Jenny’s Professional Ethics as a Life Coach

Principles of action


I will act as though the following are true:
• There is no failure, only feedback.
• The way to understanding is through action.
• My clients have all the resources they need, or can find them
• All behaviour is purposeful and is always the best that can be done with the resources available – and could probably be better.
• Life coaching is about creating greater choice and an improved reality for the client, congruent with their values and beliefs.

Respect


I will:
• Act out of respect for the dignity of every individual that I coach. I believe that everyone has basic human rights and responsibilities, regardless of their gender, race, colour, creed or physical/mental capacity.
• Respect the worth and uniqueness of every person and their right to determine their own life whilst they respect the rights of others.
• Never take advantage of clients, personally, sexually or financially.
• Not seek to impose my own beliefs, values or views on a client.
• Keep all material confidential except where authorised by the client, or the client appears to be endangering or about to endanger themselves or others, or required by the law.

Integrity


• I will endeavour to honour agreements and keep promises consistently.

Honesty


• I will operate within the limits of my skill-set and qualifications, and market/present myself, my credentials, qualifications and experience to the public in an honest way.

Reputation of Life Coaching


• I will do nothing to harm the general understanding or acceptance of Life Coaching or bring it into disrepute, nor claim or imply outcomes for the process which I cannot congruently assert.

Social responsibility


• I recognise that I have a responsibility to the wider community to work to improve life in general.

Competence


I will:
• Do my best to remain aware of my skills and vigilant of my strengths and limitations, and work to improve my competence and keep up to date with developments in methodology.
• Endeavour only to accept clients that I believe myself competent to coach and ensure that my personal problems do not adversely affect my work.
• Seek permission from the client for peer group review if I have concern about the progress or outcome of my coaching.
• Refer, or request that clients refer themselves, to another professional(s) such as a counsellor, therapist or doctor, when I know that the client has a problem for which such referral is necessary, desirable or more appropriate or that the client needs more support than is generally available within the life coaching remit.