This page contains examples of ethical challenges to test out your ethical navigation. There is no one solution to this situation. As you think about it, be aware of what you are taking into account as you decide what you would do? Why are you taking these things into account? What other perspectives are there?

Challenge 

Here is a hypothetical situation that you may find relevant to your practice, or presented in supervision. What is happening here? What are the main areas to enquire into, to support learning and to help navigation of new ways of working.

The context: 

The coach, Jon, has a strong track record, working as an executive coach for more than 10 years. They have a robust coaching profile and firm relationships with a number of successful client organisations. Their typical client is one who is very senior. Along with many others in the coaching world, the coach has a presence on a number of social networking sites including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. 

Part of Jon’s practice is to gain structured feedback from coaching clients. More recently, this had frequently led to a number of recommendations on LinkedIn. A number of colleagues have commented on the value of the recommendations as a way of marketing. 

More recently, Jon has connected with current individual clients, and has sent the odd coaching question, via the social networking media. 

A specific situation within this: 

One of Jon’s client organisations has chosen not to re-engage him as part of their coaching panel. The reason given? Too high a Social Networking profile.

Some considerations: 

• How certain are you of the privacy around your Social Networking profile(s)? 
• How might your use of Social Networking sites align with your coaching practice? 
• What could the issues be here from a client perspective? 
• What impact might a high Social Networking profile have on practice? 
• What impact might high Social Networking use have on perceptions of professional distance/proximity between coaches and their clients? 
• What in your own practice is similar/different to the context presented? 
• To what extent do you think communication through Social Networking is governed by norms familiar to you from other forms of communication?

Note: All individuals and organisations described are fictitious.

Thanks to Dr Alison Whybrow for this example. It is a provocation for reflective practice and does not constitute advice. Alison is a practicing coach and a past chair of the SGCP.

Note: You can discuss this with peers by putting across your own ideas and hearing others ideas at the interactive ethics forums. If you have not used the interactive forums before you will be required to create a profile, which takes just a few minutes. 

Mind the (information) gap? 

Here are some partial notes from a situation that a coach has brought to supervision. What went wrong? What are the main areas to enquire into, to help ensure a good outcome this time and prevent something similar on another occasion? 

The background:

The coach has a long and happy association with a mid size management services company. The coach traditionally provided training, team development and consultancy type services internally for this company, on a contract basis. 

Then, an influential company director with whom the coach has a good relationship, proposed that each senior manager in his department receive 5 one-hour sessions from this coach. This was to be a trial period, based on the director knowing that the coach thought one-to-one coaching would add value and would be interested to provide it. The senior director has not been coached, nor has coaching been available in the company before. A price was agreed and the deal was done! 

A specific situation within this: 

Stuart is one of the senior managers. Introduced to the coach, he was overjoyed to be receiving some exclusive one-to-one coaching, something that he had been requesting for over a year since his promotion.

This is the point at which the coach brought the issue to supervision. 

Some considerations:

• At what point in this story did you spot a warning sign? 
• What hasn’t been said that needs to be said? To who? From who? 
• What would you have done differently and why?
• Who are the clients in this story? Stepping in to their shoes, what has each ‘signed up’ to? 
• Who has influence over who in this story? Of what type? What are the consequences? 
• Who in this story knows what coaching might involve or lead to? 

Thanks to Derek Ross, the former peer practice group co-ordinator, for this example. It is a provocation for reflective practice and does not constitute advice. 

Safety For All When Pressure Points Emerge 

You are coaching a senior manager, Peter, in a coaching series arranged through the HR department. The reason he has been offered coaching and you were engaged is that his role has changed (and expanded) significantly following a merger between two organisations, and this is seen as a good way of helping him adjust to the new landscape and set priorities - as well as deal with an increased workload. 

You have seen him for three sessions so far. In the most recent one he referred to big arguments with his wife (but didn’t want to elaborate) and that he was having trouble sleeping. Most of the session focused on work related issues. 

His immediate line manager, a director of the company, has contacted you. She is concerned about Peter and told you that he has started behaving out of character: ignoring staff in his team; upsetting a client and turning his phone off for prolonged periods when out of the office. 

This director wants to meet you to talk this through, "particularly as you’re a psychologist and all of this has started since you started coaching him." You think you detect a note of accusation in her voice although she says she wants to work with you to help Peter.

What will you do? 

