Ethical knowledge, dilemmas and resolutions in professional coaching

ABSTRACT

There is little understanding of coaches’ ethical knowledge, means to resolve ethical dilemmas, and how these dilemmas might align with those experienced in other helping professions. Using purposive convenience sampling, 260 coaches were asked about their training, the ethical dilemmas they have experienced, and how they have resolved their ethical dilemmas. The qualitative and quantitative results indicated that coaches reported a variety of dilemmas, with the three most common types being dilemmas related to conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and boundaries between therapy and coaching. The most reported methods of resolving dilemmas included informal resolution, referral to therapy, seeking supervision, seeking consultation and referring to the ICF Ethics Code. The results highlight common ethical issues that arise in coaching and their relationship to other helping professions.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethics
• ethics code
• coaching
• ethical dilemmas

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Hannah Heitz, upon request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hannah K. Heitz

Hannah K. Heitz is a doctoral student in counseling psychology at the University of Louisville. Her research is focused on social inequities in health, feminist therapy and ethical decision-making. Complementing her research, she has worked in the healthcare technology field and enjoys clinical practice in a variety of settings.

Mark M. Leach

Mark M. Leach is a Professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development at the University of Louisville. His primary professional interests lie in ethics, moral disengagement, forgiveness and religion and spirituality’s relationship to mental health. He has received awards through the American Psychological Association (APA) and is Vice-Chair of the Ethics Code Task Force which is charged with developing the next version of the APA ethics code.