CARC Code of Ethics
Mission Statements
The National Board of Addiction-Recovery Professionals (herein also referred to as "The NBARP" or "NBARP") sanctions individuals who have completed an NBARP-approved course of study provided by a third-party, NBARP-approved learning entity to become a Certified Adaptive Recovery Coach, which includes Certified Addiction-Recovery Coach (CARC-I) and a Certified Abuse-Recovery Coach (CARC-II), (herein, collectively referred to as "CARC", "CARCs", "coach", "coaches", "practitioner" or "practitioners").
CARC clients may be individuals, couples, families or groups.
NBARP-approved curriculum materials provided by third-party (NBARP-approved learning entities) focus upon specialized intervention and healing techniques for substance addicts, behavioral addicts and trauma survivors, but the CARC field of study and practice considers both addiction and trauma, their causality and their symptomatology within the breadth of the comprehensive human experience, yielding CARCs well-prepared to help anyone who may be suffering with self-defeating and unwanted emotional, cognitive, behavioral and/or relational patterns. Therefore, a CARC can provide life coaching services (herein, also referred to as "coaching" or "coaching services") for a broad variety of populations and issues.
The predominant mission of a CARC is to quantitatively improve the functioning and qualitatively enhance the well-being of their respective clients. Essentially, the NBARP mission is designed to support CARCs in the attainment and realization of their respective mission.
Purpose of the NBARP Code
This CARC Code of Ethics (herein also referred to as "the Code", "this Code" or "Code") establishes a set of values, ethics and standards to which all CARCs are expected to adhere. It is relevant to all CARCs, in all practice settings and with all client populations.
The primary purpose of this Code is to enforce the NBARP Mission, and it serves to do so in the following ways:
1. The Code clarifies the NBARP Mission, detailing the unique features of CARC practice.
2. The Code sets forth clear standards by which CARCs are held accountable for professional values, ethics and conduct.
3. The Code provides professional practice standards by which the general public can hold CARCs accountable.
4. The Code provides professional practice standards by which the professional community can hold CARCs accountable.
5. The Code establishes a benchmark of practice that the collective of The NBARP, the educational institutions that it sanctions, and the CARCs that it certifies can utilize to assess whether such practitioners have engaged in unprofessional or unethical conduct.
6. The Code serves as a guide by which CARCs can prevent conflicts of interest.
7. The Code serves as a guide by which CARCs can resolve ethical dilemmas.
Upon a credible report of gross professional negligence, misconduct or other failure to adhere to the standards set forth in this Code, the NBARP reserves the right to immediately suspend a CARCs certification and/or continued duties, for the indefinite term of a thorough investigation. The course of such investigation may or may not include an internal peer review and/or an NBARP hearing. The conclusion of such procedures may or may not result in required remedial action, loss of position and/or permanent revocation of certification. While violations of this code are not implicitly synonymous with violations of the law or with legal liability, the NBARP reserves the right to notify all relevant national, state and local authorities and to participate in court cases, when appropriate.
Report concerns about gross professional negligence, misconduct or other failure to adhere to the standards set forth in this Code here
The NBARP applauds and supports CARCs who seek help if in crisis, thereby responsibly preventing professional, ethical or other violations.
Each CARC is expected to maintain ongoing, weekly appointments with a selected [1] Professional Mentor to sustain competence in their coaching practice and to prevent ethical violations. CARCs should select a Professional Mentor who holds a Masters or PhD in one of the counseling disciplines.
NBARP Practice Principles
The NBARP has established seven principles of practice that define CARC roles and responsibilities with clients:
1. Respectful
2. Committed
3. Protective
4. Empowering
5. Competent
6. Responsible
7. Fiduciary
RESPECTFUL
Respectful – A Systems Approach
CARCS are trained to view clients through the multi-dimensional lens proffered by Systems Theory, which recognizes the macro (institutionalized), mezzo (community-based) and micro (individualized) spheres of interaction, influence and intervention. Systems Theory provides an adaptable conceptual framework through which CARCs are qualified to assess and assist clients, within the complex challenges of their addiction/trauma and the varied requirements of their sustained recovery/healing.
Systems Theory affects the way in which CARCs approach clients and the world, at large. Fundamentally, it ensures that all tenets espoused within this Code are practiced on multiple coexisting levels and in myriad diverse formats, including the professional principle of Respectfulness.
Respectful – Macro Level
Implicit within the CARC coaching discipline is special recognition of both behavioral and substance addicts (whether active, abstinent, recovering or otherwise) and trauma survivors as a vulnerable and oppressed group; thus, CARCs should be sensitive to cultural, ethnic and other forms of diversity and promote social justice in all areas and against a global system of discrimination, of which discrimination against addicts and trauma survivors is a mere parcel.
CARCs should consistently seek multi-cultural awareness and appreciation, as well as acknowledge the strengths inherent in distinct cultures. They should deliver services that are culturally appropriate and sensitive.
NBARP Non-Discrimination Policy:
CARCs should not practice, condone, facilitate or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, lack of religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability.
Respectful – Mezzo Level
CARCs should cultivate a replete understanding of each client's family dynamics and community networks. Furthermore, they should seek to understand both the ways in which and the degree to which a client's familial and communal environments may have impacted their beliefs, motivations and needs.
CARCs are mindful to allocate support services to clients based upon their most fundamental needs, first, as determined by a comprehensive bio-psycho-social assessment, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and additional evaluation tools. On a local and immediate level, CARCs seek to ensure clients' adequate access to vital resources.
Only The NBARP is authorized to set fee ranges for CARCs. Furthermore, all CARCs must offer coaching session fees that are "fair, reasonable, commensurate with services performed and considerate to clients' ability to pay", based upon The NBARP's most recently published Sliding Fee Scale.
NBARP Sliding Fee Scale for CARC Clients:
$25.00 - $135.00 per 50-minute coaching session
CARCs are encouraged to grant free, initial consultations to prospective clients; however, the NBARP forbids free, ongoing sessions, as they can easily create lack of client motivation and accountability, as well as blur practitioner-client boundaries. Extraordinary circumstances in which one might charge a nominal fee for ongoing sessions (such as homelessness coupled with a catastrophic lack of resources) can be authorized by CARCs and must be considered carefully, on a case-per-case basis.
Respectful – Micro Level
CARCs treat each person with caring and consideration. They appreciate each client's unique personhood and, furthermore, they are mindful that individualized differences exist within cultural distinctions. More specifically, CARCs are acutely aware of the devastating role that internalized shame plays in addiction and trauma; thus, CARCs conscientiously seek to reverse this destructive mechanism by providing a model of respect and dignity within the practitioner-client relationship.
NBARP Intrinsic Worth Policy:
All CARCs have a duty to believe in the intrinsic worth of all living organisms and, more specifically, of all human beings; thus, respect and dignity are implicitly owed and never need to be earned.
CARCs respect each clients' self-determination. They work not only on behalf of, but also in conjunction with their clients, engaging them as collaborative partners in the change process. CARCs help clients to recognize their inherent gifts and strengths as integral to both defining and achieving short and long-term goals.
CARCs may only limit a client's right to self-determination when, in the practitioner's professional estimation, a client's actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable and imminent risk to themselves or others.
COMMITTED
Committed – Client Interests First
In accordance with the NBARP Mission, the needs of clients are generally given precedence. CARCs would only place a client's actual or perceived needs secondary to an ethical or legal obligation, such as a court order or mandatory reporting that a client or other may be in danger.
CARCs elevate client-interest above their own self-interest, within the context of the coaching services and sessions that they provide. As in any vocation that bolsters well-being, addiction-recovery coaching and abuse-recovery coaching demand that personal business sense and healthy profit motive, while not only permitted but even encouraged, must fall subordinate to each CARC's foremost commitment to be of service.
Committed – Avoid Conflicts of Interest
CARCs should stay vigilant to identify and avoid conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest is defined as any professional arrangement or circumstance in which the coaching practitioner's professional discretion, judgment or objectivity may be compromised.
CARCs should inform clients, immediately, whenever an actual or potential conflict of interest occurs and take proactive measures to resolve the conflict expeditiously and in a manner that maintains client interests as primary. In such instances, prioritizing client interests might commonly require termination of the practitioner-client relationship, with proper referral of the client to comparable services.
CARCs are completely and solely responsible to avoid conflicts of interest, including but not limited to the following:
1. CARCs should not in any way exploit others, for their own personal, professional, social, political, financial or other gain.
2. CARCs practitioners should not engage in dual or multiple roles.
(a) Dual or multiple roles develop if a CARC interacts with a client in more than one context, whether professional, social or business. Dual and multiple roles create conditions conducive to distorted boundaries, exploitation, inappropriate practitioner-client interaction, miscommunication, misunderstanding and misconduct. For instance, a CARC who is also a 12-step recovery member should not coach someone that they sponsor. Additionally, CARCs should not coach friends, relatives, neighbors or business associates, such as their accountant or hair stylist.
(b) Dual or multiple roles can occur simultaneously or consecutively. For example, a CARC should not coach a friend, whether they are currently close or have not seen one another since childhood.
(c) Most of the time, dual and multiple roles are avoidable. In the limited circumstances in which they are unavoidable, CARCs are responsible to both set and abide by clear, professional and appropriate boundaries. For instance, if a CARC were to see one of their clients at a 12-step or other function, they should not engage with such client in any interpersonal manner and should, furthermore, help the client to understand and accept this boundary. Also, if a former client were to begin working in a facility at which a CARC conducts groups, the CARC would be responsible to notify the program's administrator and to establish new and professional boundaries with their former client. CARCs who are also 12-step recovery members are strongly encouraged to practice in a geographical area separate and distinct from that in which they attend meetings in order to minimize the propensity for dual and multiple roles.
3. CARCs should not barter for their services.
(a) Bartering is defined as, “accepting goods or services, in exchange for coaching services”. Bartering arrangements create conditions conducive to distorted boundaries, exploitation, inappropriate practitioner-client interaction, miscommunication, misunderstanding and misconduct. For example, if a CARC's client is a professional massage therapist, they should not exchange coaching services for massage services. Accordingly, if a CARC's client is a professional hair stylist, they should not exchange coaching services for beauty services.
(b) While CARCs can offer free initial consultations, ongoing sessions offered "free" are considered a form of abstract bartering and are prohibited.
4. When coaching a couples or families, if a CARC anticipates or discovers a conflict of interest amongst or with the parties, the CARC should immediately clarify their role with all parties and act to proactively eradicate any conflicts of interest.
(a) CARCs should, with all parties, clearly identify which participants will be considered “clients”, thus beneficiaries of the practitioner's professional obligations, and which participants will not be considered “clients”. For example, if a couple is starting coaching sessions together, they would each and both be considered “clients”. Conversely, if a woman begins coaching sessions and, at some future point, invites her husband to attend a session, the woman is the CARC's client, but the husband is not; rather, he is a visitor, a “non-client” participant.
