What You Need to Know
ISAR has updated its ethics complaint process to foster transparency and better serve individuals who believe an astrologer has harmed them.
Our focus is to provide information and educate you on the potential avenues for resolution when ethical violations occur so you can choose how best to take action against an unethical astrologer.
Astrology is an unlicensed profession, and membership organizations like ISAR have no real authority over their members. As with most membership-based organizations, ISAR cannot prevent a member from practicing. The most severe action we can take is to revoke their membership or CAP (Certified Astrological Professional) designation.
Unlike governmental bodies, we do not have powers of investigation. However, you may be able to bring your complaint to an outside licensing board that can review your grievance in-depth and provide greater relief for ethical violations. We hope the following information and resources will help you better navigate your choices and receive the support you deserve.
Where no alternative avenue for resolution exists, ISAR will mediate complaints.
Did the Astrologer Violate a Law?
If so, we encourage you to take it to the proper authorities in your jurisdiction. They have the training and resources to address your complaint with the seriousness and care it deserves.
Is the Astrologer Licensed in Another Field?
If the violator has a license in another field, the licensing board with jurisdiction will have comprehensive remedies for ethics violations.
For instance, if your psychologist, acupuncturist, social worker, or massage therapist is pairing their modality with astrology, consider filing a complaint with the licensing board that governs that profession. These regulatory agencies oversee the ability of individuals to practice and have greater authority to address violations.
Is the Astrologer with a School?
Schools are required to have ethics policies and procedures in place. Schools are motivated to keep their students safe and make sure faculty and students adhere to their standards. If you have a complaint against a faculty member or student, explore the school’s grievance procedures.
How Can ISAR Help?
ISAR Mediation
When no more appropriate forum exists to hear your complaint, ISAR's Ethics Chair will coordinate a mediation between the parties so you can find a mutually acceptable solution. ISAR requires its members and affiliates to cooperate with the mediation process as a condition of their membership or association (see Section J & K of ISAR's Ethical Standards and Guidelines).
By offering member mediation, ISAR aims to foster communication between the parties, create a space where harm can be repaired, and promote accountability and healing for a safer, more connected community.
It is essential to understand the limitations of membership organizations. The direct actions we can take impact an individual's membership or CAP designation. For example, apart from an educative letter or ethics training, the ethics complaint process can result in a member being reprimanded, censured, offered a stipulated resignation, or revoked ISAR membership or CAP status. We understand these are often not the remedies you are seeking, which is why we encourage you to explore other channels first.
If you’ve been harmed and no other avenue for your complaint exists, you can learn more about the mediation process below.
ISAR Ethics Complaint & Mediation Process
Before filing a complaint, please first read the following guidelines, which inform you of what to expect, timelines, and what you can do to ensure the best outcome.
When no better avenue to resolve your complaint exists, ISAR will try to resolve your complaint through its mediation process.
Who Can Bring a Complaint?
To bring a complaint, at least one of the parties must be associated with ISAR. For instance, an ISAR member can bring a complaint against another ISAR member or a non-ISAR member. Or a non-ISAR member can bring a complaint against a certified CAP astrologer, an ISAR member, or someone actively volunteering or working with ISAR.
ISAR does not accept third-party complaints (complaints made on another’s behalf).
Time Limits for Reporting
Although we understand that it can take time to fully recognize harm and be ready to report it, we have found our ability to address complaints effectively decreases with time. We can best support you when the events are more recent, memories are fresher, and the involved parties can still access documents and information about the event. For these reasons, we accept complaints for incidents that occurred within the past five years.
Who Receives Your Complaint?
Complaints are initially reviewed by the Ethics Team, comprised of the Ethics Chair and a member of the CAPISAR board of directors.
Complaints that cannot be resolved through a simple call or email to the involved parties will go into mediation. The Ethics Chair identifies a trained mediator with the appropriate training, such as ethics, trauma-informed therapy, etc., and has no ties to either of the involved parties.
Confidentiality and Impartiality
All complaints are held in strict confidentiality and are not shared outside of the Ethics Team and mediator until the complaint process is completed. ISAR’s policy is that everyone involved in the ethics process keeps the information confidential.
Should a mediation result in a member or associate being censured, requiring training, removal from membership, etc., then those who facilitate those actions would be notified.
To ensure impartiality, the Ethics Team shares the parties’ names only (without identifying who is the complainant and respondent) with the mediator. In the unlikely event a mediator knows either party, an alternate mediator will be selected. Mediators will be certified professionals selected from outside the astrological community. All sign nondisclosure forms.
If a member of the community is the subject of multiple grievances, the Ethics Chair notifies the ISAR board, which may result in a direct action instead of mediation.
A Summary of Our Process
STEP 1.
You submit your complaint to [email protected].Be sure to include:
1) The date of the incident (and location, if in-person).
2) Your name and contact information.
3) The other party’s name and contact information.
4) If it is you or the other party who is an ISAR member or associate.
5) Any backing documentation you may have (emails, screenshots, paperwork).
6) Please identify the statute(s) the other party violated using the ISAR’s Ethics Standards and Guidelines, referencing the Section Letter and Subclause Number/Letter. (Example: B.1.b: Right to Privacy: Confidentiality of Records)
7) A brief description of the event. (Keep this fact-based, providing essential details.)
Once received, the Ethics Team reviews the claim and any uploaded documentation and contacts the other party. The respondent has 15 days from the date contacted to respond.
Many complaints resolve at this stage. For instance, perhaps you didn’t receive a refund for an appointment that you canceled within the terms of the astrologer’s stated cancellation policy. The astrologer might respond with a short explanation and a screenshot of the refund. (“Thanks for the heads up. I found her requests in my junk mail. I’ve already sent her an email apology and the refund.”)
Step 1 is a "paper review" process, and we’re limited in gathering documentation to facilitate resolutions. The Ethics Team does not have subpoena power and relies on the review of documents submitted by the complainant, the respondent, and any relevant parties.
Allow up to three weeks for Step 1.
If the complaint is not resolved at this stage, it proceeds to mediation.
STEP 2.
You and the other party will receive a notification from the Ethics Team that the process will move into mediation.
At this stage, the involved parties agree not to speak publicly about the complaint to give the mediation process the best possible opportunity to result in a mutually agreed upon, positive resolution. If any involved party breaks confidentiality or encourages others to do so on their behalf, these actions will be seen as retaliatory and a lack of good faith in the process. This may result in mediation being canceled, and, if you are an ISAR associate, cause for immediate suspension of membership or association.
The Ethics Team will seek a mediator with the appropriate training and therapeutic background to facilitate between the parties to ensure all involved are supported with sensitivity and skill. After identifying the appropriate person, the Ethics Team will notify both parties and will act as a neutral liaison to schedule the mediation at the most convenient time for all involved.
The Ethics Team’s role in the mediation is supportive and administrative, not judicial. The Ethics Team has no role in the outcome. Instead, the involved parties, under the guidance of a trained mediator, will seek a resolution that feels honest, fair, and, hopefully, healing for all involved.
Once the mediation is finalized, the Ethics Team ensures that the agreement the parties negotiate is implemented as instructed.
Allow up to two months for Step 2. Finding highly skilled mediators with availability can take time, and often scheduling, especially when parties are on different continents in different time zones, can present challenges.