CLC Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coaching client asks you to falsify progress reports submitted to their employer who is funding the coaching. What is the ethically correct response?
- Refuse and explain that falsifying reports violates professional integrity (Correct answer)
- Comply since the client's interests are primary
- Submit a vague report that avoids outright lies
- Consult the employer before deciding
Correct answer: Refuse and explain that falsifying reports violates professional integrity
Falsifying documents violates core ethics codes around honesty and integrity, regardless of who funds the coaching.
Question 2: Under ICF ethical standards, what must a coach do before beginning a coaching engagement with a new client?
- Obtain a detailed psychological history
- Establish and clarify a coaching agreement covering roles, expectations, and confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Require the client to sign a non-disclosure agreement
- Conduct a formal competency assessment of the client
Correct answer: Establish and clarify a coaching agreement covering roles, expectations, and confidentiality
The ICF requires coaches to establish a clear coaching agreement that defines the relationship, expectations, and boundaries before work begins.
Question 3: A CLC coach discovers mid-engagement that their client is dealing with severe clinical depression. What is the most ethically appropriate action?
- Continue coaching and integrate therapeutic techniques
- Ignore the mental health issue and focus only on goals
- Refer the client to a licensed mental health professional while clarifying coaching's scope (Correct answer)
- Terminate the coaching relationship immediately without explanation
Correct answer: Refer the client to a licensed mental health professional while clarifying coaching's scope
Ethical coaches recognize the boundaries between coaching and therapy and refer clients to appropriate professionals when clinical issues arise.
Question 4: Which scenario best illustrates a boundary violation in a coaching relationship?
- Sharing general industry knowledge with a client
- Accepting a small gift from a client after engagement completion
- Developing a romantic relationship with a current coaching client (Correct answer)
- Discussing confidential client matters in supervision with a qualified supervisor
Correct answer: Developing a romantic relationship with a current coaching client
A romantic relationship with a current client constitutes a serious boundary violation that compromises professional objectivity and exploits the power dynamic.
Question 5: A coach is approached by two competing businesses in the same industry. Ethically, what must the coach address?
- Accept both clients since they are separate entities
- Disclose the potential conflict of interest to both parties and obtain informed consent or decline one (Correct answer)
- Keep the dual engagement confidential from both clients
- Refer one client to a colleague without explanation
Correct answer: Disclose the potential conflict of interest to both parties and obtain informed consent or decline one
Serving competing clients creates a conflict of interest that must be transparently disclosed and resolved with informed consent from all parties.
Question 6: What does 'professional competence' require of a Certified Leadership Coach according to ethical standards?
- Mastery of psychotherapy techniques
- Ongoing education, supervision, and practicing only within areas of demonstrated skill (Correct answer)
- Completing a one-time certification with no further development
- Limiting practice exclusively to executive-level clients
Correct answer: Ongoing education, supervision, and practicing only within areas of demonstrated skill
Professional competence requires continuous learning, supervision, and ensuring coaching practice aligns with the coach's actual skill level.
Question 7: A client shares information during coaching that suggests they may be engaged in financial fraud harming third parties. What is the ethical tension the coach faces?
- Between charging higher fees and maintaining affordability
- Between maintaining client confidentiality and preventing harm to others (Correct answer)
- Between using directive versus non-directive coaching styles
- Between meeting session frequency requirements and client availability
Correct answer: Between maintaining client confidentiality and preventing harm to others
Coaches must navigate the tension between their confidentiality obligation to the client and their ethical duty when third-party harm is involved.
CLC Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A coaching client asks you to falsify progress reports submitted to their employer who is funding the coaching.
What is the ethically correct response?