(b) CARCs should exert professional acumen to identify group members' attempts to manipulate the practitioner and/or to triangulate with the practitioner. Triangulation is a phenomenon in which related parties “recruit” a third-party (such as a coach) through which to divert relationship tension and stress. For instance, if a CARC begins coaching a newcomer in recovery, and that client's mother attempts to call the practitioner for “regular updates” on her child's progress, it is vital that the CARC explain their professional obligations to the client (child) and their consequential incapability to provide session information to the non-client (mother). In this scenario, the CARC may also opt to provide the non-client (mother) with relevant support resource information.
PROTECTIVE
Protective – Informed Consent
CARCs should provide all clients with informed consent, fully apprising clients of the purpose, benefits, risks, limitations and costs of coaching services. Additionally, CARCs should always inform clients of their respective rights to refuse or, at any time, to withdraw their consent for services.
CARCs are solely and fully responsible for ensuring that their clients comprehend and consent to all terms and conditions of coaching services; therefore, CARCs should encourage clients to ask clarifying questions throughout the process of informed consent. Also, CARCs should use clear and easily understandable language, when explaining the terms and conditions of such services. Finally, if a client is illiterate or does not share the same primary language with the practitioner, the practitioner must take measures to assure the client's understanding, such as acquiring and integrating a qualified interpreter or translator.
CARCs are not authorized to work in the context of private or independent practice with clients who are legally or otherwise deemed incapable of providing informed consent or clients who are receiving services involuntarily. Therefore, CARCs are not authorized to provide coaching services to clients who suffer any form or degree of diminished or limited capacity to provide informed consent. Additionally, CARC's are not authorized to work with clients who are under the guardianship or conservatorship of any third-party, including minors under the age of 18.
Due to the nature of the specialized populations that CARCs serve and their respective need not only for professional confidentiality but also for general, societal anonymity, CARCs are not authorized to video or audio record any client sessions.
CARCs are strongly encouraged to develop and utilize forms for client intake, informed consent, assessment, orientation, referral and termination. Each CARC is fully and solely responsible for ensuring that any and all forms that they provide to clients are up-to-date and complete, including but not limited to all information that may be required to satisfy both the conditions of this Code and the laws of their respective practice jurisdiction(s).
Protective – Privacy & Confidentiality
CARCs must respect their clients’ right to privacy. Furthermore, they should not solicit private information from their clients, unless it is necessary for providing services. Finally, once private information has been shared, all standards of privacy and confidentiality apply.
CARCs must protect the confidentiality of all information garnered throughout the course of coaching services, sessions and other related activities. The professional expectation is that CARCs will keep all information regarding clients confidential.
CARCs should discuss the nature and limitations of clients' rights to confidentiality, with both clients and all other relevant parties. Through the process of informed consent and well prior to formally engaging in coaching services, clients should be made aware of the exceptional conditions in which their private, confidential or otherwise privileged information may be requested or legally required and, thus, possibly disclosed.
There are very few circumstances in which a CARC would be appropriate in disclosing confidential or privileged information and, even in such exceptional instances, the CARC is fully and solely responsible for taking the following actions:
1. whenever possible, make every effort to preemptively inform the client about the content, scheduled time and potential ramifications of such disclosure.
2. always divulge the least amount of information needed to achieve the disclosure's purpose.
CARCs must protect clients' confidentiality, except in the following instances:
1. when disclosure of confidential or privileged information is essential to prevent foreseeable and imminent harm, to a client or to others.
2. when legally required.
(a) Even if and/or when a CARC is compelled to disclose confidential or privileged information by a court of law, the practitioner should protect their client's confidentiality to the greatest extent permitted by law.
(b) If a court orders a CARC to disclose confidential or privileged information without the client's consent and the practitioner believes that such disclosure may cause harm to the client, the CARC should request that the court withdraw the order, limit its scope and/or maintain the information under seal and, thus, as inaccessible by the public.
3. by client consent
(a) CARCs may disclose confidential and privileged information with direct and valid written consent from clients.
(b) In the event that such disclosure is requested by the client but not recommended by the practitioner, a CARC may also stipulate that the written request for disclosure be witnessed and/or notarized.
4. with consultants
(a) CARCs may discuss client cases as needed with professional colleagues, trainers and mentors, provided that such consultants are bound to uphold the confidentiality of the practitioner's disclosures to equal professional and legal extent as the CARC is required to defend the confidentiality of their clients. For example, a CARC may consult with a fellow CARC or with a Masters or PhD-level counselor; however, CARCs may not consult with other life coaches or professionals, unless they have a Masters or PhD in one of the counseling disciplines.
(b) CARCs may discuss client cases as needed with professional consultants, provided that the practitioner does not disclose any identifiable information about the client, including but not limited to the client's name, email address, telephone number and any circumstantial information that may readily identify the client. For example, if discussing a client case with a professional colleague, trainer or mentor, a CARC should not only withhold the client's readily identifiable information, such as their name, but they should also withhold sharing of details such as that the client might be dating a particular person, or that they used to be married to a particular person, or that they work at a specific place, or any other such circumstantially identifiable information.
(c) When consulting with colleagues about clients, CARCs should disclose the least amount of information necessary to achieve the purposes of the consultation.
5. as consultants
(a) CARCs operating as professional colleagues, trainers, mentors and in any other consultation role should not disclose identifying information when discussing clients, including for teaching or training purposes, unless the client has consented to disclosure of confidential information or there is a compelling need for such disclosure.
(b) CARCs should respect confidential information shared by colleagues and consultants in the course of their professional relationships and transactions.
(c) CARCs should ensure that such colleagues and consultants understand their obligation to respect confidentiality and any exceptions related to it.
(d) CARCs operating as professional colleagues, trainers, mentors and in any other consultation role should discourage colleagues from disclosing identifying information, when discussing clients, unless the client has consented to disclosure of confidential information or there is a compelling need for such disclosure.
(e) CARCs operating as professional colleagues, trainers, mentors and in any other consultation role should encourage colleagues to disclose the least amount of information necessary, when discussing clients, to achieve the purposes of the consultation.
Circumstances which are NOT exceptions to the standards of confidentiality include, but are not limited to the following:
1. CARCs should not disclose private, confidential or otherwise privileged information to third-party payers (such as insurance companies), unless the client has authorized such disclosure in writing.
2. CARCs should not disclose private, confidential or otherwise privileged information to members of the media.
3. CARCs should protect the confidentiality of deceased or otherwise indisposed clients.
4. CARCs must arrange to protect clients' confidentiality even subject to their own sabbatical from practice, termination of practice, death or other incapacity.
When coaching couples, families or any other types of groups CARCs should:
1. seek comprehension by and consensus amongst all parties involved, concerning each individual's right to privacy and confidentiality.
2. seek comprehension by and commitment from all parties involved, regarding each individual's moral obligation to preserve the confidentiality of all information shared in group sessions.
3. seek comprehension by and consent of all parties involved, that the practitioner can in no way guarantee that all individuals will honor agreements established to respect and preserve group session participants' privacy and confidentiality.
In addition to the more stringent and obvious parameters of confidentiality, CARCs should exercise discretion and take reasonable precautions in their everyday activities, to secure clients' rights to privacy and confidentiality. For example, practitioners should not discuss confidential information (either about clients or with them) in public or semi-public areas, be they online or offline, including but not limited to waiting rooms, hallways, elevators, restaurants, sidewalks, cafés, blogs, forums or social media platforms. CARCs who see clients in any residential environment (such as the client's home, the practitioner's home office, or in a residential institution) are responsible for ensuring that a private session space has been secured and can be maintained. CARCs should not hold coaching sessions in any setting that does not protect client privacy and confidentiality.
Protective – Documentation & Record-Keeping
CARCs should exercise discretion and take reasonable precautions to protect the confidentiality of clients’ written and electronic records, as well as any other sensitive material. Nonetheless, CARCs are not responsible for the data security of online and offline third-party service providers.
CARCs should exercise discretion and take reasonable precautions to confirm that client records are stored in a secure location and kept inaccessible to unauthorized parties. CARCs should always protect client confidentiality and follow the laws of their respective practice jurisdiction(s), regarding the number of years that client records must be stored following termination of services and the manner in which client records should ultimately be either transferred or destroyed.
CARCs should provide clients with ample access to their respective records, so long as the client has requested such access in writing and the practitioner has redacted any non-client confidential information, therein. If a CARC feels concerned that access to such records might cause distress to the client, the practitioner should take time to review and interpret the records, with the client. Only in exceptional circumstances, in which the practitioner believes that access to such records may cause serious harm to the client, would a CARC limit a client's access to their records, or to a portion of their records.
CARCs who take session notes are encouraged to employ a standardized and widely-accepted documentation style, such as the Data-Assessment-Plan (D.A.P), the Data-Assessment-Response-Plan (D.A.R.P.) and/or the Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan (S.O.A.P.) note-taking styles. CARCs may opt not to record session notes, or to transcribe very minimal and/or coded documentation, to maximize client security.
EMPOWERING
In alignment with their core mission, CARCs seek not merely to support clients, but more importantly to impart the vital skills with which they can meet and sustain their own needs and aspirations. CARCs recognize that human relationships can be powerful models for rehabilitation; thus, CARC practice methods and materials are specifically designed to promote clients' incremental cultivation of personal responsibility, accountability and empowerment. In fact, it is the specialization in the addiction-recovery and abuse-recovery fields, coupled with several distinct and empowering practice features that collectively render the CARC-client interaction as unique, within the interdisciplinary helping landscape.
Empowering – versus Enabling
Due to acute awareness of toxic enabling as a prevalent and debilitating force in addictive relationships, CARC practice methodologies involve conscientious and proactive focus on empowerment, versus enabling. CARCs teach clients how to practice and hone new emotional, cognitive, behavioral and relational skills that serve to increase functioning and enhance well-being.
CARCs diligently seek what is often subtle discernment between each clients' capabilities, strengths and gifts, set against their requirements for external resources. Furthermore, CARCs do not foster a monopoly amongst either of these forces but, rather, a prosperous equilibrium in which self-reliance and external reliance fortify one another. Through customized intervention strategies, CARCs train clients to differentiate between toxic enabling and healthy enabling, fostering a measure of helpfulness that is naturally conducive to the comprehensive empowerment of its beneficiary.
Empowering – as Modeling
CARCs are cognizant that the coaching setting provides ample opportunity for clients to model new perspectives and behaviors. Modeling, or “mimicking” is a very natural way to learn. It is, in fact, the way that we incorporate and integrate new information, as children.
