Life Coaching and Ethics

Ethics of a Life Coach
The life coach and the coachee have a special relationship that is very similar to the relationship between the counselor and the client. In the client-counselor relationship, the counselor is expected to abide by a code of ethics, and the same expectations should be preserved for the coach-coachee relationship. The life coach is a position of authority to some degree, and to misuse or abuse the trust granted him by the coachee is to violate the ethical principles that support the good work that coaches can do with their coachees. This paper will look at question e) Are there circumstances where it would be OK to have a sexual relationship with a client/coachee? It will show that engaging in a sexual relationship with a client/coachee would be highly unethical.
As Moberg and Valasquez (2004) point out, the ethics of mentoring does not mean that it provides a safe way in which mentoring and coaching can be conducted without any dysfunction whatsoever. Dysfunction is very likely to occur in most mentoring cases, simply because people are complex. The purpose of an ethical framework, however, is to allow all stakeholders to have a guide—an ethical rule that they can follow and adhere to in order to navigate challenges and any dysfunction that may arise.
For example, in the issue of a sexual feelings arising between a coach and a coachee, the ethical framework would indicate that acting on those feelings and entering into a sexual relationship would be unethical because the nature of the relationship is not meant to be sexual or romantic: it is meant to be coach-coachee, with its own definitions, parameters, aims and objectives. The romantic relationship is quite different, as it puts the needs of both parties at an equal level, whereas the coach-coachee relationship always focuses on the client’s needs. Thus, to enter into a sexual relationship with the client is to disrupt and distort that balance. The ethical approach to coaching must always observe and respect the fact that the coach is there to serve and support the client (Passmore & Mortimore, 2011).
In a situation where sex becomes an issue, the element of power factors into the situation because the coach is viewed as a person of authority. To pursue sex with the client may be construed as the coach taking advantage of his position, especially as the Me Too Era has shown. Thus, it is not advised and if sexual feelings arise, the life coach and coachee should either end the relationship or refrain from indulging those feelings and maintaining a professional air at all times. The element of duration factors into the issue for as long as the coach and coachee are in a coach-coachee relationship and for a significant amount of time after that professional relationship has concluded. It would be just as equally ill-advised to begin a romantic relationship with a former client as soon as the coaching has concluded. Once the coach-coachee relationship has terminated there should still be a professional distance between the two. The individual will always be a former client and thus the coach-coachee relationship should always be respected and it would be ill-advised for the coach and coachee to become sexually involved even once the coaching has ended. Would it be appropriate for them to enter into a relationship 6 months or a year down the road? The ACTION model would suggest that the coach should not seek out a personal relationship with a coachee, whether current or former, because it degrades and clouds the action of being a coach. To preserve the integrity of the coaching process, professional relationships between coaches and coachees should never turn into personal relationships.
References
Moberg, D. J. & Valasquez, M. (2004) The ethics of mentoring, Business Ethics Quarterly 14(1): 95-122.
Passmore, J., & Mortimer, L. (2011). Ethics in coaching. In G. Hernez-Broom, & L. A. Boyce (Eds.), Advancing executive coaching: Setting the course for successful leadership coaching (pp. 205-227). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.