Ethics in Coaching: What’s New in the Revised ICF Code

When most people hear the word “ethics,” they think of difficult decisions, conflicts, and gray areas. While these challenges certainly exist in coaching, there’s another way to look at ethics—as a space for creativity, partnership, and genuine connection between coach and client.

Professional coaches, especially those trained through the ICF, already understand the importance of building strong relationships and working collaboratively with clients. These same principles form the foundation of ethical coaching practice. Ethics isn’t separate from good coaching—it’s at the heart of it.

In Coacharya’s recent webinar, Master Coaches Cindy Muthukarapan and Svea van der Hoorn explored how the revised ICF Code of Ethics serves as an essential tool for coaches, providing clear guidance in a profession that often deals with nuanced situations. Drawing from her years of experience with ethical conduct, including work with the ICF Independent Review Board and contributions to the revised Code’s “Insights and Considerations for Ethics,” Svea highlighted that while formal complaints in coaching remain remarkably low worldwide, having a strong ethical framework empowers coaches to handle complex situations with confidence.

The revised ICF Code of Ethics goes beyond just listing rules. It’s designed as a practical guide that brings clarity to what can sometimes feel abstract. Think of it as a reliable compass with key directions that help every coach navigate their practice confidently.

Core Principle: Prioritizing Client Well-Being

Ethical coaching begins with a fundamental commitment to prioritize the well-being of the client. This goes beyond simply avoiding harm—it’s about actively creating a supportive and safe space in every interaction.

When clients engage with a coach, they entrust them to facilitate growth and transformation. The revised Code offers clearer guidance to honor this trust by encouraging coaches to remain vigilant about potential risks, consistently assess the effects of their methods, and always prioritize the client’s best interests.

This principle enables coaches to foster a secure environment where clients feel safe to be vulnerable, explore possibilities, and pursue meaningful change. It’s the foundation for a trusting, flourishing coaching relationship.

Embracing Transparency and Continuous Growth

In coaching, growth is constant—not just for clients but for coaches as well. This principle calls us to embrace transparency in our interactions and remain open to evolving alongside the profession.

As the coaching landscape shifts, staying clear and honest with clients about how we show up, and how we adapt to new tools, methods, and ethical considerations, is essential to maintaining trust and professional integrity.

Using Technology with Care and Clarity

Many of us now coach online, use scheduling tools, and are even starting to explore AI. These tools can be incredibly helpful, but they also come with responsibility. The updated ICF Code of Ethics guides us to use technology thoughtfully—making sure we protect client confidentiality, respect their privacy, and always explain clearly how we’ll use any digital tool in the coaching process. It’s not about avoiding tech, but about using it in ways that support, not replace, the human connection that’s at the heart of coaching.

Managing Multiple Roles Without Blurring Lines

It’s common today for coaches to wear more than one hat—you might also be a consultant, trainer, or even a team leader. The revised Code encourages us to be upfront when we’re stepping into more than one role. This means being clear with clients and sponsors about where coaching ends and something else begins. It’s about setting expectations early, keeping boundaries clean, and always keeping the coaching relationship focused on the client’s agenda—not ours. Transparency builds trust, and trust is what makes coaching work.

Beyond Compliance: Ethics in the Age of Technology

Technology has become a quiet companion in many coaching conversations—ever-present, often invisible. As its presence grows, so too does the need to distinguish between compliance and ethics. Compliance tells us what we must do. Ethics invites us to reflect on how and why we do it—with care, curiosity, and conscience.

Take something as simple as recording a session. The rule is clear: written client consent is required. But ethics asks us to go beyond the checkbox. It calls on us to pause, to wonder: Is this client truly comfortable? What might they be feeling beneath the surface?

Even when a platform like Zoom announces a recording, ethical coaching begins not with the notification, but with the conversation. A thoughtful coach might say:
“You’ll see the little recording icon pop up—would you like to talk about where the file is stored, who can access it, or anything else that’s on your mind?”

Because behind every click is a human being—one who may carry unspoken concerns. A client in the finance world, for instance, may quietly worry about confidentiality. In such moments, it’s not enough to rely on systems. The coach’s role is to tune in, to listen, to honor that concern with empathy.

Ethical use of technology invites several mindful practices:

• Open dialogue: Ask first. Clarify gently. Listen without assumption.
• Curious presence: If a client brings up something unexpected—say, where the recording is stored—don’t rush to explain. Let curiosity lead.
• Client-first choices: If a client expresses discomfort, honor it. Stop the recording. Ethics always centers the client’s trust over the coach’s convenience.
• Seek understanding: Explore with compassion. “What about that detail matters to you?” can open doors to deeper awareness—for both coach and client.

And just as we protect our clients’ needs, coaches, too, have boundaries. Suppose a client wants to use an app that analyzes coaching quality through AI. That’s a conversation worth having. Ethical practice isn’t one-sided. It’s a shared agreement, evolving with every choice.

In this ever-shifting digital landscape, ethical coaching is less about avoiding missteps and more about walking with intention. It’s the art of being fully human—even when technology is in the room.