Since modeling is, essentially, the most innate way that we learn, it is fully expected to be a central activity in any fundamental change process. Nonetheless, CARCs should remain vigilantly aware that the instinctive drive to learn through modeling can also become confusing for clients, as it can so remarkably resemble a surrogate relationship.
Whilst counselors from myriad professional domains should and most often do receive dedicated education in the more precarious facets of practice, CARCs' specialized acuity regarding the trauma-based, addictive trait of over-dependence yields them extraordinarily adept in helping clients to experience unprecedented breakthroughs in session, while still recognizing their unrivaled position of sovereignty, in their own lives. CARCs empower clients to understand that, although the coaching environment may be productively utilized as a template for growth, the client should not mistakenly relegate the practitioner (or anyone else) to a parental or other role that would, by definition, seem or seek to excuse the the client from preeminent responsibility in their respective decisions and actions.
Empowering – through Curriculum Materials
Another unique feature of CARC practice is that CARCs who sustain NBARP Membership are authorized and encouraged to integrate NBARP-approved materials into their coaching practice and sessions. Just some of the topics included in NBARP-approved materials by NBARP-sanctioned learning entities include:
1. How addictive and embedded habits operate2. How false beliefs, distorted thinking and emotional perception can manipulate the psyche
3. How the principles of addiction and recovery apply to all emotional, cognitive, behavioral and relational patterns
4. How to build a lifestyle that matches a client's true wants and needs
5. How to implement effective strategies that prevent any return to old patterns
6. Case Studies: learning from the experience of others who have transformed
7. How clients can incorporate their own personal spirituality into the healing process
8. How to listen actively and empathically (which enhances the quality of all relationships)
9. How to view oneself and others within the context of life experiences and influences
10. How to identify unconscious false beliefs that are driving unwanted behavior patterns
11. How to define roles and responsibilities in a healthy way
12. How to identify feelings and needs effectively
13. How to assess needs by level of priority
14. How to problem-solve effectively
15. How to identify abusive personalities, toxic relationships and dysfunctional emotional environments
16. How instincts, intuition, emotions, thoughts and behaviors all interact
17. How to translate emotions into an empowered stance
18. How to choose, establish and maintain healthy boundaries
19. How to reinstate primal security, to displace fear and anxiety
20. How to build and fortify self-esteem, self-love and self-appreciation
21. How to provide emotional validation for oneself, to avoid over-dependence in relationships
22. How to restore empathic loyalty to oneself, one's feelings and one's needs
23. How to realign instinctual drives toward healthy reactions
24. How to change unwanted belief, perception, emotional, behavior and relationship patterns
25. How to sustain healthy change
26. How to improve current relationships (and decide which relationships one wishes to release, versus reconcile)
27. How to cultivate healthy relationships that contribute to well-being
28. How to heighten the ability to listen, acknowledge, honor and be true to oneself
29. How to "tap in” to intuition, creativity and aspirations
30. CARC Code of Ethics: guidelines for ethical and competent coaching
NBARP-approved materials are provided by NBARP-approved learning entities within a context that supports both CARCs and their clients.
Clients receive the opportunity to:
1. access NBARP-approved materials which equip them with empowering information and skills
2.. enhance coaching session quality, due to topics covered within NBARP-approved materials
3. attend coaching sessions with a CARC, as they progress through NBARP-approved materials
4. receive the continuity of information that NBARP-approved materials provide
5. receive the continuity of care that NBARP-approved materials provide
6. earn CARC Certifications
7. provide all of Coach benefits listed below, after they earn CARC Certification
CARCs receive the opportunity to:
1. provide online coaching services through an NBARP-approved learning entity
2. work-from-home and coach clients online, throughout the United States.
3. provide coaching sessions to parties enrolled in NBARP-approved CARC Certification programs
4. offer NBARP-approved materials and CARC Certifications to their prospective clients
5. be matched with a Professional Mentor
6. access ongoing professional development resources
7. provide efficient and effective session planning
8. track quantifiable progress
9. demonstrate increased participation in coaching sessions
CARCs are expressly prohibited from acquiring or providing independent access to copyrighted and proprietary curriculum materials or any other copyrighted and proprietary content that is provided by learning entities which are NBARP-approved. In short, the only way in which a CARC can be authorized to make NBARP-approved materials available to their clients is by registering to be an NBARP Member and subsequently adhering to any and all requirements of the third-party learning entity that is providing access to such copyrighted and proprietary NBARP-approved materials.
COMPETENT
CARCs should be measurably proficient in the performance of their professional duties. Furthermore, they should provide coaching services and represent themselves as qualified only within the parameters of their education, training, certification, professional consultation received, or other relevant experience. CARCs should operate only within their areas of expertise and are required to both attain and maintain valid and active CARC Certification status, in order to perform coaching sessions and any other related activities.
Competent – through Professional Development
CARCs should bolster their expertise through a viable protocol of ongoing professional development. They should regularly review all available literature, resources and correspondence regarding practice methods and professional ethics.
CARCs should strive to steadily increase their practical insight and skills, staying updated with new information and innovation within the professional helping realm, generally, and the addiction-recovery and abuse-recovery specializations, specifically. When reviewing new techniques, CARCs should apply professional diligence and discernment, critically examining them and integrating only information that demonstrates empirical efficacy. Ultimately, CARCs should advertise and offer only services for which they have received appropriate, professional training and credentials.
Competent – as Interdisciplinary
CARCs should consider themselves part of an interdisciplinary collective of both professional and layperson colleagues who often specialize in the rehabilitation of substance addicts, behavioral addicts, family members of addicts, abuse survivors, trauma survivors and any/all other populations and issues in which a CARC opts to focus, including but not limited to psychiatrists and other physicians, treatment center staff, transitional housing owners and managers, and 12-step recovery sponsors and members. CARCs should cooperate with both professional and layperson colleagues, including colleagues from other disciplines, when such alliances serve the well-being of clients.
CARCs should treat colleagues respectfully, encouraging productive collaboration on behalf of clients. When working in conjunction with colleagues, professional and ethical obligations of the collective effort and of each involved individual should be clearly delineated.
CARCs should increase the value of interdisciplinary interaction, by drawing upon their specialized training and expertise. Furthermore, CARCs should stay apprised of colleagues' inherent strengths and areas of aptitude, that they may be able to aptly and accurately attest to colleagues' qualifications.
Competent – as Conscientious
CARCs should constantly seek and act to discourage, prevent and rectify the unauthorized and unqualified practice of coaching, as well as of all other related, similar and corresponding interdisciplinary services. Practitioners are charged with the duty of scrutinizing not only the conduct of colleagues, but also their very own conduct, to preclude any such unauthorized and unqualified activity.
CARCs should not operate in any professional function for which they have not received all applicable instruction, endorsement, sanctioning and credentials. Thus, CARCs are not authorized to identify or function as a CARC unless they have acquired and maintained all applicable instruction, endorsement, sanctioning and credentials (certifications) from the NBARP. Finally, CARCs should not allow personal issues, including but not limited to psychosocial distress, legal issues, substance abuse, or mental health difficulties to in any way disrupt their professional performance or compromise their professional obligations.
The NBARP applauds and support CARCs who seek help if in crisis, thereby responsibly preventing professional, ethical or other violations.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that they may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unauthorized, unqualified, disrupted, compromised or otherwise incompetent practice, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to identify and take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that a colleague may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unauthorized, unqualified, disrupted, compromised or otherwise incompetent practice, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC and/or the colleague graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to assess accurately and intervene effectively.
5. Work in conjunction with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor to encourage and assist the colleague to take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
6. If a colleague from an outside discipline fails to apply recommended remedial measures, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
RESPONSIBLE
CARCs' choices and conduct should be consistent not only with the letter of this Code, but also with the spirit of this Code. Although client relationships hold superior import under this Code, CARCs should nonetheless espouse the basic principles, herein, in all of their interactions.
CARCs' professional standards should result from their personal commitment to be of sound character; thus, they should behave responsibly, in all roles and to all parties, both during and outside of the provision of coaching services and sessions. Essentially, their practice ethic should both fulfill and transcend the realm of client interest, extending also to interpersonal, familial, professional, social, and societal interactions.
Responsible – to the Greater Society
CARCs should be invested in social justice, promoting the development of multicultural diversity and appreciation, fair resource allocation and respect, protection and provision for all people, with particular focus upon the needs of oppressed and exploited groups, generally, and addiction-recovery and abuse-recovery survivors, specifically.
Responsible – to the NBARP and the Coaching Field
CARCs should aspire to contribute to the cumulative knowledge and enduring advancement of coaching, as a field. CARCs should, in their words, deeds and character, reinforce the highest practice standards and ethics. They should protect the integrity of the NBARP, of NBARP-approved learning entities, and of the tenets and mission set forth in this Code, through participation in activities that promote appreciation of the field, through adroit demonstration of their professional duties, through qualified consultation with their colleagues, and through membership in and collaboration with The NBARP.
CARCs should clearly distinguish between their role as a private individual and as a representative of the coaching field, the NBARP and NPARP-approved learning entities. Furthermore, CARCs who wish to speak on behalf of the NBARP or of any NBARP-approved learning entity can do so only with each organization's express, written authorization.
CARCs should fairly acknowledge the original works and contributions of colleagues who are advancing the coaching field, through research, study and publishing. All CARCs are encouraged to publish field-related literature; however, such authors will be required to authenticate their material, asserting credit only for original works that they have performed or created, or for portions of original works to which they have contributed.
All websites, content, materials and services of the NBARP and of NBARP-approved learning entities (as defined in their respective terms and conditions) are protected by the United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret and other intellectual property and proprietary laws. Any misuse or misappropriation of any portion of websites, content, materials or services of the NBARP or of NBARP-approved learning entities (as defined in their respective terms and conditions), including but not limited to failure to diligently protect the integrity, security and exclusivity of such websites, materials, content and services as a commissioned CARC will be considered both a civil breach of contract and a criminally negligent act and will be prosecuted in both courts, at the expense of the defendant, vigorously and to the fullest extent of reparations and satisfaction entitled by the law.
The NBARP offers financial compensation for any reports of copyright or intellectual property infringement, misconduct, misuse or misappropriation of websites, content, materials or services of the NBARP of of an NBARP-approved learning entity that lead to civil or criminal conviction. Report here.
Responsible – to Employers & Affiliates
NBARP-sanctioned CARC Certification is designed specifically and exclusively for independent life coaching practice; however, third-party agencies and organizations can determine that the extensive NBARP-approved learning materials adequately prepare CARCs for employment in a vast range of positions. In such cases, a CARC should accept employment based solely on their existing competence or their ability to professionally acquire the requisite competence.
