We each make many ethical decisions every day actively or simply by default, as we make purchases, eat, acknowledge or ignore people and circumstances. In coaching supervision, as in coaching, we need to have the knowledge, capabilities and capacity to first of all notice the ethical thread through what we are doing, and then to notice any specific challenges that arise.

We may have some felt sense of an issue, arising from our values and experiences; we may be picking up on indicators of worry and concern for a supervisee and/or their client’s situation. We need to be able to notice and voice specific issues in productive ways, with good intent.

Recognition that there is a potential ethical issue, is preceded by first noticing, then being aware of it and reflecting on it.

Daphne Hewson and Michael Carroll suggest to use the three steps in reflection: 1. Stop, 2. Notice, 3. Consider.

Developing ethical awareness as supervisors implies movement: moving from and moving towards; learning new skills and competencies; and widening and deepening perspectives. At its most basic developing ethical awareness entails:

Moving from outside-in ethics to inside-out ethics.

The former relies on codes, frameworks, guidelines and theories and others to help us make ethical decisions. The latter moves inside ourselves (and who we are) to help us make ethical decisions and resolve ethical dilemmas. Both are necessary, and ethical awareness is the alertness needed to know when to rely on one and when to rely on the other. Accessing the stages of the continuum between the two is a key ability in making mature ethical decisions.

Making the ‘here and now’ relationship the heart of ethics.

Ethics is a relational concept fashioned on empathy and compassion where connection with the other (the “I...Thou” relationship) becomes the central focus of our ethical decision. If relationship is the centre of ethics then dialogue is the language we use to connect, meet and make sense of our relationship. Dialogue establishes the link between relationship and ethics. Relationships always move and are constantly changing. Too often we meet others from the past, from our memories of them. What is a challenge, is to meet the new person who wasn’t here yesterday, and react to them as the stranger they are. Can we notice and monitor this ever-moving, ever-changing relationship? The challenge of ethics is: how do we keep in touch with that?

Being able to notice in ever widening circles.

Supervision and supervisors in particular shine lights into dark corners to uncover what has been missed and remains unnoticed. It is then up to us to ask them; "What is missing here?" "What else is there to notice?" Would that add anything to your noticing?

Using the three stages in the ethical journey

(a) developing ethical sensitivity to notice more and increase ethical awareness – we could call this reflection before action;
(b) in the moment noticing and being aware of what is happening between us and within us – called reflection in action; and
(c) learning from the ethical experience and implementing new learning into our practice – called reflection after action.

One-to-one supervision involves one person (the supervisee) sharing what is noticed from his/her practice and then two people (supervisor and supervisee) starting an awareness journey of noticing more. From noticing comes awareness and from awareness meaning is made of the experiences of our life and work. From ‘noticing’ comes ‘awareness’ and from awareness ‘meaning-making’ emerges. All events and experiences carry myriad meanings – from these we choose what makes sense and take it back to our practice.

The process is simple and profound: ethical noticing, ethical awareness, ethical focusing, ethical meaning making, ethical adaptation and ethical application. Developing ethical awareness is developing the ability to notice, first of all. Our noticing is normally quite narrow. Widening that ability is not easy. It means: Noticing me, noticing you, noticing our relationship, noticing the system/context in which we both move and live, noticing the space in our relationship where ethics lives and noticing the transcendent values involved in the whole process.

'Noticing' precedes consciousness and reflection. And noticing becomes the data/information on which we base our awareness, our reflections and our decisions.

Ethical decision making – how aware are you?

Some questions you may ask yourself when working as a supervisor:

• What part of self do you bring to supervision?
• Who are you when you supervise?
• What are your values?
• What are your beliefs?
• What are you valuing?
• What are you believing?
• How were your values and beliefs formed?
• How do you know when you are faced with an ethical dilemma?
• What informs you?
• What do you notice, think or feel?
• What do you consider when working with your client/s when faced with an ethical dilemma?
• How do you know what to consider?
• How do you know what to refer, to whom to refer, or where to refer?
• What do you do or say?
• And anything else?

Decision-making process and avoiding bias

Decision-making is subject to all the advantages and challenges of the human condition. On the one hand, we can be very nuanced and aware in our communications with others. On the other hand, we can be quite deluded about the basis on which we are making decisions. Being aware of our own biases, the impact these may have, and how these may cloud how we approach the issue presented.

There is well established research about how we may inadvertently distort our perception and consequently delude ourselves. The Cognitive Bias CODEX lists more than 180 examples of how we do this.

We may also need to differentiate between the approach taken by an Internal Coach or Supervisor, and an External Supervisor. Factors may include loyalty to employer/sponsoring client, role of advocacy, prevailing culture, receptivity to systemic issues arising from coaching, facilities provided for upward referral, whistle-blowing or complaints, hotlines, etc.

Context for ethical behaviour

The Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (BACP, 2018, p. 15) includes: We will fulfil the ethical principles and values set out in these Ethical Guidelines regardless of whether working online, face-to-face or using any other methods of communication.

Excuses are often hidden behind the following thoughts:

• Can I get away with this?
• Will anyone notice?
• In comparison it’s only a small matter
• Someday I will be ethically mature
• Perhaps I don't have all the facts
• Compromise is important
• I won’t make much of a difference
• No one got hurt
• I'm not really involved

How to avoid the seduction to “do wrong”

• Think ‘we’ not ‘I’
• Consider issues of power, domination, and privilege and how they can move over easily into abuse and harm of others who are less privileged;
• Ask yourself if you would recommend what you are about to do to someone else;
• Try to look at the behaviour, not the intention – what am I actually doing? Too often we use our intention (which is almost always good) to evaluate our behaviour (which is often not that good);
• Ask yourself how this might be perceived from the other’s point of view. Use empathy to view actions from the recipient’s point of view, which helps us to realize that to experience it from that other viewpoint can create a radical change in what we do;
• Look for the truth in the opposite position to the one you hold – this can expose the error in your point of view;
• Ask yourself: what are my ways and habits of denial?
• Identify your Achilles heel - a weakness or vulnerable point
• Beware of the extremity of your ideals (fundamentalism)

Carroll & Shaw (2013)

Diversity and Difference

None of us exists in a vacuum and among the influences on us will be our culture (societal and organisational) and background including race, class, sexual orientation gender and neurodiversity.

Some cultures may have quite different expectations when dealing with matters of ethical behaviour – payments, incentives, gifts-in-kind, use of power and influence, interpretation of local laws, etc. – so it is worth preparing for these factors when working in other cultures from your own.

Developing ethical maturity

Ethical maturity is the ability not only to judge right from wrong, but to make the right choice when issues in conflict require the individual to weight competing values when making decisions.

‘In the end, if we want to be ethically mature, considering issues around morality and ethics and our own values, the key seems to be to continue to develop our ability to be aware of our own views and how they carry through into our decision making.’
Eve Turner (2017)

‘Being consciously aware of your principles and values and reflecting on them will allow you to approach any ethical issues that arise in your practice with confidence and competence. We consider it to be a fundamental way of harnessing the potential for building ethical maturity.’
Iordanou, et al. (2017, p 44)

Building ethical practice

When we refer to a coach supervisor, we mean someone who has completed a formal coach supervision training, and is in regular supervision themselves – receiving supervision on their supervision from a trained, qualified, and preferably accredited, coaching supervisor. In addition, if coaches and mentors are accessing this resource, and would like to deepen their level of understanding of their ethical stance, we recommend that they discuss this with their own supervisor.