Anyone who wants to join BeCoach Academy has a personal call with us.
This conversation helps us get to know each other and explore whether we are a good fit.
In these calls, I often hear what future coaching students are looking for and what they have not found elsewhere.
This article series is inspired by those conversations.
One question that stayed with me was:
“How do I make sure I don’t do anything wrong with my clients?”
The person who asked this had previously brought similar concerns to the academy they were enrolled with and received responses like:
“We cannot give a general answer. It depends on the case.”
“You need to bring this to supervision, we cannot answer it now.”
She felt frustrated.
Not reassured.
And not confident enough to continue practicing coaching there.
I appreciated the care behind her question. Wanting not to cause harm is a sign of responsibility.
Here is how we see it at BeCoach Academy:
Doing no harm is at the center of professional coaching.
When coaching follows the ethical standards of the International Coaching Federation, it is designed to be non-directive and client-led.
As coaches:
- We do not give advice.
- We do not diagnose or assess.
- We do not evaluate.
- We do not push clients where they do not want to go.
- We do not make decisions for them.
Our partnership is not built on our expertise about their life.
It is built on their autonomy.
We hold space.
We trust their potential.
We reflect what we notice.
We stay in not-knowing.
We invite curiosity.
We co-design experiments.
Every step is based on client choice.
The client is in the driver’s seat.
If someone does not currently have access to that autonomy, for example due to severe psychological distress, coaching may not be the right support. In those cases, following our ethical code, we would recommend therapy or counselling instead.
This clarity is not something you have to figure out alone.
It is part of our training.
Your questions are welcome, and they will be addressed by both your trainers and our international BeCoach community.
If you’d like to experience how we teach, join us in our free workshop Coaching Hands-On.
If you’d like to explore whether the program is right for you, schedule a personal call.
We look forward to meeting you.