Code of Ethics
Every three years, ICF undertakes a process to review the Code of Ethics and ensure that it addresses changes within the coaching industry, reflects evolving processes and remains relevant to ICF Members and Credential-holders. The ICF Code Review Team convened in April 2014; it was led by Susan Braverman, PCC (USA), and consisted of coaches from around the globe.
The revisions to the Code of Ethics reflect a shift away from the view of coaching ethics as right or wrong and toward an understanding of ethics as the concepts and principles directing coaches' behavior. With this evolution in the foreground, the ICF Code Review Team recommended a set of revisions intended to transform the Code of Ethics from a document prescribing what not to do to a document highlighting how to be as an ICF Member and/or Credential-holder.
The revised Code of Ethics also includes new provisions that address the other roles professional coaches may play (e.g., coach trainer, mentor coach, coaching supervisor) and that offer a new ethical standard for internal coach practitioners.
Other changes include:
- New definitions to provide further information to coaches in a training role about students and conflicts of interest
- Reorganized sections to position inter-related standards closer together
- Additional information regarding confidentiality
Read the revised ICF Code of Ethics here.