The Review Process Concerns
The IRB makes every effort to conduct a thorough investigation and to assess the situation holistically. If a breach of the code is determined, then the review panel recommends remedial actions that may include a course of continued education, mentor coaching, or research and authoring of a paper on the topic in breach or other activities that promote education. Revocation of credential is used as a last resort when repeated misbehaviors indicate a lack of learning on the part of the coach or the coach simply fails to comply with the recommended remediation. No process is perfect and the ICF IRB works hard to engage in regular conversations that allow for discussion and review of how cases are handled, looking for any possible recommendations for improvement of the existing process.
The ICF knows that having a complaint issued against you as a coach can be traumatic. Simply being charged with an alleged breach to the ICF code of ethics can create a threat to one’s livelihood one’s reputation. The emotional impact on the coach can be difficult. All members of the IRB and ICF administration sympathize with those being investigated. The primary hope is to maintain a process that educates coaches while maintaining a coaching industry that remains self-regulated, thereby allowing clients, the general public and local and federal governments to view the coaching industry as trustworthy and representative of integrity.
[A power point presentation regarding the Independent Review Board process is available as a download located in the space below this article.]
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