Insights and Considerations for Ethics

This Insights and Considerations for Ethics (ICE) resource was developed to support members of the coaching profession with their assessment of and decision-making in matters of professional ethics. The purpose of these ICE statements is to provide ICF professionals with support around the learning and understanding of each standard in the ICF Code of Ethics, and to promote enhanced ethical awareness and discernment/critical thinking.

It cannot and does not attempt to capture the intensity and complexity involved in the ethical decision-making process. Rather, it was developed to serve as a complementary resource to the ICF Code of Ethics.

The ideas and information shared in this document have been gathered from contributions from volunteers of the ICF Code Review Team, ICF Ethics Community of Practice, the Ethics Water Cooler, the Independent Review Board, and other valued and informed sources. Insights and considerations in this document are intended to be reflective, responsive, and open to re-alignment within the current context of coaching.

While the ICF Code of Ethics is reviewed and revised at intervals, Insights and Considerations for Ethics is a living document subject to periodic revisiting and where appropriate, updating and supplementation. It was developed with the goal of providing a dynamic resource representative of current and fresh thinking on the various ethical issues addressed. ICF professionals are invited to use these statements along with the related standards of the Code of Ethics as resources for reflecting on their conduct, as well as to inform and promote their ethical decision-making.

If you have comments or questions regarding the Insights and Considerations for Ethics, please send them to ethics@coachingfederation.org.