Client Confidentiality: A Responsibility and Moral Duty of the Life Coach

Written by Anne M
November 30, 2018

It is not that uncommon that we encounter a life coach that is sharing his session with his clients on his social media accounts. Life coaches should maintain the highest and strictest standard of confidentiality of any information related to his client unless of course it is required by the law. In order to stay away from life coaches who do not uphold the ethics of client confidentiality, you need to have a clear agreement on how the information will be conveyed, transferred and protected.

Life Coaches will Often Promise Client Confidentiality

Life coaching should be considered as a professional relationship, and trust should be the key in maintaining a healthy relationship. Sadly, not all life coaches will be able to stick to their promise. In addition, the client-coach relationship is not protected under the law. In the end, you just have to hold on to their ‘promise’ on client confidentiality.

The coaches should understand how their client will feel when information about them is being released or shared with the public. Whether it is a sensitive topic or a celebration of a progress, breaking the client confidentiality agreement will normally make the clients feel uncomfortable. A session with the client needs to be managed in a private manner. It should also be observed with compassion, dignity, and authenticity that the client is deserves. The coaching session should not be a group activity. The experience of the client should never be dragged and exposed to the public.

Breaking the Confidentiality: A Mistake That the Beginners Commit

trust and relationships

spiritual life coach responsibilities

The client is investing emotion during the session. Breaking the client confidentiality will make them feel betrayed and cheated. This mistake is often committed by the beginners. Life coaches have the responsibility and the duty to protect the information that their clients share. The client needs to feel comfortable and secured throughout the entire session. This will allow them to confide their worries in life.

In order to avoid breaking the client confidentiality, the coach will need to add a side note on the agreement that pertains to confidentiality. This side note should be established under the agreement with the client. You will need to make your clients aware that you are committed to protecting the information that they are sharing.

However, there are some instances when a life coach will not be able to uphold the client confidentiality agreement. For instance, there are situations that warrant medical help or assistance of the law enforcement authority since the client can end up hurting themselves. You will need to tell your client before the start of the session that you are prepared to seek additional help should a particular situation occur.

Social media has become an integral part of human life. It becomes too easy for us to share anything that we want to share. However, as a life coach, you will have to think twice if it is appropriate to share the information on your social media feed even if you are not mentioning the name of your client. You must be dedicated to preserve the ethics of client confidentiality.

 

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