Risk Assessment & Mitigation Flashcards

A coach's client is going through a high-conflict divorce and asks the coach to provide a letter supporting their custody case. The coach should:

Answer: Decline, as providing such testimony falls outside the coaching role

Providing legal testimony or letters for legal proceedings is outside the coaching role and creates boundary violations and conflicts of interest.

What is the PRIMARY risk when a coach agrees to coach a client whose goals directly conflict with the coach's personal values?

Answer: The coach's ability to maintain presence and neutrality may be compromised

Value conflicts can impair a coach's ability to remain non-judgmental and fully present, which are core ICF competencies required for effective coaching.

A new ICF credential applicant asks a coach mentor to falsify supervision hours on their application. The risk of compliance is:

Answer: Credential revocation and permanent ban from the ICF for both parties

Falsifying ICF application materials is a serious ethics violation that can result in credential revocation and permanent professional consequences for all involved.

Which factor MOST increases the risk of a coaching engagement becoming therapeutically inappropriate?

Answer: The coach lacking training in recognizing clinical symptoms and appropriate boundaries

Coaches without training in recognizing clinical presentations are more likely to inadvertently move into therapeutic territory, increasing harm risk.

A coach working with an executive discovers that the client's company is engaged in financial fraud. Which principle guides the coach's risk response?

Answer: The coach must weigh confidentiality against legal obligations and potential harm to others

ICF ethics acknowledge that confidentiality may be overridden by legal obligations or serious harm to third parties, requiring careful professional judgment.

What is the risk mitigation purpose of conducting a regular 'coaching relationship review' with a client?

Answer: To identify emerging issues, misalignments, or changes in client needs before they become problems

Regular relationship reviews serve as a proactive risk management tool, allowing coaches to catch and address misalignments, ethical concerns, or scope issues early.

An ICF coach is asked to deliver 'coaching' as part of a sales funnel to convert prospects into product buyers. The PRIMARY ethical risk is:

Answer: Using coaching techniques for commercial persuasion rather than client benefit, violating ICF ethics

Deploying coaching techniques to serve the coach's or company's commercial interests rather than the client's agenda is a core ethics violation under the ICF Code.