Considerations might include: 

• How do you decide if/when to refer to a more clinical or therapeutic practitioner? If you did decide that, how would you do it?
• How will you use supervision? 
• What form of contracting took place at the outset? 
• What ‘inklings’/ flags are you aware of? What are you options for testing them? 
• What might you say to Peter? To the line manager? To HR? 

Thanks to Sarah Dale, CPsychol for this example Sarah leads the Nottingham-based Peer Practice Group 

Relationship Management 

You are contacted by a commercial organisation wanting to get to know some coaches to add to their supplier resource. They want you to provide a set of three sessions to one of their managers so they can assess if you are the right kind of coach for them. They would like you to provide this for expenses only. What is your response? 

Some considerations:

• Imagine you accept. You tell a colleague about this. He has declined because he doesn’t think that it’s appropriate to provide a valuable service for free, and doing so devalues his services and those of fellow practitioners. What is your response?
• Imagine you accept. You tell a colleague about this. He says he explained to the organisation the drawbacks he could see in their assessment process. You somewhat agree, but they didn’t, and didn’t continue with their interest in him. What is your response?
• Imagine you decline. Six months later a colleague tells you that not only do they have work with this organisation but it’s been going so well that she has been recommended by them to two other organisations and she is really enjoying the work. What is your response?
• There are a variety of situational factors that may impact your choices. They include and are undoubtedly not limited to: your view on the business of the organisation and whether you are interested to serve this business, your view on whether you have sufficient work currently, your view on whether the proposed scheme will demonstrate your value to the organisation in their view or allow you to assess it in your own view, your career stage and needs in relation to breadth of experience, your view on whether the proposed scheme will deliver what the organisation hopes it will and your knowledge/ability to discuss alternatives, your view on money and fees for your time.
• There are many stakeholders you may perceive in this situation. They include and are likely not limited to: you, your business or associates, fellow practitioners, the organisational ‘commissioning’ individual and their wider department, their line manager, the managers taking part in this scheme, the wider organisation.

Thanks to Julie Allan, CPsychol for this example 

Shifting Boundaries 

You have recently started coaching a member of a corporate management team. The organisation is realising its need has evolved and is now asking you to coach other team members. Do you take on other members of that same team? 

Would your answer be different if the team appointed you to work with all of them?

Or if you had been asked at the start to work with several members?

Or if you had been coaching the chief executive and at some point in your coaching he decided his team could benefit from coaching by you too.

Think through what your options would be, the conversations you might choose to have and why.

Thanks to Jonathan Passmore for this example

Showing respect? 

You receive an email-shot from a member of your profession, highlighting their services. You don't know them personally, however you think the material carries an implicit prejudice towards a particular group. You re-read it, wondering if you are mistaken.

Do you take any action? If so, what?

Do you unsubscribe? Do you seek others' views. Do you introduce yourself to the practitioner and explain your view? Do you contact any official body? If so, which one?

Is your answer different if you are yourself a member of the group in question?

Is your answer different if you know the individual to have a high profile? Or is it different if you know them?

Think through what options you might take and the conversations that would ensue.

Thanks to Julie Allan for this example

We recognise that where a researcher is working independently from any organisation that has an established, formal ethics review process it can be difficult to know how to proceed if the researcher is seeking a review for their project.

Read the BPS statement on ethics review and independent research with human participants.

Our SGCP Peer Practice Groups in Coaching Psychology bring our members together to share information and ideas, and support each other in the appropriate use of psychology in coaching.

Find out more about how to get involved with our Peer Practice Groups.

This document details the coaching psychology standards or competencies that we believe are the benchmark psychological standards required for people to demonstrate competence to practice as coaching psychologists.

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• Download a copy of the guidelines (member only)

The position of the SGCP is that coaching psychologists and coaches using psychology in their work, should receive appropriate supervision from a senior practitioner. There is no one prescriptive model for supervision, however the process is seen as key to the development of skilled, ethical, reflexive and responsible practice. 

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• Download a copy of the Supervision Guidelines document (member only)

Here we highlight the varied work of coaching psychologists on a day to day basis.

It is also useful for those who are interested in coaching psychology or students who may be considering entering the profession.

A day in the life of a coaching psychologist might vary from person to person depending where they work.

In this video we share a five minute interview with Cornelia Lucey ,BA (Hons), QTS & PGCE, MA, MSc, who provides an example of her experience of a typical day.

Cornelia is a member of the SGCP and part of the BPS working group developing accreditation standards in coaching psychology education.

She is also the co-founder of leadership consultancy; Livewise.