Ethical foundations

It is the task of the ethics committee is to maintain the existing ethics guidelines, to consider newly emerging aspects and integrate them , and to act as an ombudsperson to find an ethically clean and practicable solution in difficult situations.

Please address any questions to ethics@easc-online.eu

In its broadest sense, ethics is a discipline that deals with human behaviour and comprises moral intent as well as human will. Ethics is based on the assumption that there is a choice for action. It encompasses the choice regarding one’s own criteria (subjective ethics) as well as the choice including the perspective of the other person (inter-subjective ethics).

Basic assumptions:

  • There is a close connection between ethics and practice: behaviour can be ethical or not, depending on whether it benefits one’s own or others’ wellbeing or not.
  • Ethics is the basic framework condition which guides coaches and supervisors in providing a professional service and it is the foundation for every practice. It is not limited to solving difficult and problematic situations.
  • Ethics identifies values which help people to unfold their potential as human beings; values are based on ethical principles, acting as guidelines for the realisation of values and principles which are based on deontological standards and guide professional practice. 
  • Ethical principles shall therefore show which values the people committed to them defend. The profession of a coach or supervisor is based on the clients’ trust in them.

In order to live up to this trust, the members of EASC have committed to the following guidelines as a foundation for their work, observing them to the best of their knowledge:

  • Respect for our clients is the basis of our work relationship.
  • Each person is valuable, without distinction of any kind, such as gender, social position, religious faith, ethnical origin, physical, emotional or mental health, political conviction, sexual orientation etc.
  • We assume that people are able to take responsibility for themselves, as supervisors and coaches we support them in living out their autonomy.
  • We shall provide the people who contact us about their problems the protection they need for their development.

Our work is based on a contract which regulates the tasks and contributions of each partner.
We are aware of the importance of a clear relationship which is focused on the role and does not admit any dependencies or encroachments.

We take care that this convention is kept and we do not avoid a confrontation in case of deviations.
As the variety of situations and tasks coaches and supervisors work in does not allow for any concrete instruction for action, our members have committed to filling these Ethical Guidelines with life.

These values and attitudes are taught as foundations of our work in the training courses certified by EASC.