Duty of care in an unregulated industry: Initial findings on the diversity and practices of Australian coaches

Abstract

Little has been reported about the skills, experience and training of coaches in the Australian context, yet these are critical factors in the ethical practice of coaching. Previous research and experience suggests that formal coach training varies considerably in terms of curricula and quality. At the same time, data is emerging that suggests a significant number of coaching clients may be using coaching as a socially-acceptable form of meeting therapeutic needs. This raises questions about the duty of care coaches owe to their clients in safeguarding their mental health and well-being. Similarly, it raises questions about the degree to which current industry training assists coaches discharge that duty of care. In order to explore these issues empirically, a total of 148 Australian coaches answered a questionnaire covering three areas: (i) current coaching practice; (ii) background experience and coach training (iii) ethics and professional affiliations. A minority of respondents reported a background in psychology or counselling, yet more than 10 per cent of respondents indicated that they regularly coached clients in relation to issues commonly associated with serious psychological distress (e.g. fears about personal loss, life crises, social isolation and self esteem). The preliminary data presented here indicate that there is need to identify the range and depth of issues presented in coaching, the training needed for coaches to effectively identify and refer clients with mental health issues, and the limits and responsibilities of our duty of care as coaches.