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Book Review: Law & Ethics in Coaching

Book Review: Law & Ethics in Coaching

Law & Ethics in Coaching, How to Solve and Avoid Difficult Problems in Your Practice by Patrick Williams and Sharon K. Anderson (with a number of additional contributors) is a book that addresses areas of relevance to everyone in coaching.

Summary – The chapters of the book include:

  1. The Profession of Coaching – Explores the rise of coaching and how it is differentiated from other professions because of the legal implications.
  2. Foundations of Professional Ethics – Provides insights of ethics overall and their application in various professions.
  3. Ethical Choice – Reviews several models with an awareness that each person comes with different perceptions of ethical choices.
  4. Competence – Developing competency as an ethical necessity for coaches.
  5. Developing and Maintaining Clear Trust – Focus, agreements, and confidentiality are both ethical and foundational to trust in coaching.
  6. Multiple-Role Relationships in Coaching – A brief overview that refers to how the Code of Ethics addresses this indirectly.
  7. Ethical Use of Assessments in Coaching – Assessments generally require a separate certification and coaching following an assessment maximizes the benefits.
  8. Legal Issues and Solutions in Coaching – Discusses essential basics including business structure and name, contracting, regulatory issues, intellectual property, insurance, and emerging issues.
  9. The Intersection of Culture and Ethics – Considers how cultural differences interacts with ethics.
  10. Coaching to Come – Shares perceptions and ideas on the future of coaching.

The Good:

Among the first books addressing these areas for coaches, this book provides insights, points of consideration, plus specific ethical and legal tips for coaches.  The information is directly and immediately applicable for coaches as professionals.

The Bad:

The information on confidentiality is very limited in terms of interacting with employers and employees in coaching relationships plus protecting the confidentiality of notes, particularly if a company computer or email is used.

Conclusion:

A must-read for coaches!

Cathy Liska

For content specific to coach training and coaching, guest blog posts are welcome.

Most blog posts here are written or curated by Cathy Liska, Guide from the Side®, CDP, MCC.

Cathy is CEO/Founder of the Center for Coaching Certification, CCC. As Guide from the Side®, she is a sought-after trainer and coach with over 30 years of experience in business management and ownership. Cathy built her diverse team at CCC that includes trainers, customer service, and coaches. She was Co-Leader for ICF’s Ethics Community of Practice, on the Leadership Team for the review and updating of the Code of Ethics in 2024, and active in the Ethics Water Cooler. To ensure she stays current in related areas of expertise, Cathy has earned the following: ICF’s Master Certified Coach (MCC), Certified Coach Trainer, Certified Consumer Credit Counselor, Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Grief Support Group Facilitator, Certified in the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool, Certified Apartment Manager, Certified Civil and Family Mediator, and Certified in DISC.

Cathy’s clients range from attorneys to corporate executives, government to nonprofit, entrepreneurs to children, under or unemployed to newly retired. She specializes in communication, management, conflict, and leadership. Her personal mission statement is “People.” Cathy is known for her passion to serve others so they achieve the results they want.

Podcast: https://www.coachcert.com/podcast.html

Publications: Coaching Perspectives (a series of books with chapters by coach training graduates) https://www.coachcert.com/resources/recommended-reading/coaching-perspectives-series-by-the-center-for-coaching-certification-and-more.html

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