The International Coaching Federation provides a Code of Ethics that addresses, among other things, what to include in your coaching agreement. Graduates of coach training with the Center for Coaching Certification are provided multiple examples of coaching agreements.
For Health and Wellness Coaching, additional clauses in an agreement may include, as appropriate:
- How collaboration with other professionals, including medical care providers, mental health providers, and fitness trainers is managed. Often this includes the client signing a release for the sharing of information to best coordinate services.
- A process or plan ant
icipating when and / or where to refer clients for other services. - Guidelines for accessing client medical information in the course of the work.
- Guidelines on how a coach handles a client who is endangering them self with unhealthy practices.
- Guidelines for when there are signs of mental health impairment.
It is significant that the roles of the coach and client be defined as well as the points on the client being the one making their own decisions and plans. Sometimes engagements involve more that one role. In that case, it is essential the different roles are clarified as well as the plan for which role is in play when and how that impacts the process. Specifically, stating the expertise of the coach and how that expertise is a role at defined times and how it is in the background when coaching so that the coaching is true to the coaching process.