Coaching Through Complexity: Everyday Ethics in Action

Ethics in coaching doesn’t always arrive with fanfare. More often, it whispers its presence in the middle of uncertainty—in the moments when things don’t go as planned, when a misstep is made, or when a client’s comfort is unexpectedly compromised.

So, what does ethical coaching truly require?

First, a release of perfection. Coaches are not meant to be flawless. Technology might falter. A setting might be missed. A situation might unfold differently than intended. But ethics isn’t about avoiding every mistake. Ethics come into play in how we choose to respond when something does go wrong.

Take, for example, a coach who discovers mid-session that a chat function was unintentionally active, or a recording was underway without clear consent. The ethical response is not to explain it away—“It wasn’t my Zoom room” or “I didn’t set it up like that.” That creates distance, not trust.

Instead, coaching ethics calls for repair.
“I’m sorry this happened. What do you need from me now to feel safe and supported?”
This is where ethical maturity meets coaching presence.

It also requires something deeper: the courage to be wrong, or at least to be seen as wrong. Ethical coaching asks us to stay open even when we feel misunderstood, to lean into discomfort rather than retreat from it. Can we hold space for a client’s disapproval without rushing to defend ourselves? Can we choose curiosity over control?

These are not easy asks but they are deeply aligned with the coaching mindset. As coaches, we’re trained in partnership, co-creation, and flexibility. We’re practiced in maintaining relationships through nuance, not despite it. Yet in moments of tension, we can forget this. We can forget that we already know how to listen deeply, respond authentically, and rebuild connection.

Ethical complexity doesn’t require perfection. It requires presence. And the skills that guide us in every coaching conversation—openness, empathy, repair—are the very tools we need to meet these moments with grace.

The Subtle Slip: Ethical Fading in Coaching

Ethical fading doesn’t begin with bad intentions. In fact, it often starts with clear awareness—we know the ethical guidelines, we recognize the right course of action. Perhaps it’s setting up a conversation between a client and a sponsor to clarify boundaries. The reasoning is sound. The intention is good.

But then life rushes in.

The week is full. The moment feels awkward. So instead of following through with a conversation, we send an email. And tell ourselves the job is done. Yet the email goes unread. Or it’s misunderstood. And the ethical thread begins to fray.

This is ethical fading: the quiet erosion between decision and action. It’s not malice—it’s avoidance masked as practicality. A colleague might say, “Don’t worry, you’re a great coach—they’ll understand.” And in trying to soothe, we justify inaction.

But ethical practice requires more than good reasoning. It calls for courageous follow-through, especially when it’s inconvenient. Because coaching isn’t just about knowing what’s right—it’s about acting on it, even when it’s hard.

The Client’s World Is Bigger Than the Coaching Room

Sometimes, the ethical misstep isn’t in what we do, but in what we forget—that our clients live complex, multifaceted lives beyond the coaching space. It’s easy to unconsciously treat the coaching conversation as the center of their world, assuming we’re the only ones they’re opening up to. Often, they’re also working with therapists, lawyers, accountants, or other professionals. And that’s not only okay—it’s expected.

From an ethical standpoint, coaches can absolutely work alongside other services. What matters is how we honour the client’s autonomy and support their ability to navigate these multiple relationships. It starts with a simple invitation: “Would you like your therapist (or advisor) to know what we’re exploring here?” That question alone can help clients feel empowered, rather than stuck between separate silos of care.

Sometimes, a multi-party conversation, whether live or written, might be helpful. Other times, offering the client a summary of the coaching agreement to share with their therapist is enough. And if needed, pausing coaching for a period may be the most supportive path.

The key is presence, not perfection. And in navigating these nuanced situations, it helps to lean on ethical peers—not just for affirmation, but for diverse perspectives that challenge and refine our thinking. Ethics in coaching isn’t about being certain. It’s about being in relationship, with the client, with ourselves, and with the broader network supporting them.

Ethics as Everyday Practice

Ethics in coaching isn’t reserved for rare dilemmas or dramatic crossroads, but it lives in our daily choices, in how we listen, respond, act, and sometimes pause. It’s found in a client’s discomfort with a recording, in the decision to re-contract, or in the willingness to acknowledge when we’ve fallen short. At its best, ethical practice is not about being flawless—it’s about being human and present, even when things are messy or uncertain.

At Coacharya, we believe ethics is a living, evolving conversation—and one that every coach is invited into, not just when things go wrong, but as a continuous part of growing in awareness and impact. Our programs weave ethical inquiry into the heart of coach development, offering a space for exploration, reflection, and real-world integration. If you’re seeking to deepen your coaching presence, navigate complexity with clarity, and embody the profession’s highest values—join us. The learning begins in the questions we dare to ask.

Key Resources from the Conversation

• ICF Code of Ethics
• ICF Code of Ethics: Overview of Changes
• Insights and Considerations for Ethics
• ICF Code of Ethics 2025 Updates 

(This blog post is based on the latest Coacharya webinar, Ethics of Coaching, and aims to provide a general overview of the key takeaways. For more in-depth information, please refer to the original webinar recording.)

Webinar Video