In this series, I explore some of the answers to one of the most common questions that I am asked as a coach and coaching supervisor: “Why do coaches need supervision?”. The literature about coaching supervision suggests that there are three main purposes of coaching supervision, support, development and quality assurance. Here, I consider the third and last of these – maintaining professional standards.
The Normative Aspect of Supervision: Maintaining Professional Coaching Standards and Ethics
Supervision is not just about supporting coaches emotionally and helping them develop their skills—it also plays a vital role in maintaining professional and ethical standards. The normative aspect of supervision supports coaches to maintain best practices, operate within ethical boundaries, and provide quality coaching to their patients. In this article, we’ll explore how supervision serves as a safeguard, promoting professionalism and ethical decision-making in coaching.
Ensuring Ethical Practice. The focus of normative supervision is to support coaches to follow ethical guidelines and standards. This involves reviewing real-life cases, reflecting on coaching decisions, and discussing any ethical dilemmas that arise, such as with confidentiality and boundary-setting. Supervisors support coaches through these challenges, helping them navigate complex situations where the right course of action may not be clear. Coaching ethics also include maintaining professionalism, avoiding conflicts of interest, and ensuring that patients are treated with respect and without prejudice or bias. Supervision offers a structured space to reflect on issues that arise in everyday practice and uphold ethical values.
Promoting Quality. Supervision supports coaches to offer high quality coaching. Supervision helps coaches assess the effectiveness of their interventions and provides an opportunity to discuss how they measure patient progress and outcomes. By reflecting on these metrics, coaches can adjust their approach, ensuring they are providing effective support to patients. This quality assurance supports the integrity of the emerging NHS health coaching profession and ensures that patients receive the best possible care.
Maintaining Accountability. NHS coaches often work on their own as the only coach in a practice or PCN, or in small teams. With many competing demands and pressures on NHS services, there is a risk of drifting away from the nationally set frameworks for coaching practice. The normative aspect of supervision addresses this by offering accountability and supportive challenge where needed. Through supervision, coaches are encouraged to reflect on their responsibilities, ensure they are meeting professional standards and maintaining good coaching practice.
Managing Risk and Safeguarding Patients. Another important aspect of normative supervision is risk management. Supervisors help coaches identify potential risks in their practice and develop strategies to manage them effectively, whether related to ethical issues, boundary management, or the wellbeing of patients. NHS health coaches should have access to clinical supervision from a clinician in their organisation in addition to coaching supervision, the clinical supervisor will also be able to support around safeguarding issues. By discussing these risks in supervision, coaches can develop strategies to address them and access appropriate further support before they escalate into larger problems.
Professional Practice. At its core, the normative aspect of supervision is about developing good professional practices. Supervision encourages coaches to be mindful of their professional responsibilities, continually reflect on their practice both in supervision and to engage in independent reflective practice, and act in ways that protect both their own and their patients’ wellbeing. This emphasis on ethical practice and integrity builds trust both in the coach-client relationship and the wider healthcare system which in turn helps support the credibility of the emerging health coaching profession.
If you’re a coach, take a few minutes to reflect on what your supervision means to you. How does your supervision support you to maintain best practice in your coaching? What could you take to your next supervision session help you reflect on how you meet professional and ethical practice standards?
If you don’t have access to specific coaching supervision, our programme can connect you into a supervision group led by a fully qualified health coaching supervisor. Contact us at support@keraconsultancyltd.com for further details.