A CARC should clarify their professional and ethical obligations with all third-party agencies and organizations with which they are affiliated or by which they may be employed. Furthermore, CARCs should always act to promote responsible and ethical practices on the part of third-party agencies and organizations with which they are affiliated an by which they may be employed. Finally, a CARC should follow the stipulations of their employer and fulfill the duties of their position, so long as such does not in any way conflict with the tenets of this Code.
Responsible – to Colleagues
A CARC should clarify their professional and ethical obligations with all colleagues with whom they are affiliated. Furthermore, CARCs should always act to promote responsible and ethical practices on the part of colleagues with whom they are affiliated.
Responsible – to Clients
In concert with this Code, CARCs are responsible to provide efficacy, responsiveness, continuity and security of services, on behalf of their clients.
Efficacy
CARCs have a responsibility to establish and maintain a regimen of self-care that extends beyond the mere personal realm and well into the professional domain, serving as both an example of healthful living and an assurance of practitioner efficacy. Congruent with this endeavor, CARCs should be inclined toward participating in ongoing self-examination, self-interrogation and the general pursuit of self-awareness.
While CARCs might sometimes seek sporadic or specified professional consultation whenever it is in the best interest of their clients, it is only each CARC's commitment to ongoing weekly consultation with a qualified Professional Mentor and/or with any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor that can, to the greatest degree possible, consistently affirm and reaffirm their sustained maintenance of self-care rituals, their capacity to engage objectively, their ongoing growth in interdisciplinary skill, their successful evasion of the more precarious pitfalls of practice, and their steadfast adherence to this Code.
Similar to many of their recommendations to clients and, thereby, aligned with the axiom of teaching by example (modeling), CARCs should cultivate and maintain a relationship with a Professional Mentor and/or with any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, with whom they confer on a weekly basis. While a CARC's Professional Mentor [3] does not hold any supervisory role and is in no way responsible for the respective CARC's practice, they can be a steady resource through which their respective CARC can readily attain [4] anecdotal coaching experience and valuable professional development.
Responsiveness
Particularly due to the multi-faceted nature of any successful addiction or abuse intervention, CARCs should continuously curate an ongoing listing of providers in their area, the services of which may be of value to their clients and may or may not work in direct conjunction with coaching services.
CARCs should develop a resource listing for their respective practice, in which they continuously cultivate a comprehensive, diverse, relevant and detailed record of service providers in their region. This ensures, to the greatest degree possible, that CARCs retain the ongoing capability to effectively refer and transfer clients to both supplemental and comparable, alternate service providers, as needed.
Continuity
CARCs must refer, transfer and/or terminate services to and professional relationships with clients, whether to supplemental or alternate and comparable services providers, whenever doing so favors a clients' needs and interests, including but not limited to the following circumstances:
1. when the CARC assesses that such services and relationships are no longer required, by a client.
2. when the CARC assesses that their respective services are not demonstrating adequate effectiveness or producing sufficient progress with a client and, thus, that alternate or supplemental services are required.
3. when other professionals’ specialized expertise is required to better or fully meet a client's needs.
4. when a CARC has been coaching a client through their employment with a third-party agency or organization, and the practitioner will be leaving the employment setting.
5. when clients are not paying an overdue balance, only if ALL of the following terms have been satisfied:
(a) all financial and contractual agreements have been reviewed and clarified with the client,
(b) all consequences of continued non-payment have been reviewed and clarified with the client,
(c) the client does not in any way pose an imminent threat to self or others.
6. upon client request.
When an individual who is already receiving coaching services or any similar services from another agency or colleague contacts a CARC for services, the practitioner should proceed with cautious concern for the potential client and professional respect for the agency or colleague, by thoroughly exploring with the potential client their reasons for wanting to transfer, all possible challenges and risks involved in transfer and whether or not consultation with their current service provider would be in their best interests.
7. In the event of possible relocation, illness, disability, death or other unavailability.
In preparation for any possible unforeseen events and circumstances, CARCs are responsible to arrange uninterrupted continuity of service for their clients, with a trusted colleague.
CARCs are prohibited from giving or receiving payment for any referral.
CARCs must adhere to the following guidelines, to implement responsible referral, transfer and/or termination of services to and professional relationships with clients:
1. do so timely and orderly fashion
2. notify clients promptly
3. assist in arranging for continuation of services:
(a) apprise clients of the benefits and risks involved in service continuation and cessation,
(b) inform clients of appropriate options for service continuation,
(c) whenever feasible, encourage client collaboration, consider client needs and respect client preferences when planning for continuation of services.
4. request client consent to disclose all pertinent client and session information to the new service provider
5. take precautionary measures to avoid any protocol that may cause an adverse reaction in clients who still need services, including but not limited to the abandonment or perceived abandonment of a client.
Practitioners will bear the full burden of defending any abrupt withdrawal of services.
Security
For the security of both clients and practitioners, CARCs must acquire and maintain valid professional liability insurance in order to keep their CARC Certification status and sanction "active, in good standing".
FIDUCIARY
[5] Fiduciary
(adjective)
1. aboveboard; authentic; ethical; honest; reliable; trustworthy; unquestionable.
2. involving trust, especially regarding the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary.
3. of, relating to, or involving a confidence or trust, between a customer and a professional.
4. holding in trust.
5. depending on public confidence for value or currency.
(noun)
a trustee; an advocate; a guardian.
The word “fiduciary” is derived from the Latin word “fiducia”, meaning “trust”. A fiduciary relationship is one in which one person places complete confidence in another, in regard to a particular transaction, set of transactions, or general affairs. For example, the practitioner-client relationship is a fiduciary relationship in which one person, the client (also legally termed the "beneficiary") places complete confidence in another, the CARC (also legally termed the "fiduciary"), regarding coaching services and sessions.
The CARC-client relationship is a fiduciary relationship in which the practitioner possesses a disproportionately large amount of power, due to not only to their training and expertise but, even more so to their professional role within the coaching context and setting; thus, they bear commensurate professional and ethical obligation to act in the best interest of their clients. CARCs are required to match their clients' complete trust and vulnerability with corresponding trustworthiness, good faith and irreproachable honesty.
The Coach-client relationship is a non-reciprocal relationship in which the CARC holds substantially more power and responsibility than does the client and through which the practitioner seeks to meet the needs of the client at the absolute exclusion of any “reciprocity”, or comparable return, outside of fair, reasonable and mutually-agreed upon fees for services rendered. This can often be confusing, due to multiple factors including but not limited to the collaborative and dynamic aspects of session, the role and power distortions inherent in addictive mentality and trauma symptoms, and the potential for both shared demographic traits and life experiences amongst practitioners and clients. Nevertheless and unequivocally, CARCs are solely, fully and legally accountable to abide by all professional and ethical standards required in the non-reciprocal, fiduciary practitioner-client relationship, as set forth in this Code.
CARCs should consider it their professional, ethical and moral imperative to confer weekly with their Professional Mentor and/or with any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, if for no other reason than for the express purpose of continuously clarifying their professional, ethical and moral obligations in the non-reciprocal, fiduciary CARC-client relationship.
This Code, in its entirety, delineates the minimal professional standards, ethics, principles and conduct required to protect clients within the non-reciprocal, fiduciary CARC-client relationship. Such protective measures include but are not limited to the following:
CARCs should never exploit or take unfair advantage.
1. CARCs should not in any way exploit clients, potential clients, colleagues or others.
2. CARCs should not in any way prey upon the respective vulnerabilities of clients.
3. CARCs should not in any way misuse their authority to manipulate or coerce clients.
4. CARCs should not unduly solicit or in any way pursue clients or potential clients.
5. A CARC should not in any way take advantage of their relationships with clients, potential clients, colleagues or others to advance their personal, political, religious, social, financial, business or other interests.
CARCs should not perpetrate written or verbal misconduct.
CARCs should not employ derogatory language to or about clients, potential clients, colleagues or others, including but not limited to gratuitous negative criticism or discriminatory remarks.
CARCs should not perpetrate physical misconduct.
1. CARCs are solely and fully responsible for establishing and maintaining appropriate physical boundaries in the practitioner-client relationship.
2. CARCs are solely and fully responsible for helping clients and potential clients to understand and comply with appropriate physical boundaries in the practitioner-client relationship.
3. CARCs should not engage in inappropriately or excessively aggressive physical contact with clients or potential clients, such as shaking or pushing.
4. CARCs should not engage in inappropriately or excessively intimate physical contact with clients or potential clients, such as cradling or caressing.
5. CARCs who engage in appropriate physical contact with clients or potential clients (such as a handshake, an encouraging pat or a reassuring hug) are responsible to ensure that such contact is governed by clearly communicated, mutually acceptable and culturally sensitive boundaries.
CARCs should not perpetrate sexual misconduct.
1. CARCs should not sexually harass clients, potential clients, colleagues or others, in any way, including but not limited to sexual overtures, sexual solicitation, sexual advances, sexual innuendo, requests for sexual favors or any other inappropriate verbal, physical or other conduct of a a sexual nature.
2. CARCs should not engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with current clients or former clients, whether seemingly “consensual” or coerced.
Due to the non-reciprocal and fiduciary nature of the practitioner-client relationship, as well as the practitioner's disproportionate power and authority within such relationship, neither current nor former clients have the ability to consent to intimate contact as would peers in a relationship with an equitable distribution of power.
3. CARCs should not engage in any sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with current or former trainees, students, pupils, mentees or with any other recipients of their consultation.
4. CARCs should not engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with a colleague, when to do so would create a real or potential conflict of interest.
CARCs engaged in or anticipating engagement in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with a colleague, should terminate and transfer professional duties to avoid a conflict of interest, as necessary.
5. CARCs should not engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with relatives or close friends of a client, if such interaction in any way risks the exploitation, traumatization or endangerment of the client.
(a) In the event that a CARC does engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with relatives or close friends of a client, they should do so with client consent.
(b) In the event that a CARC does engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with relatives or close friends of a client, they should immediately terminate the practitioner-client relationship, with proper referral of the client to a comparable, alternate service provider.
6. CARCs should not provide coaching services to persons with whom they are currently or have formerly engaged in a romantic, sexual or other close relationship.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that they may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unethical conduct, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to identify and take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that a colleague may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unethical conduct, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC and/or the colleague graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to assess accurately and intervene effectively.
5. Work in conjunction with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor to encourage and assist the colleague to take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
6. If a colleague from an outside discipline fails to apply recommended remedial measures, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
CARCs are solely, fully and legally responsible to immediately terminate the practitioner-client relationship and to promptly facilitate the referral and transfer of such client to a comparable, alternate service provider, if at any time or for any reason, the CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that they may be in any way incapable of fully adhering to the professional and ethical standards set forth in this Code.
