CRC Ethics & Professional Standards in Relationship Coaching 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A relationship coach discovers that a client's partner, who is not a client, has been contacting the coach directly for information about sessions. What is the most appropriate response?
- Share general impressions since the partner is directly involved in the relationship being coached
- Decline to share any information and inform the client about the contact (Correct answer)
- Suggest the partner join future sessions to improve transparency
- Block the partner's contact and say nothing to the client
Correct answer: Decline to share any information and inform the client about the contact
Coaches must protect client confidentiality and inform the client of third-party contact attempts, as the non-client has no rights to session information.
Question 2: Which situation most clearly represents a dual relationship that a CRC-certified coach should avoid?
- Coaching a client who works in a different industry than the coach
- Coaching a personal friend while also receiving payment for services (Correct answer)
- Coaching a client referred by a former client
- Coaching two clients who do not know each other
Correct answer: Coaching a personal friend while also receiving payment for services
Coaching a personal friend creates a dual relationship because the pre-existing personal bond compromises objectivity and professional boundaries.
Question 3: A coach suspects a client may be in a psychologically abusive relationship. Under ethical professional standards, the coach should first:
- Immediately refer the client to a licensed therapist and terminate coaching
- Explore the client's perception of safety and wellbeing using coaching questions (Correct answer)
- Contact local authorities because abuse reporting is mandatory in all cases
- Advise the client to leave the relationship at once
Correct answer: Explore the client's perception of safety and wellbeing using coaching questions
Coaches should explore the client's experience and safety through coaching-appropriate questions before determining whether referral or other action is warranted.
Question 4: When a client requests that the coach keep a secret from any future mediator or assessor reviewing the coaching file, the coach should:
- Agree, since client autonomy is paramount
- Decline and explain that such agreements may conflict with professional obligations (Correct answer)
- Accept only if the secret does not involve illegal activity
- Transfer the client to another coach who can agree to those terms
Correct answer: Decline and explain that such agreements may conflict with professional obligations
Agreeing to hide information from legitimate oversight can violate professional standards and the coach's ethical obligations to their credentialing body.
Question 5: A CRC coach completes a successful engagement with a client. Six months later, the coach and client develop a romantic interest in each other. According to ethical standards, the coach should:
- Pursue the relationship immediately since coaching has ended
- Wait at least 30 days before pursuing any romantic relationship
- Carefully evaluate potential conflicts and consult ethics guidelines before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Resume coaching as a way to formalize the relationship transition
Correct answer: Carefully evaluate potential conflicts and consult ethics guidelines before proceeding
Post-engagement romantic relationships require careful ethical reflection because power dynamics and intimate knowledge from coaching can persist beyond formal termination.
Question 6: Informed consent in relationship coaching primarily serves to:
- Protect the coach from liability by documenting client agreement
- Ensure the client fully understands the coaching process, scope, and limitations before committing (Correct answer)
- Allow the coach to set fees without client negotiation
- Establish that the coach is not a licensed therapist
Correct answer: Ensure the client fully understands the coaching process, scope, and limitations before committing
Informed consent ensures clients make autonomous, knowledgeable decisions about engaging in coaching by clarifying what coaching is and is not.
Question 7: A coach notices they feel strong personal judgment about a client's relationship choices. The most ethical course of action is to:
- Share the judgment openly to build authentic rapport with the client
- Reflect on the judgment privately and seek supervision if it may be affecting the coaching (Correct answer)
- Immediately refer the client since personal reactions mean the coach is incompetent
- Suppress the judgment and continue without addressing it
Correct answer: Reflect on the judgment privately and seek supervision if it may be affecting the coaching
Ethical coaches engage in self-reflection and supervision when personal reactions arise, to ensure they do not impair the client's process.
CRC Ethics & Professional Standards in Relationship Coaching 2
A relationship coach discovers that a client's partner, who is not a client, has been contacting the coach directly for information about sessions.
What is the most appropriate response?