CHWC Code of Ethics & Scope of Practice

CHWCs honor the inherent dignity, worth, and individuality of each client, including:

• Establishing relationships founded on trust, empathy, and cultural humility.
• Maintaining awareness of own personal beliefs, assumptions, or agendas.
• Supporting clients in setting and pursuing goals aligned with their values, lived experiences, and health priorities.
• Recognizing and respecting systemic, social, and cultural factors influencing health, behaviors, and decision-making.
• Treating clients as experts in their own lives and respecting their informed decisions, even when they differ from the coach’s perspective.

CHWCs maintain and advance professional knowledge, skills, and effectiveness, including:

• Working within a clearly defined coaching scope of practice without diagnosing, treating, or prescribing medical interventions.
• Accurately representing credentials, experience, and areas of expertise
• Pursuing continuing education, professional development, mentorship, supervision, and reflective practice to maintain clinical health coaching expertise.
• Staying informed of evidence-based coaching methodologies, clinical guidelines, and emerging research relevant to health and behavior change.
• Recognizing personal and professional limitations and referring clients to appropriate professionals when necessary.

CHWCs act with honesty, fairness, and accountability in all professional interactions*, including:

• Clearly explaining the coaching process, roles, limitations, and expectations to clients, healthcare teams, and other relevant parties.
• Disclosing any potential conflicts of interest or dual relationships.
• Avoiding exploiting professional relationships for personal, financial, or political gain.
• Maintaining accountability for actions, commitments, and professional conduct.
• Representing services, costs, outcomes, and affiliations truthfully in all communications and marketing.

*Professional interactions include, but are not limited to, any interactions related to the CHWC role and/or conducted in the CHWC’s place of employment. Professional interactions may include, but are not limited to, in-person, virtual, and digital communications with clients, prospective clients, colleagues, employers, and other members of the healthcare team.

CHWCs safeguard client information and privacy, including:

• Protecting all client data in compliance with applicable regulations, including HIPAA, and organizational policies.
• Informing clients about confidentiality policies, exceptions, and documentation practices using client-appropriate terminology and language.
• Explaining how information is shared and obtaining informed consent, as required, to share with third-parties.
• Using secure methods for electronic communication, virtual sessions, and record storage.
• Understanding and informing your clients of your and your institution's legal and ethical obligations to report risk of harm, including child abuse, elder abuse, active suicidal ideation, and/or active homicidal ideation.

CHWCs contribute responsibly to team-based care in clinical environments, including:

• Understanding and respecting the roles of other healthcare professionals.
• Engaging in open, professional communication* that supports coordinated, human-centered care.
• Participating in shared decision-making, advocating for clients while aligning with clinical guidance.
• Making timely referrals when client needs exceed coaching scope.
• Engaging in behaviors that support team functioning, workflows, and patient safety.

*Professional communication reflects clarity, respect, and accountability while honoring diverse cultural communication styles. It prioritizes ethical intent, mutual understanding, and constructive impact over rigid norms of formality, tone, or presentation. Additional guidelines for professional communication may be further defined by the organization or place of employment.

CHWCs actively foster equitable, culturally responsive, and accessible care, including:

• Providing coaching services free from discrimination of any kind.
• Practicing cultural humility and sensitivity to the lived experiences of clients.
• Strengthening trust and rapport by acknowledging and bridging perceived gaps that limit access to care or contribute to health inequities.
• Advocating for marginalized voices within clinical and organizational contexts.
• Recognizing and seeking to mitigate power dynamics in both client and professional interactions.
• Engaging in self-reflection and education to recognize and address implicit bias, privilege, and systemic inequities.

CHWCs maintain clear, professional boundaries in all client and collegial interactions, including

• Understanding best practices to navigate dual relationships.
• Avoiding situations that create conflicts of interest.
• Refraining from engaging in sexual, romantic, or exploitative relationships with clients.
• Clearly distinguishing coaching from other roles (e.g., counseling, therapy, education).
• Monitoring personal behavior and communication to maintain a safe and professional environment.

CHWCs ensure clients understand the nature and scope of coaching, including:

• Explaining the purpose, structure, and expectations of coaching services.
• Discussing potential risks, benefits, and limitations of coaching interventions.
• Revisiting consent and client goals throughout the coaching relationship as needs evolve.

CHWCs handle client information and technology responsibly and in ways that protect client welfare, privacy, and the integrity of clinical care, including:

• Using secure, approved platforms for telecoaching, electronic communication, data storage, and documentation, in compliance with applicable privacy laws, organizational policies, and professional standards.
• Maintaining accurate, timely, and relevant records that reflect the coaching process and are appropriate to the coach’s role within clinical and organizational systems.
• Protecting client privacy and confidentiality when using digital tools, analytics, virtual platforms, or emerging technologies.
• Using artificial intelligence, generative AI, or automated tools only in ways that support administrative efficiency, learning, reflective practice, or non-clinical documentation, and not as a substitute for professional judgment or human interaction. AI or automated systems may not be used to assess clinical risk, interpret diagnostic data, determine treatment, or perform functions outside the coaching scope of practice.
• Informing clients when technology meaningfully influences the coaching process and obtaining appropriate consent when digital tools are used to support service delivery.
• Taking reasonable steps to understand the capabilities, limitations, risks, and potential biases of technologies they use.
• Ensuring that the use of technology does not compromise ethical standards, professional boundaries, collaboration with licensed professionals, or client safety.

CHWCs promote and protect the integrity of clinical health and well-being coaching, including:

• Upholding, advancing and advocating for the credibility, integrity, and value of the profession.
• Reporting unethical conduct, unsafe practices, or violations of this Code to the IBC Certification Governance Board.
• Contributing to a culture of ethical excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Promoting public understanding of the role and standards of CHWCs in clinical care.

CHWCs address ethical concerns responsibly and transparently, including:

• Acting proactively when ethical dilemmas arise.
• Seeking guidance from supervisors, peers, or ethical committees when needed.
• Prioritizing client welfare while navigating conflicts between client preferences, clinical guidance, and organizational requirements.
• Actively seeking and addressing feedback from clients and other healthcare team members.

CHWCs who educate, mentor, or supervise other coaches hold additional ethical responsibilities, including:

• Modeling professionalism*, ethical behavior, and integrity in all interactions.
• Providing feedback that is accurate, objective, constructive, actionable, and respectful, supporting professional growth.
• Ensuring learners and supervisees understand the boundaries of coaching and clinical responsibilities.
• Maintaining confidentiality while fostering open discussion of ethical dilemmas and decision-making.
• Evaluating learners fairly, managing bias, avoiding favoritism, or exploitation.
• Continuously updating teaching and supervisory practices in line with current research, evidence-based standards, and evolving professional expectations.

*Modeling professionalism means demonstrating, in practice, the values and behaviors CHWCs are expected to develop, while recognizing that professionalism is culturally situated, relational, and shaped by power. Modeling professionalism requires educators and supervisors to demonstrate clarity, respect, accountability, and cultural responsiveness in their own conduct. It includes transparent use of power, openness to feedback and repair, and recognition that professional behavior can be expressed through diverse communication styles.