Who actually protects the coach?

In the world of accredited coaching and supervision, complaints procedures are primarily designed to protect coachees. Complaints committees, regulations, and codes of ethics are clear about what can go wrong on the part of the professional, and that is important.

But much less is said about the safety of the coach or supervisor themselves. Yet we too can be confronted with inappropriate behaviour, unsafe situations, or pressure exerted by a coachee, supervisee, or even a client.

In people oriented approaches, such as the Person Centred Approach, the emphasis is strongly on putting the client first with empathy, unconditional acceptance, seeing the other person in their entirety, and with an eye for their authenticity. In practice, this can lead us to go so far in “putting the other person first” that our own boundaries and physical and emotional safety fade into the background.

During my own training, I experienced sexually transgressive behaviour from a supervisee. For me, it was shocking and painful; for a male fellow student, it was mainly an “interesting case.” That reaction affected me just as deeply. It matters whether we talk about these kinds of experiences as “material”, objectifying someone, or as a real violation of someone's integrity.

I would like our profession to start thinking reciprocally when it comes to safety: not either the coachee or the supervisor, but a professional relationship in which boundaries, power, and vulnerability are taken seriously on both sides. That requires more than protocols, it requires language, awareness, and trainers, colleagues, and industry associations who dare to say, “This is not okay.”

During the training, I spoke with Annette Bienfait. She is one of the founders of the buddy system at the Dutch Order of Professional Coaches (NOBCO), which is designed to assist practitioners when they receive unjustified complaints. Unfortunately, there is little information about this on the trade association's website, but she indicated that tailored guidance is sought for each complaint (from the client). For example, through supervision and/or legal action. But it does not yet reach the decision makers who compile and apply the Code of Ethics.

Let's have this conversation as a professional group. When I shared my experience as a case study, it turned out that many had encountered inappropriate behaviour. They chose to keep it to themselves. These issues of boundaries and power deserve attention so that practitioners are not left to deal with them entirely on their own.

Are there practitioners who have had positive experiences with industry associations or networks where both sides (including that of the practitioner) are represented? I would love to hear about it!

#emcc #nobco #lvsc #icf #noloc #stir #holdingspace #inappropriatebehaviour #coach #coachsupervisor #supervision