This Code cannot guarantee ethical behavior. Each CARC's ethical conduct should naturally extend from their personal values and their desire to be of maximum service to their clients.
CARCs should maintain constant awareness of and allegiance to their mission, always acting to discourage, prevent and correct unethical behavior. They should be well versed in the guidelines, requirements and protocols for both assessing and addressing ethical complaints and violations in this Code and their respective practice jurisdictions, including but not limited to those also established by professional organizations, regulatory bodies and by the NBARP.
CARCs are independently operating entities and are solely, fully and legally responsible to follow the ethical and other practice guidelines, requirements and protocols in this Code and in their respective practice jurisdictions, including but not limited to those also established by professional organizations, regulatory bodies and by the NBARP.
The NBARP applauds and support CARCs who seek help if in crisis, thereby responsibly preventing professional, ethical or other violations.
The NBARP offers financial compensation for any reports of unethical, unauthorized, unqualified, disrupted, compromised or otherwise incompetent practice by a CARC which lead to criminal or civil conviction. Report here.
Footnotes
[1] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.1: A Professional Mentor is designated as a CARC who is also formally registered with an NBARP-approved learning entity or a Masters or PhD-level counseling professional.
[2] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.2: All CARCs are required to select and confer weekly with a Professional Mentor.
[3] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.7: A CARCs Professional Mentor does not hold any supervisory role in relation to the respective CARC and is in no way responsible for the respective CARC's practice.
[4] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.31: A CARCs Professional Mentor provides only anecdotal coaching experience.
[5] http://Merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiduciary
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fiduciary
http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=745
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/fiduciary
LAST REVISED: February 03, 2022
The National Board of Addiction-Recovery Professionals (herein also referred to as "The NBARP" or "NBARP") sanctions individuals who have completed an NBARP-approved course of study provided by a third-party, NBARP-approved learning entity to become a Certified Adaptive Recovery Coach, which includes Certified Addiction-Recovery Coach (CARC-I) and a Certified Abuse-Recovery Coach (CARC-II), (herein, collectively referred to as "CARC", "CARCs", "coach", "coaches", "practitioner" or "practitioners").
CARC clients may be individuals, couples, families or groups.
NBARP-approved curriculum materials provided by third-party (NBARP-approved learning entities) focus upon specialized intervention and healing techniques for substance addicts, behavioral addicts and trauma survivors, but the CARC field of study and practice considers both addiction and trauma, their causality and their symptomatology within the breadth of the comprehensive human experience, yielding CARCs well-prepared to help anyone who may be suffering with self-defeating and unwanted emotional, cognitive, behavioral and/or relational patterns. Therefore, a CARC can provide life coaching services (herein, also referred to as "coaching" or "coaching services") for a broad variety of populations and issues.
The predominant mission of a CARC is to quantitatively improve the functioning and qualitatively enhance the well-being of their respective clients. Essentially, the NBARP mission is designed to support CARCs in the attainment and realization of their respective mission.
Purpose of the NBARP Code
This CARC Code of Ethics (herein also referred to as "the Code", "this Code" or "Code") establishes a set of values, ethics and standards to which all CARCs are expected to adhere. It is relevant to all CARCs, in all practice settings and with all client populations.
The primary purpose of this Code is to enforce the NBARP Mission, and it serves to do so in the following ways:
1. The Code clarifies the NBARP Mission, detailing the unique features of CARC practice.
2. The Code sets forth clear standards by which CARCs are held accountable for professional values, ethics and conduct.
3. The Code provides professional practice standards by which the general public can hold CARCs accountable.
4. The Code provides professional practice standards by which the professional community can hold CARCs accountable.
5. The Code establishes a benchmark of practice that the collective of The NBARP, the educational institutions that it sanctions, and the CARCs that it certifies can utilize to assess whether such practitioners have engaged in unprofessional or unethical conduct.
6. The Code serves as a guide by which CARCs can prevent conflicts of interest.
7. The Code serves as a guide by which CARCs can resolve ethical dilemmas.
Upon a credible report of gross professional negligence, misconduct or other failure to adhere to the standards set forth in this Code, the NBARP reserves the right to immediately suspend a CARCs certification and/or continued duties, for the indefinite term of a thorough investigation. The course of such investigation may or may not include an internal peer review and/or an NBARP hearing. The conclusion of such procedures may or may not result in required remedial action, loss of position and/or permanent revocation of certification. While violations of this code are not implicitly synonymous with violations of the law or with legal liability, the NBARP reserves the right to notify all relevant national, state and local authorities and to participate in court cases, when appropriate.
Report concerns about gross professional negligence, misconduct or other failure to adhere to the standards set forth in this Code here
The NBARP applauds and supports CARCs who seek help if in crisis, thereby responsibly preventing professional, ethical or other violations.
Each CARC is expected to maintain ongoing, weekly appointments with a selected [1] Professional Mentor to sustain competence in their coaching practice and to prevent ethical violations. CARCs should select a Professional Mentor who holds a Masters or PhD in one of the counseling disciplines.
NBARP Practice Principles
The NBARP has established seven principles of practice that define CARC roles and responsibilities with clients:
1. Respectful
2. Committed
3. Protective
4. Empowering
5. Competent
6. Responsible
7. Fiduciary
RESPECTFUL
Respectful – A Systems Approach
CARCS are trained to view clients through the multi-dimensional lens proffered by Systems Theory, which recognizes the macro (institutionalized), mezzo (community-based) and micro (individualized) spheres of interaction, influence and intervention. Systems Theory provides an adaptable conceptual framework through which CARCs are qualified to assess and assist clients, within the complex challenges of their addiction/trauma and the varied requirements of their sustained recovery/healing.
Systems Theory affects the way in which CARCs approach clients and the world, at large. Fundamentally, it ensures that all tenets espoused within this Code are practiced on multiple coexisting levels and in myriad diverse formats, including the professional principle of Respectfulness.
Respectful – Macro Level
Implicit within the CARC coaching discipline is special recognition of both behavioral and substance addicts (whether active, abstinent, recovering or otherwise) and trauma survivors as a vulnerable and oppressed group; thus, CARCs should be sensitive to cultural, ethnic and other forms of diversity and promote social justice in all areas and against a global system of discrimination, of which discrimination against addicts and trauma survivors is a mere parcel.
CARCs should consistently seek multi-cultural awareness and appreciation, as well as acknowledge the strengths inherent in distinct cultures. They should deliver services that are culturally appropriate and sensitive.
NBARP Non-Discrimination Policy:
CARCs should not practice, condone, facilitate or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, lack of religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability.
Respectful – Mezzo Level
CARCs should cultivate a replete understanding of each client's family dynamics and community networks. Furthermore, they should seek to understand both the ways in which and the degree to which a client's familial and communal environments may have impacted their beliefs, motivations and needs.
CARCs are mindful to allocate support services to clients based upon their most fundamental needs, first, as determined by a comprehensive bio-psycho-social assessment, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and additional evaluation tools. On a local and immediate level, CARCs seek to ensure clients' adequate access to vital resources.
Only The NBARP is authorized to set fee ranges for CARCs. Furthermore, all CARCs must offer coaching session fees that are "fair, reasonable, commensurate with services performed and considerate to clients' ability to pay", based upon The NBARP's most recently published Sliding Fee Scale.
NBARP Sliding Fee Scale for CARC Clients:
$25.00 - $135.00 per 50-minute coaching session
CARCs are encouraged to grant free, initial consultations to prospective clients; however, the NBARP forbids free, ongoing sessions, as they can easily create lack of client motivation and accountability, as well as blur practitioner-client boundaries. Extraordinary circumstances in which one might charge a nominal fee for ongoing sessions (such as homelessness coupled with a catastrophic lack of resources) can be authorized by CARCs and must be considered carefully, on a case-per-case basis.
Respectful – Micro Level
CARCs treat each person with caring and consideration. They appreciate each client's unique personhood and, furthermore, they are mindful that individualized differences exist within cultural distinctions. More specifically, CARCs are acutely aware of the devastating role that internalized shame plays in addiction and trauma; thus, CARCs conscientiously seek to reverse this destructive mechanism by providing a model of respect and dignity within the practitioner-client relationship.
NBARP Intrinsic Worth Policy:
All CARCs have a duty to believe in the intrinsic worth of all living organisms and, more specifically, of all human beings; thus, respect and dignity are implicitly owed and never need to be earned.
CARCs respect each clients' self-determination. They work not only on behalf of, but also in conjunction with their clients, engaging them as collaborative partners in the change process. CARCs help clients to recognize their inherent gifts and strengths as integral to both defining and achieving short and long-term goals.
CARCs may only limit a client's right to self-determination when, in the practitioner's professional estimation, a client's actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable and imminent risk to themselves or others.
COMMITTED
Committed – Client Interests First
In accordance with the NBARP Mission, the needs of clients are generally given precedence. CARCs would only place a client's actual or perceived needs secondary to an ethical or legal obligation, such as a court order or mandatory reporting that a client or other may be in danger.
CARCs elevate client-interest above their own self-interest, within the context of the coaching services and sessions that they provide. As in any vocation that bolsters well-being, addiction-recovery coaching and abuse-recovery coaching demand that personal business sense and healthy profit motive, while not only permitted but even encouraged, must fall subordinate to each CARC's foremost commitment to be of service.
Committed – Avoid Conflicts of Interest
CARCs should stay vigilant to identify and avoid conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest is defined as any professional arrangement or circumstance in which the coaching practitioner's professional discretion, judgment or objectivity may be compromised.
CARCs should inform clients, immediately, whenever an actual or potential conflict of interest occurs and take proactive measures to resolve the conflict expeditiously and in a manner that maintains client interests as primary. In such instances, prioritizing client interests might commonly require termination of the practitioner-client relationship, with proper referral of the client to comparable services.
CARCs are completely and solely responsible to avoid conflicts of interest, including but not limited to the following:
1. CARCs should not in any way exploit others, for their own personal, professional, social, political, financial or other gain.
2. CARCs practitioners should not engage in dual or multiple roles.
(a) Dual or multiple roles develop if a CARC interacts with a client in more than one context, whether professional, social or business. Dual and multiple roles create conditions conducive to distorted boundaries, exploitation, inappropriate practitioner-client interaction, miscommunication, misunderstanding and misconduct. For instance, a CARC who is also a 12-step recovery member should not coach someone that they sponsor. Additionally, CARCs should not coach friends, relatives, neighbors or business associates, such as their accountant or hair stylist.
(b) Dual or multiple roles can occur simultaneously or consecutively. For example, a CARC should not coach a friend, whether they are currently close or have not seen one another since childhood.
