CLC Safety & Risk Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A leadership coach notices a client is exhibiting signs of severe emotional distress and mentions thoughts of self-harm. What is the coach's FIRST obligation?
- Continue the session to gather more context
- Refer the client to a licensed mental health professional immediately (Correct answer)
- Inform the client's employer about the situation
- Document the session and monitor over the next few weeks
Correct answer: Refer the client to a licensed mental health professional immediately
Coaching is not therapy; when a client shows signs of mental health crisis or self-harm, the coach must refer to a qualified mental health professional immediately.
Question 2: Which risk management principle guides a coach to maintain clear records of all client sessions and agreements?
- Transparency
- Documentation (Correct answer)
- Confidentiality
- Non-maleficence
Correct answer: Documentation
Documentation creates an accurate record that protects both coach and client and supports professional accountability.
Question 3: A coaching client reveals they are being bullied by their supervisor. The coach's safest course of action is to:
- Confront the supervisor on the client's behalf
- Help the client explore their options and connect them to appropriate HR or legal resources (Correct answer)
- Advise the client to resign from their role
- Keep the information strictly confidential and take no further action
Correct answer: Help the client explore their options and connect them to appropriate HR or legal resources
Coaches empower clients to take informed action while connecting them to appropriate external resources when workplace safety issues arise.
Question 4: In leadership coaching, 'scope creep' refers to a situation where:
- A client extends sessions beyond the agreed time
- Coaching shifts into therapy, consulting, or mentoring without client awareness (Correct answer)
- A coach takes on too many clients simultaneously
- The coaching program expands its geographic reach
Correct answer: Coaching shifts into therapy, consulting, or mentoring without client awareness
Scope creep occurs when the coaching relationship drifts into roles such as therapy or consulting, which lie outside the agreed coaching boundaries.
Question 5: What does a coach do when they identify that a client's goal poses legal or ethical risks to others?
- Proceed with coaching as long as the client consents
- Decline to coach toward that goal and discuss ethical alternatives (Correct answer)
- Report the client to relevant authorities immediately
- Pause the engagement indefinitely without explanation
Correct answer: Decline to coach toward that goal and discuss ethical alternatives
Coaches must not facilitate goals that could cause harm to third parties; ethical alternatives should be explored with the client.
Question 6: A leadership coach working with corporate clients should have which of the following to manage professional liability risk?
- A background in human resources
- Professional indemnity (liability) insurance (Correct answer)
- A co-coaching partner for all sessions
- Supervisory sign-off for each session plan
Correct answer: Professional indemnity (liability) insurance
Professional indemnity insurance protects coaches against claims of negligence or errors in the professional services they provide.
Question 7: When a coaching client discloses information that indicates imminent danger to another person, the coach should:
- Maintain strict confidentiality per the coaching agreement
- Consult their supervisor and take appropriate action to protect the potential victim (Correct answer)
- Terminate the coaching relationship without further communication
- Ask the client to resolve the issue independently first
Correct answer: Consult their supervisor and take appropriate action to protect the potential victim
Duty of care obligations can override confidentiality when there is imminent risk of harm to an identifiable third party.
CLC Safety & Risk Management 2
A leadership coach notices a client is exhibiting signs of severe emotional distress and mentions thoughts of self-harm.
What is the coach's FIRST obligation?