational, or political factors that might lead to misuse of her influence.

Scope of Practice

Dr. Brannen’s scope of practice focuses on teaching, writing, mentoring and coaching.

Commitment to Professional Conduct

Dr. Brannen and the staff of Keeping Her Keys/The Covina Institute seek to safeguard the welfare and rights of  all those with whom they have professional contact. When conflicts occur, Dr. Brannen and the Keeping Her Keys/Covina  staff attempt to resolve these conflicts in a responsible fashion that avoids or minimizes harm. 

Dr. Brannen and the staff of Keeping Her Keys/Covina  strive to be aware of the possible effect of their own physical and mental health on their ability to help those with whom they work. As such, Keeping Her Keys engages in regular practices to ensure the well-being of Dr. Brannen and her staff. 

Commitment to Efficacy

Dr. Brannen develops her content based on research and spiritual wisdom. She applies her expertise in quantitative and qualitative analysis to her research and her work. Her content is evaluated for efficacy on an ongoing basis. 

Commitment to Safety

Dr. Brannen strives to provide content that is safe based on the needs of the members and the environment in which they are receiving the content. Great consideration is taken to ensure that no lesson, article or experience is beyond the safe parameters of the member or student.

Dr. Brannen and the staff of Keeping Her Keys/Covina are committed to creating a safe environment within Keeping Her Keys. This is defined as a community free of unwanted sexual, racial, gender, cultural, religious or other comments, whether spoken or written.

No Responsibility for Outcomes

Although Dr. Brannen develops her content based on modern evidence and traditional wisdom, and tests and evaluates it for efficacy, she makes no guarantee or accepts no responsibility for the outcomes or impacts of any of her spoken or written work. This applies to the staff of Keeping Her Keys/Covina as well.

Passion

Dr. Brannen and the staff and volunteers of Keeping Her Keys/Covina practice the value of passion informed by discipline. 

This includes the right to speak out about issues deemed important and to respect others’ right to do so without violation of boundaries or confidentiality, and in a manner that is respectful to others experiences and views.

Passion includes the right of others to be heard. Dr. Brannen and the staff of Keeping Her Keys strive to ensure that no member monopolizes time or attention within the network and courses.

Kindness

Dr. Brannen and the staff and volunteers of Keeping Her Keys/Covina practice the value of kindness informed by boundaries.

Kindness is defined as a respectful attitude towards others with a commitment to maintaining healthy boundaries.

Clarity is part of kindness. In all interactions, Dr. Brannen strives to be direct, clear and concise. This applies to staff of Keeping Her Keys/Covina as well.

Integrity

Dr. Brannen recognizes that integrity means that all  her students, staff and volunteers have a right to a safe and supportive environment. Staff and volunteers have an obligation to honor their commitment to the ethical practices and to the terms of their engagement with Keeping Her Keys.

Dr. Brannen exercises reasonable judgment and takes precautions to ensure that her experience and biases do not overly influence her decision making process. 

Dr. Brannen and the staff and volunteers of Keeping Her Keys/Covina  seek to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in their teaching and practice. 

Dr. Brannen and the staff and volunteers of Keeping Her Keys/Covina do not steal, cheat or engage in fraud, subterfuge, or intentional misrepresentation. 

Dr. Brannen and the staff of Keeping Her Keys/Covina strive to keep their promises and to avoid unwise or unclear commitments. 

No  student  shall engage in inappropriate written or verbal comments with Dr. Brannen, staff, volunteers or other members of the network. This may include:

· Sexual overtones or overt sexual advances

· Hateful spoken or written comments

· Offensive visual images

· Nudity

· Violations of personal boundaries, including unwelcome attention, physical contact or other inappropriate behavior

· Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following

· Sustained disruption of discussions, including “talking over” others

· Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise discriminatory language

· Sharing information about members outside of Keeping Her Keys

· Use of Dr. Brannen’s or others intellectual property shared within the network outside of the network.

· Other violations of the core values as determined by Dr. Brannen and her staff.

Dr. Brannen will act to remedy any situation in which a member of Keeping Her Keys violates the Code of Conduct. 

Conflict resolution best practices are used to resolve any violation of the Code of Conduct. All conflict resolution with include at least two members of the staff. The usual first step for minor violations is to clearly discuss with the member the alleged violation to reach a resolution. If a successful resolution cannot be reached, such as the member fails to apologize or acknowledge their violations, the member may be removed without further discussion. Serious violations will result in immediate removal. Members removed from the network for violating the code of conduct will be banned from returning to the network. The reasons for their removal will be reported to Mighty Networks.

Offensive content, including images or words depicting overt sexuality, violence or nudity, will be removed without discussion. 

Reporting a Code of Conduct Incident

To report a possible violation of the KHK Code of Conduct, please email the details about the incident to admin@keepingherkeys.com. Dr. Brannen and her staff will follow up appropriately.