(c) Most of the time, dual and multiple roles are avoidable. In the limited circumstances in which they are unavoidable, CARCs are responsible to both set and abide by clear, professional and appropriate boundaries. For instance, if a CARC were to see one of their clients at a 12-step or other function, they should not engage with such client in any interpersonal manner and should, furthermore, help the client to understand and accept this boundary. Also, if a former client were to begin working in a facility at which a CARC conducts groups, the CARC would be responsible to notify the program's administrator and to establish new and professional boundaries with their former client. CARCs who are also 12-step recovery members are strongly encouraged to practice in a geographical area separate and distinct from that in which they attend meetings in order to minimize the propensity for dual and multiple roles.
3. CARCs should not barter for their services.
(a) Bartering is defined as, “accepting goods or services, in exchange for coaching services”. Bartering arrangements create conditions conducive to distorted boundaries, exploitation, inappropriate practitioner-client interaction, miscommunication, misunderstanding and misconduct. For example, if a CARC's client is a professional massage therapist, they should not exchange coaching services for massage services. Accordingly, if a CARC's client is a professional hair stylist, they should not exchange coaching services for beauty services.
(b) While CARCs can offer free initial consultations, ongoing sessions offered "free" are considered a form of abstract bartering and are prohibited.
4. When coaching a couples or families, if a CARC anticipates or discovers a conflict of interest amongst or with the parties, the CARC should immediately clarify their role with all parties and act to proactively eradicate any conflicts of interest.
(a) CARCs should, with all parties, clearly identify which participants will be considered “clients”, thus beneficiaries of the practitioner's professional obligations, and which participants will not be considered “clients”. For example, if a couple is starting coaching sessions together, they would each and both be considered “clients”. Conversely, if a woman begins coaching sessions and, at some future point, invites her husband to attend a session, the woman is the CARC's client, but the husband is not; rather, he is a visitor, a “non-client” participant.
(b) CARCs should exert professional acumen to identify group members' attempts to manipulate the practitioner and/or to triangulate with the practitioner. Triangulation is a phenomenon in which related parties “recruit” a third-party (such as a coach) through which to divert relationship tension and stress. For instance, if a CARC begins coaching a newcomer in recovery, and that client's mother attempts to call the practitioner for “regular updates” on her child's progress, it is vital that the CARC explain their professional obligations to the client (child) and their consequential incapability to provide session information to the non-client (mother). In this scenario, the CARC may also opt to provide the non-client (mother) with relevant support resource information.
PROTECTIVE
Protective – Informed Consent
CARCs should provide all clients with informed consent, fully apprising clients of the purpose, benefits, risks, limitations and costs of coaching services. Additionally, CARCs should always inform clients of their respective rights to refuse or, at any time, to withdraw their consent for services.
CARCs are solely and fully responsible for ensuring that their clients comprehend and consent to all terms and conditions of coaching services; therefore, CARCs should encourage clients to ask clarifying questions throughout the process of informed consent. Also, CARCs should use clear and easily understandable language, when explaining the terms and conditions of such services. Finally, if a client is illiterate or does not share the same primary language with the practitioner, the practitioner must take measures to assure the client's understanding, such as acquiring and integrating a qualified interpreter or translator.
CARCs are not authorized to work in the context of private or independent practice with clients who are legally or otherwise deemed incapable of providing informed consent or clients who are receiving services involuntarily. Therefore, CARCs are not authorized to provide coaching services to clients who suffer any form or degree of diminished or limited capacity to provide informed consent. Additionally, CARC's are not authorized to work with clients who are under the guardianship or conservatorship of any third-party, including minors under the age of 18.
Due to the nature of the specialized populations that CARCs serve and their respective need not only for professional confidentiality but also for general, societal anonymity, CARCs are not authorized to video or audio record any client sessions.
CARCs are strongly encouraged to develop and utilize forms for client intake, informed consent, assessment, orientation, referral and termination. Each CARC is fully and solely responsible for ensuring that any and all forms that they provide to clients are up-to-date and complete, including but not limited to all information that may be required to satisfy both the conditions of this Code and the laws of their respective practice jurisdiction(s).
Protective – Privacy & Confidentiality
CARCs must respect their clients’ right to privacy. Furthermore, they should not solicit private information from their clients, unless it is necessary for providing services. Finally, once private information has been shared, all standards of privacy and confidentiality apply.
CARCs must protect the confidentiality of all information garnered throughout the course of coaching services, sessions and other related activities. The professional expectation is that CARCs will keep all information regarding clients confidential.
CARCs should discuss the nature and limitations of clients' rights to confidentiality, with both clients and all other relevant parties. Through the process of informed consent and well prior to formally engaging in coaching services, clients should be made aware of the exceptional conditions in which their private, confidential or otherwise privileged information may be requested or legally required and, thus, possibly disclosed.
There are very few circumstances in which a CARC would be appropriate in disclosing confidential or privileged information and, even in such exceptional instances, the CARC is fully and solely responsible for taking the following actions:
1. whenever possible, make every effort to preemptively inform the client about the content, scheduled time and potential ramifications of such disclosure.
2. always divulge the least amount of information needed to achieve the disclosure's purpose.
CARCs must protect clients' confidentiality, except in the following instances:
1. when disclosure of confidential or privileged information is essential to prevent foreseeable and imminent harm, to a client or to others.
2. when legally required.
(a) Even if and/or when a CARC is compelled to disclose confidential or privileged information by a court of law, the practitioner should protect their client's confidentiality to the greatest extent permitted by law.
(b) If a court orders a CARC to disclose confidential or privileged information without the client's consent and the practitioner believes that such disclosure may cause harm to the client, the CARC should request that the court withdraw the order, limit its scope and/or maintain the information under seal and, thus, as inaccessible by the public.
3. by client consent
(a) CARCs may disclose confidential and privileged information with direct and valid written consent from clients.
(b) In the event that such disclosure is requested by the client but not recommended by the practitioner, a CARC may also stipulate that the written request for disclosure be witnessed and/or notarized.
4. with consultants
(a) CARCs may discuss client cases as needed with professional colleagues, trainers and mentors, provided that such consultants are bound to uphold the confidentiality of the practitioner's disclosures to equal professional and legal extent as the CARC is required to defend the confidentiality of their clients. For example, a CARC may consult with a fellow CARC or with a Masters or PhD-level counselor; however, CARCs may not consult with other life coaches or professionals, unless they have a Masters or PhD in one of the counseling disciplines.
(b) CARCs may discuss client cases as needed with professional consultants, provided that the practitioner does not disclose any identifiable information about the client, including but not limited to the client's name, email address, telephone number and any circumstantial information that may readily identify the client. For example, if discussing a client case with a professional colleague, trainer or mentor, a CARC should not only withhold the client's readily identifiable information, such as their name, but they should also withhold sharing of details such as that the client might be dating a particular person, or that they used to be married to a particular person, or that they work at a specific place, or any other such circumstantially identifiable information.
(c) When consulting with colleagues about clients, CARCs should disclose the least amount of information necessary to achieve the purposes of the consultation.
5. as consultants
(a) CARCs operating as professional colleagues, trainers, mentors and in any other consultation role should not disclose identifying information when discussing clients, including for teaching or training purposes, unless the client has consented to disclosure of confidential information or there is a compelling need for such disclosure.
(b) CARCs should respect confidential information shared by colleagues and consultants in the course of their professional relationships and transactions.
(c) CARCs should ensure that such colleagues and consultants understand their obligation to respect confidentiality and any exceptions related to it.
(d) CARCs operating as professional colleagues, trainers, mentors and in any other consultation role should discourage colleagues from disclosing identifying information, when discussing clients, unless the client has consented to disclosure of confidential information or there is a compelling need for such disclosure.
(e) CARCs operating as professional colleagues, trainers, mentors and in any other consultation role should encourage colleagues to disclose the least amount of information necessary, when discussing clients, to achieve the purposes of the consultation.
Circumstances which are NOT exceptions to the standards of confidentiality include, but are not limited to the following:
1. CARCs should not disclose private, confidential or otherwise privileged information to third-party payers (such as insurance companies), unless the client has authorized such disclosure in writing.
2. CARCs should not disclose private, confidential or otherwise privileged information to members of the media.
3. CARCs should protect the confidentiality of deceased or otherwise indisposed clients.
4. CARCs must arrange to protect clients' confidentiality even subject to their own sabbatical from practice, termination of practice, death or other incapacity.
When coaching couples, families or any other types of groups CARCs should:
1. seek comprehension by and consensus amongst all parties involved, concerning each individual's right to privacy and confidentiality.
2. seek comprehension by and commitment from all parties involved, regarding each individual's moral obligation to preserve the confidentiality of all information shared in group sessions.
3. seek comprehension by and consent of all parties involved, that the practitioner can in no way guarantee that all individuals will honor agreements established to respect and preserve group session participants' privacy and confidentiality.
In addition to the more stringent and obvious parameters of confidentiality, CARCs should exercise discretion and take reasonable precautions in their everyday activities, to secure clients' rights to privacy and confidentiality. For example, practitioners should not discuss confidential information (either about clients or with them) in public or semi-public areas, be they online or offline, including but not limited to waiting rooms, hallways, elevators, restaurants, sidewalks, cafés, blogs, forums or social media platforms. CARCs who see clients in any residential environment (such as the client's home, the practitioner's home office, or in a residential institution) are responsible for ensuring that a private session space has been secured and can be maintained. CARCs should not hold coaching sessions in any setting that does not protect client privacy and confidentiality.
Protective – Documentation & Record-Keeping
CARCs should exercise discretion and take reasonable precautions to protect the confidentiality of clients’ written and electronic records, as well as any other sensitive material. Nonetheless, CARCs are not responsible for the data security of online and offline third-party service providers.
CARCs should exercise discretion and take reasonable precautions to confirm that client records are stored in a secure location and kept inaccessible to unauthorized parties. CARCs should always protect client confidentiality and follow the laws of their respective practice jurisdiction(s), regarding the number of years that client records must be stored following termination of services and the manner in which client records should ultimately be either transferred or destroyed.
CARCs should provide clients with ample access to their respective records, so long as the client has requested such access in writing and the practitioner has redacted any non-client confidential information, therein. If a CARC feels concerned that access to such records might cause distress to the client, the practitioner should take time to review and interpret the records, with the client. Only in exceptional circumstances, in which the practitioner believes that access to such records may cause serious harm to the client, would a CARC limit a client's access to their records, or to a portion of their records.
CARCs who take session notes are encouraged to employ a standardized and widely-accepted documentation style, such as the Data-Assessment-Plan (D.A.P), the Data-Assessment-Response-Plan (D.A.R.P.) and/or the Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan (S.O.A.P.) note-taking styles. CARCs may opt not to record session notes, or to transcribe very minimal and/or coded documentation, to maximize client security.
