English 
Nederlands 
In coaching, we work with people who are engaging with fundamental questions about direction, meaning, behavior, and responsibility. That makes our work meaningful—and sometimes complex. Not everything a coachee brings belongs self-evidently within coaching. And it is precisely at that boundary that our profession becomes ethical.
This ICF Global guide on referring coachees addresses a topic I believe every coach should have thought through carefully, discussed openly, and embodied in practice: "When do you continue coaching, and when is it in the best interest of the coachee to refer them to therapy or other professional support?"
The ICF Code of Ethics, Article 5.1 (2025), is clear and considered in this regard. It asks us to:
“Accurately identify my coaching qualifications and work within the boundaries of my level of coaching competency, expertise, experience, training, certifications, and my ICF credential.”
Referral, then, is not a sign of inadequacy. On the contrary, it is a sign of professional awareness, ethical leadership, and care. It requires taking yourself seriously in your role and not asking the coachee to carry something that would be better supported elsewhere.
The ICF guide supports you to:
- recognize signals that may fall outside the scope of coaching;
- distinguish between coaching and therapy without diagnosing;
- conduct the referral conversation with respect and clarity
- remain faithful both to the coachee and to the ethical standards of our profession.
I invite you to read these guidelines not as a checklist, but as an ethical compass. Take them into your reflection, your supervision, your peer consultation, and your conversations with fellow coaches. It is precisely in these moments, where things become challenging, that coaching shows how mature and trustworthy the profession can be.
