The ICF Code of Ethics (Section 1.1) mandates that coaches "create an agreement/contract regarding the roles, responsibilities, and rights of all parties involved" before beginning a coaching relationship. A key responsibility of the coach in this agreement is to clearly outline the nature and scope of services provided, ensuring transparency and alignment with the client’s expectations (ICF Competency 3: "Establishes and Maintains Agreements"). Let’s evaluate the options:
A. Describing the services the coach will provide to the client: This is explicitly required by ICF standards. The coaching agreement must detail what coaching entails (e.g., frequency, format, process), distinguishing it from other services like consulting or therapy (ICF Code of Ethics, Section 1.2). This fosters trust and clarity, per Competency 5 ("Cultivates Trust and Safety").
B. Determining what information is considered confidential: While confidentiality is critical (ICF Code of Ethics, Section 4), it is a mutual understanding shaped by legal and ethical standards, not solely the coach’s responsibility to "determine." It’s typically addressed jointly in the agreement.
C. Clarifying the conditions under which the coaching goals should change: Goal-setting is a collaborative process (ICF Competency 3), and while conditions for change may be discussed, this is not typically specified as the coach’s unilateral responsibility in the agreement.
D. Specifying how long the coaching relationship will last: Duration may be included in the agreement, but it’s not universally required and often depends on client needs or mutual agreement, making it less fundamental than describing services.
Option A is the most accurate, as it reflects the coach’s core responsibility under ICF guidelines to define the coaching services explicitly in the agreement.