EMPOWERING
In alignment with their core mission, CARCs seek not merely to support clients, but more importantly to impart the vital skills with which they can meet and sustain their own needs and aspirations. CARCs recognize that human relationships can be powerful models for rehabilitation; thus, CARC practice methods and materials are specifically designed to promote clients' incremental cultivation of personal responsibility, accountability and empowerment. In fact, it is the specialization in the addiction-recovery and abuse-recovery fields, coupled with several distinct and empowering practice features that collectively render the CARC-client interaction as unique, within the interdisciplinary helping landscape.
Empowering – versus Enabling
Due to acute awareness of toxic enabling as a prevalent and debilitating force in addictive relationships, CARC practice methodologies involve conscientious and proactive focus on empowerment, versus enabling. CARCs teach clients how to practice and hone new emotional, cognitive, behavioral and relational skills that serve to increase functioning and enhance well-being.
CARCs diligently seek what is often subtle discernment between each clients' capabilities, strengths and gifts, set against their requirements for external resources. Furthermore, CARCs do not foster a monopoly amongst either of these forces but, rather, a prosperous equilibrium in which self-reliance and external reliance fortify one another. Through customized intervention strategies, CARCs train clients to differentiate between toxic enabling and healthy enabling, fostering a measure of helpfulness that is naturally conducive to the comprehensive empowerment of its beneficiary.
Empowering – as Modeling
CARCs are cognizant that the coaching setting provides ample opportunity for clients to model new perspectives and behaviors. Modeling, or “mimicking” is a very natural way to learn. It is, in fact, the way that we incorporate and integrate new information, as children.
Since modeling is, essentially, the most innate way that we learn, it is fully expected to be a central activity in any fundamental change process. Nonetheless, CARCs should remain vigilantly aware that the instinctive drive to learn through modeling can also become confusing for clients, as it can so remarkably resemble a surrogate relationship.
Whilst counselors from myriad professional domains should and most often do receive dedicated education in the more precarious facets of practice, CARCs' specialized acuity regarding the trauma-based, addictive trait of over-dependence yields them extraordinarily adept in helping clients to experience unprecedented breakthroughs in session, while still recognizing their unrivaled position of sovereignty, in their own lives. CARCs empower clients to understand that, although the coaching environment may be productively utilized as a template for growth, the client should not mistakenly relegate the practitioner (or anyone else) to a parental or other role that would, by definition, seem or seek to excuse the the client from preeminent responsibility in their respective decisions and actions.
Empowering – through Curriculum Materials
Another unique feature of CARC practice is that CARCs who sustain NBARP Membership are authorized and encouraged to integrate NBARP-approved materials into their coaching practice and sessions. Just some of the topics included in NBARP-approved materials by NBARP-sanctioned learning entities include:
1. How addictive and embedded habits operate2. How false beliefs, distorted thinking and emotional perception can manipulate the psyche
3. How the principles of addiction and recovery apply to all emotional, cognitive, behavioral and relational patterns
4. How to build a lifestyle that matches a client's true wants and needs
5. How to implement effective strategies that prevent any return to old patterns
6. Case Studies: learning from the experience of others who have transformed
7. How clients can incorporate their own personal spirituality into the healing process
8. How to listen actively and empathically (which enhances the quality of all relationships)
9. How to view oneself and others within the context of life experiences and influences
10. How to identify unconscious false beliefs that are driving unwanted behavior patterns
11. How to define roles and responsibilities in a healthy way
12. How to identify feelings and needs effectively
13. How to assess needs by level of priority
14. How to problem-solve effectively
15. How to identify abusive personalities, toxic relationships and dysfunctional emotional environments
16. How instincts, intuition, emotions, thoughts and behaviors all interact
17. How to translate emotions into an empowered stance
18. How to choose, establish and maintain healthy boundaries
19. How to reinstate primal security, to displace fear and anxiety
20. How to build and fortify self-esteem, self-love and self-appreciation
21. How to provide emotional validation for oneself, to avoid over-dependence in relationships
22. How to restore empathic loyalty to oneself, one's feelings and one's needs
23. How to realign instinctual drives toward healthy reactions
24. How to change unwanted belief, perception, emotional, behavior and relationship patterns
25. How to sustain healthy change
26. How to improve current relationships (and decide which relationships one wishes to release, versus reconcile)
27. How to cultivate healthy relationships that contribute to well-being
28. How to heighten the ability to listen, acknowledge, honor and be true to oneself
29. How to "tap in” to intuition, creativity and aspirations
30. CARC Code of Ethics: guidelines for ethical and competent coaching
NBARP-approved materials are provided by NBARP-approved learning entities within a context that supports both CARCs and their clients.
Clients receive the opportunity to:
1. access NBARP-approved materials which equip them with empowering information and skills
2.. enhance coaching session quality, due to topics covered within NBARP-approved materials
3. attend coaching sessions with a CARC, as they progress through NBARP-approved materials
4. receive the continuity of information that NBARP-approved materials provide
5. receive the continuity of care that NBARP-approved materials provide
6. earn CARC Certifications
7. provide all of Coach benefits listed below, after they earn CARC Certification
CARCs receive the opportunity to:
1. provide online coaching services through an NBARP-approved learning entity
2. work-from-home and coach clients online, throughout the United States.
3. provide coaching sessions to parties enrolled in NBARP-approved CARC Certification programs
4. offer NBARP-approved materials and CARC Certifications to their prospective clients
5. be matched with a Professional Mentor
6. access ongoing professional development resources
7. provide efficient and effective session planning
8. track quantifiable progress
9. demonstrate increased participation in coaching sessions
CARCs are expressly prohibited from acquiring or providing independent access to copyrighted and proprietary curriculum materials or any other copyrighted and proprietary content that is provided by learning entities which are NBARP-approved. In short, the only way in which a CARC can be authorized to make NBARP-approved materials available to their clients is by registering to be an NBARP Member and subsequently adhering to any and all requirements of the third-party learning entity that is providing access to such copyrighted and proprietary NBARP-approved materials.
COMPETENT
CARCs should be measurably proficient in the performance of their professional duties. Furthermore, they should provide coaching services and represent themselves as qualified only within the parameters of their education, training, certification, professional consultation received, or other relevant experience. CARCs should operate only within their areas of expertise and are required to both attain and maintain valid and active CARC Certification status, in order to perform coaching sessions and any other related activities.
Competent – through Professional Development
CARCs should bolster their expertise through a viable protocol of ongoing professional development. They should regularly review all available literature, resources and correspondence regarding practice methods and professional ethics.
CARCs should strive to steadily increase their practical insight and skills, staying updated with new information and innovation within the professional helping realm, generally, and the addiction-recovery and abuse-recovery specializations, specifically. When reviewing new techniques, CARCs should apply professional diligence and discernment, critically examining them and integrating only information that demonstrates empirical efficacy. Ultimately, CARCs should advertise and offer only services for which they have received appropriate, professional training and credentials.
Competent – as Interdisciplinary
CARCs should consider themselves part of an interdisciplinary collective of both professional and layperson colleagues who often specialize in the rehabilitation of substance addicts, behavioral addicts, family members of addicts, abuse survivors, trauma survivors and any/all other populations and issues in which a CARC opts to focus, including but not limited to psychiatrists and other physicians, treatment center staff, transitional housing owners and managers, and 12-step recovery sponsors and members. CARCs should cooperate with both professional and layperson colleagues, including colleagues from other disciplines, when such alliances serve the well-being of clients.
CARCs should treat colleagues respectfully, encouraging productive collaboration on behalf of clients. When working in conjunction with colleagues, professional and ethical obligations of the collective effort and of each involved individual should be clearly delineated.
CARCs should increase the value of interdisciplinary interaction, by drawing upon their specialized training and expertise. Furthermore, CARCs should stay apprised of colleagues' inherent strengths and areas of aptitude, that they may be able to aptly and accurately attest to colleagues' qualifications.
Competent – as Conscientious
CARCs should constantly seek and act to discourage, prevent and rectify the unauthorized and unqualified practice of coaching, as well as of all other related, similar and corresponding interdisciplinary services. Practitioners are charged with the duty of scrutinizing not only the conduct of colleagues, but also their very own conduct, to preclude any such unauthorized and unqualified activity.
CARCs should not operate in any professional function for which they have not received all applicable instruction, endorsement, sanctioning and credentials. Thus, CARCs are not authorized to identify or function as a CARC unless they have acquired and maintained all applicable instruction, endorsement, sanctioning and credentials (certifications) from the NBARP. Finally, CARCs should not allow personal issues, including but not limited to psychosocial distress, legal issues, substance abuse, or mental health difficulties to in any way disrupt their professional performance or compromise their professional obligations.
The NBARP applauds and support CARCs who seek help if in crisis, thereby responsibly preventing professional, ethical or other violations.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that they may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unauthorized, unqualified, disrupted, compromised or otherwise incompetent practice, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to identify and take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that a colleague may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unauthorized, unqualified, disrupted, compromised or otherwise incompetent practice, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC and/or the colleague graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to assess accurately and intervene effectively.
5. Work in conjunction with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor to encourage and assist the colleague to take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
6. If a colleague from an outside discipline fails to apply recommended remedial measures, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
RESPONSIBLE
CARCs' choices and conduct should be consistent not only with the letter of this Code, but also with the spirit of this Code. Although client relationships hold superior import under this Code, CARCs should nonetheless espouse the basic principles, herein, in all of their interactions.
CARCs' professional standards should result from their personal commitment to be of sound character; thus, they should behave responsibly, in all roles and to all parties, both during and outside of the provision of coaching services and sessions. Essentially, their practice ethic should both fulfill and transcend the realm of client interest, extending also to interpersonal, familial, professional, social, and societal interactions.
Responsible – to the Greater Society
CARCs should be invested in social justice, promoting the development of multicultural diversity and appreciation, fair resource allocation and respect, protection and provision for all people, with particular focus upon the needs of oppressed and exploited groups, generally, and addiction-recovery and abuse-recovery survivors, specifically.
Responsible – to the NBARP and the Coaching Field
CARCs should aspire to contribute to the cumulative knowledge and enduring advancement of coaching, as a field. CARCs should, in their words, deeds and character, reinforce the highest practice standards and ethics. They should protect the integrity of the NBARP, of NBARP-approved learning entities, and of the tenets and mission set forth in this Code, through participation in activities that promote appreciation of the field, through adroit demonstration of their professional duties, through qualified consultation with their colleagues, and through membership in and collaboration with The NBARP.
CARCs should clearly distinguish between their role as a private individual and as a representative of the coaching field, the NBARP and NPARP-approved learning entities. Furthermore, CARCs who wish to speak on behalf of the NBARP or of any NBARP-approved learning entity can do so only with each organization's express, written authorization.
