Question

Describe the steps you would take to terminate a coach client relationship. What are the ethical considerations that need to be considered? For example: a client who has met their goals versus one who is not making progress toward meeting goals.

Answer 1

Ending a coach-client relationship can be a difficult transition, as it can bring up memories of separation, loss and death. The coach should therefore sufficiently prepare for the termination of relationship by allowing several sessions to discuss both the coach’s and the client’s readiness to end the relationship. In these sessions, feelings of loss and separation and fears of moving forward without the coach’s support should be discussed. Furthermore, the should also review the goals that were set and what progress was made towards their realisation. There are cases, however, in which the coach-client relationship needs to be terminated before the expected date. This can result from issues such as failure to establish a bond of mutual trust, failure on the part of the client to pay fees, or a lack of progress on the agreed upon goals. It is also possible the presented issue requires professional help beyond the competency of the coach. In these circumstances too, the coach should devote some time explaining the situation to the client and providing a closure to the relationship.