Code of Ethics for Coaches — Do We Even Have One?

Coaching has become part of the contemporary culture of many organizations and is seen as the new revolutionary approach to life, management and leadership. The coaching industry of today is not merely a new fad for describing a style of management. Rather, coaching is a distinct strategic paradigm for clients and customers all around the globe to have accomplishing results.

Professionals who are representing themselves as coaches must adhere to the highest standards of responsibility and accountability, however, is there a code of ethics or standards for coaches, and who is responsible for providing that?

Protection is a concern surrounding the interests of those being coached. A defined ethical standard offers a clear expectation for exploring performance within this field. Coaching unfortunately is an unregulated industry, and the only proposing standard for the code of ethics has been undertaken by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). The ICF is a community of coaches that are committed to maintaing and promoting excellence in coaching. Its members must adhere to the elements and principles of its ethical code (International Coach Federation, 2015). However, any code of ethics is only as valuable as its endorsement and acknowledgement by the community that it effects. This is the exact reason that clients and consumers of those coaching services, may be confused.

Coaching happens surrounding the concept of trust. The nature of coaching is personal and techniques are unique and profound to every level of communication between the coach and the coachee (House, Sandahl, & Whitworth, 2011). While coaching is considered not counseling or therapy, the quality of relationship building is similar, and its consequences can be just as important.

All coaches are asked on a daily basis to distinguish between ethical principles and ethical values. Ethical principles are the rules of which most people abide by and deal heavily with the “should’s and should nots”. It’s also governed by the way we build upon and give direction to our values. An ethical value deals with single words or phrases that are described as desirable to our human nature (Sperry, 2008). Ideally, these rules are aligned with our framework for professional service and living in general.

However, in most cases we are faced with choices that are unclear. For example, what would you do as a coach in this hypothetical situation?

Imagine you are in your third coaching session with a 40-year-old female client who originally came to you to get help with simplifying her life. She discloses that she has been carrying a heavy weight in her heart for the past three years. She states that three years ago, her mother had been depressed for about ten years and wanted to commit suicide. Your client believes that people should be able to die when they want to. She helped her mother set up and successfully carry out the suicide. She expresses to you the guilt that she has been feeling because of her involvement, noting that her mother left her a large inheritance.

What parts of the ethical code of coaching might apply to this situation?

Well, according to the ICF Code of Ethics (2015), under Section 2: Conflicts of Interest, a coach must seek to be conscious of any conflict or potential conflict of interest, and openly disclose any such conflict and offer to remove themselves when a conflict arises.

Also, under Section 4: Confidentiality/Privacy, as a coach you must have a clear agreement when acting as a coach, coach mentor, coaching supervisor or trainer, with both client and sponsor, student, mentee, or supervised about the conditions under which confidentiality may not be maintained (e.g., illegal activity, pursuant to valid court order or subpoena; imminent or likely risk of danger to self or to others; etc), and make sure both client and sponsor, student, mentee, or supervisee voluntarily and knowingly agree in writing to that limit of confidentiality (International Coach Federation, 2015).

In the situation above, if the conflict of interest is a different belief than you feel strongly about, you should remove yourself from the coaching relationship. If you reasonably believe that because one of the above circumstances is applicable, you would need to inform the appropriate authorities as well.

What legal statutes in your own state might apply specifically to assisted suicide?

To uphold the law within the services you provide is severely important. When it comes down to the legal obligations within any coaching field, research on these important aspects would be advised. In this specific case, some of the legal statutes might be honored by the death with dignity laws, however every state has a different jurisdiction for these types of situations.

For example, in Arkansas, a person can be convicted on manslaughter if they purposely cause or aid another person to commit suicide. In my current state New York, last February lawmakers introduced the death by dignity bill that would make the state the sixth in the country to allow terminally ill adults to end their own lives with prescribed medication.

So with that mentioned, working with this particular client may lead to legalities that you as a coach may not want to deal with. The confidentiality within this coaching relationship may be broken due to the courts intervening. I would not want to put this particular client in an unpredictable situation knowing that she may be convicted in the state that she lives in. Click here for a great resource for you on that.

How might a coach’s own ethical standards be challenged by this dilemma?

The levels of ethical development play a part in the decision making process of a coach and will determine his/her progression when dealing with certain ethical dilemmas and situations. My own ethical standards would be challenged in this case because of the legalities mentioned previously, and my own beliefs toward suicide. Most often, suicidal individuals are trying to avoid emotional or physical pain that they believe they cannot bear, and sometimes, is seen as a solution to an otherwise insoluble problem (Piotrowski, 2014). Mental disorders are often associated with suicide such as depression and post traumatic stress disorder.

According to Piotrowski (2014), suicidal thoughts usually abate when suicidal patients are treated. However, it would be advisable to consider all the facets and seek supervision. Check out the American Psychological Association Code of Conduct: http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/ and think about autonomy when making your decision.

If a coach is ‘stuck’ the responsible action is to seek consultation (American Psychological Association, 2016).

How would you advise a coach who was faced with such a dilemma?

Coaches like any profession strive to recognize that personal issues may indeed sometimes get in the way of solid relationships. I would advise a coach who was in this situation to adhere to the ethical guidelines that have been put forth by the ICF, Section 3: Professional Conduct with Clients, to respect the client’s right to terminate the coaching relationship at any point during the process, subject to the provisions of the agreement. I would remain alert to indications that there is a shift in the value received from the coaching relationship (ICF, 2015).

I would also question whether or not a termination in agreement would need to be made, making sure that they were aligned with their own beliefs. I would also ask questions about the facts in the case to help the coach realize that it would be in their best interest to recommend other treatment options and suggest conducting further research within their state guidelines.

What are your thoughts on this?

Leave a comment below and check out www.foundationyou.com for further resources.

References

American Psychological Association. Ethics Resources. Retrieved Feb. 2, 2016, from http://www.apa.org/ethics/resources/index.aspx. http://www.apa.org/ethics/resources/index.aspx

House, H., House, K., Sandahl, P., & Whitworth, L. (2011). Co-Active Coaching. Changing Business Transforming Lives. (Third Edition ed.). Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

International Coach Federation. (2015). Code of ethics — ICF. Retrieved February 3, 2016, from http://coachfederation.org/about/ethics.aspx?ItemNumber=854

Patients Rights Council. (2012). Assisted suicide laws in the United States. Retrieved 2016, from http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/assisted-suicide-state-laws/

Piotrowski, (2014). Suicide. Magill’S Medical Guide (Online Edition),

Sperry, L. (2007). Ethical and professional issues in counseling and psychotherapy practice. Pearson. ISBN 10: 0205435254

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