CARCs should fairly acknowledge the original works and contributions of colleagues who are advancing the coaching field, through research, study and publishing. All CARCs are encouraged to publish field-related literature; however, such authors will be required to authenticate their material, asserting credit only for original works that they have performed or created, or for portions of original works to which they have contributed.
All websites, content, materials and services of the NBARP and of NBARP-approved learning entities (as defined in their respective terms and conditions) are protected by the United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret and other intellectual property and proprietary laws. Any misuse or misappropriation of any portion of websites, content, materials or services of the NBARP or of NBARP-approved learning entities (as defined in their respective terms and conditions), including but not limited to failure to diligently protect the integrity, security and exclusivity of such websites, materials, content and services as a commissioned CARC will be considered both a civil breach of contract and a criminally negligent act and will be prosecuted in both courts, at the expense of the defendant, vigorously and to the fullest extent of reparations and satisfaction entitled by the law.
The NBARP offers financial compensation for any reports of copyright or intellectual property infringement, misconduct, misuse or misappropriation of websites, content, materials or services of the NBARP of of an NBARP-approved learning entity that lead to civil or criminal conviction. Report here.
Responsible – to Employers & Affiliates
NBARP-sanctioned CARC Certification is designed specifically and exclusively for independent life coaching practice; however, third-party agencies and organizations can determine that the extensive NBARP-approved learning materials adequately prepare CARCs for employment in a vast range of positions. In such cases, a CARC should accept employment based solely on their existing competence or their ability to professionally acquire the requisite competence.
A CARC should clarify their professional and ethical obligations with all third-party agencies and organizations with which they are affiliated or by which they may be employed. Furthermore, CARCs should always act to promote responsible and ethical practices on the part of third-party agencies and organizations with which they are affiliated an by which they may be employed. Finally, a CARC should follow the stipulations of their employer and fulfill the duties of their position, so long as such does not in any way conflict with the tenets of this Code.
Responsible – to Colleagues
A CARC should clarify their professional and ethical obligations with all colleagues with whom they are affiliated. Furthermore, CARCs should always act to promote responsible and ethical practices on the part of colleagues with whom they are affiliated.
Responsible – to Clients
In concert with this Code, CARCs are responsible to provide efficacy, responsiveness, continuity and security of services, on behalf of their clients.
Efficacy
CARCs have a responsibility to establish and maintain a regimen of self-care that extends beyond the mere personal realm and well into the professional domain, serving as both an example of healthful living and an assurance of practitioner efficacy. Congruent with this endeavor, CARCs should be inclined toward participating in ongoing self-examination, self-interrogation and the general pursuit of self-awareness.
While CARCs might sometimes seek sporadic or specified professional consultation whenever it is in the best interest of their clients, it is only each CARC's commitment to ongoing weekly consultation with a qualified Professional Mentor and/or with any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor that can, to the greatest degree possible, consistently affirm and reaffirm their sustained maintenance of self-care rituals, their capacity to engage objectively, their ongoing growth in interdisciplinary skill, their successful evasion of the more precarious pitfalls of practice, and their steadfast adherence to this Code.
Similar to many of their recommendations to clients and, thereby, aligned with the axiom of teaching by example (modeling), CARCs should cultivate and maintain a relationship with a Professional Mentor and/or with any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, with whom they confer on a weekly basis. While a CARC's Professional Mentor [3] does not hold any supervisory role and is in no way responsible for the respective CARC's practice, they can be a steady resource through which their respective CARC can readily attain [4] anecdotal coaching experience and valuable professional development.
Responsiveness
Particularly due to the multi-faceted nature of any successful addiction or abuse intervention, CARCs should continuously curate an ongoing listing of providers in their area, the services of which may be of value to their clients and may or may not work in direct conjunction with coaching services.
CARCs should develop a resource listing for their respective practice, in which they continuously cultivate a comprehensive, diverse, relevant and detailed record of service providers in their region. This ensures, to the greatest degree possible, that CARCs retain the ongoing capability to effectively refer and transfer clients to both supplemental and comparable, alternate service providers, as needed.
Continuity
CARCs must refer, transfer and/or terminate services to and professional relationships with clients, whether to supplemental or alternate and comparable services providers, whenever doing so favors a clients' needs and interests, including but not limited to the following circumstances:
1. when the CARC assesses that such services and relationships are no longer required, by a client.
2. when the CARC assesses that their respective services are not demonstrating adequate effectiveness or producing sufficient progress with a client and, thus, that alternate or supplemental services are required.
3. when other professionals’ specialized expertise is required to better or fully meet a client's needs.
4. when a CARC has been coaching a client through their employment with a third-party agency or organization, and the practitioner will be leaving the employment setting.
5. when clients are not paying an overdue balance, only if ALL of the following terms have been satisfied:
(a) all financial and contractual agreements have been reviewed and clarified with the client,
(b) all consequences of continued non-payment have been reviewed and clarified with the client,
(c) the client does not in any way pose an imminent threat to self or others.
6. upon client request.
When an individual who is already receiving coaching services or any similar services from another agency or colleague contacts a CARC for services, the practitioner should proceed with cautious concern for the potential client and professional respect for the agency or colleague, by thoroughly exploring with the potential client their reasons for wanting to transfer, all possible challenges and risks involved in transfer and whether or not consultation with their current service provider would be in their best interests.
7. In the event of possible relocation, illness, disability, death or other unavailability.
In preparation for any possible unforeseen events and circumstances, CARCs are responsible to arrange uninterrupted continuity of service for their clients, with a trusted colleague.
CARCs are prohibited from giving or receiving payment for any referral.
CARCs must adhere to the following guidelines, to implement responsible referral, transfer and/or termination of services to and professional relationships with clients:
1. do so timely and orderly fashion
2. notify clients promptly
3. assist in arranging for continuation of services:
(a) apprise clients of the benefits and risks involved in service continuation and cessation,
(b) inform clients of appropriate options for service continuation,
(c) whenever feasible, encourage client collaboration, consider client needs and respect client preferences when planning for continuation of services.
4. request client consent to disclose all pertinent client and session information to the new service provider
5. take precautionary measures to avoid any protocol that may cause an adverse reaction in clients who still need services, including but not limited to the abandonment or perceived abandonment of a client.
Practitioners will bear the full burden of defending any abrupt withdrawal of services.
Security
For the security of both clients and practitioners, CARCs must acquire and maintain valid professional liability insurance in order to keep their CARC Certification status and sanction "active, in good standing".
FIDUCIARY
[5] Fiduciary
(adjective)
1. aboveboard; authentic; ethical; honest; reliable; trustworthy; unquestionable.
2. involving trust, especially regarding the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary.
3. of, relating to, or involving a confidence or trust, between a customer and a professional.
4. holding in trust.
5. depending on public confidence for value or currency.
(noun)
a trustee; an advocate; a guardian.
The word “fiduciary” is derived from the Latin word “fiducia”, meaning “trust”. A fiduciary relationship is one in which one person places complete confidence in another, in regard to a particular transaction, set of transactions, or general affairs. For example, the practitioner-client relationship is a fiduciary relationship in which one person, the client (also legally termed the "beneficiary") places complete confidence in another, the CARC (also legally termed the "fiduciary"), regarding coaching services and sessions.
The CARC-client relationship is a fiduciary relationship in which the practitioner possesses a disproportionately large amount of power, due to not only to their training and expertise but, even more so to their professional role within the coaching context and setting; thus, they bear commensurate professional and ethical obligation to act in the best interest of their clients. CARCs are required to match their clients' complete trust and vulnerability with corresponding trustworthiness, good faith and irreproachable honesty.
The Coach-client relationship is a non-reciprocal relationship in which the CARC holds substantially more power and responsibility than does the client and through which the practitioner seeks to meet the needs of the client at the absolute exclusion of any “reciprocity”, or comparable return, outside of fair, reasonable and mutually-agreed upon fees for services rendered. This can often be confusing, due to multiple factors including but not limited to the collaborative and dynamic aspects of session, the role and power distortions inherent in addictive mentality and trauma symptoms, and the potential for both shared demographic traits and life experiences amongst practitioners and clients. Nevertheless and unequivocally, CARCs are solely, fully and legally accountable to abide by all professional and ethical standards required in the non-reciprocal, fiduciary practitioner-client relationship, as set forth in this Code.
CARCs should consider it their professional, ethical and moral imperative to confer weekly with their Professional Mentor and/or with any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, if for no other reason than for the express purpose of continuously clarifying their professional, ethical and moral obligations in the non-reciprocal, fiduciary CARC-client relationship.
This Code, in its entirety, delineates the minimal professional standards, ethics, principles and conduct required to protect clients within the non-reciprocal, fiduciary CARC-client relationship. Such protective measures include but are not limited to the following:
CARCs should never exploit or take unfair advantage.
1. CARCs should not in any way exploit clients, potential clients, colleagues or others.
2. CARCs should not in any way prey upon the respective vulnerabilities of clients.
3. CARCs should not in any way misuse their authority to manipulate or coerce clients.
4. CARCs should not unduly solicit or in any way pursue clients or potential clients.
5. A CARC should not in any way take advantage of their relationships with clients, potential clients, colleagues or others to advance their personal, political, religious, social, financial, business or other interests.
CARCs should not perpetrate written or verbal misconduct.
CARCs should not employ derogatory language to or about clients, potential clients, colleagues or others, including but not limited to gratuitous negative criticism or discriminatory remarks.
CARCs should not perpetrate physical misconduct.
1. CARCs are solely and fully responsible for establishing and maintaining appropriate physical boundaries in the practitioner-client relationship.
2. CARCs are solely and fully responsible for helping clients and potential clients to understand and comply with appropriate physical boundaries in the practitioner-client relationship.
3. CARCs should not engage in inappropriately or excessively aggressive physical contact with clients or potential clients, such as shaking or pushing.
4. CARCs should not engage in inappropriately or excessively intimate physical contact with clients or potential clients, such as cradling or caressing.
5. CARCs who engage in appropriate physical contact with clients or potential clients (such as a handshake, an encouraging pat or a reassuring hug) are responsible to ensure that such contact is governed by clearly communicated, mutually acceptable and culturally sensitive boundaries.
CARCs should not perpetrate sexual misconduct.
1. CARCs should not sexually harass clients, potential clients, colleagues or others, in any way, including but not limited to sexual overtures, sexual solicitation, sexual advances, sexual innuendo, requests for sexual favors or any other inappropriate verbal, physical or other conduct of a a sexual nature.
2. CARCs should not engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with current clients or former clients, whether seemingly “consensual” or coerced.
Due to the non-reciprocal and fiduciary nature of the practitioner-client relationship, as well as the practitioner's disproportionate power and authority within such relationship, neither current nor former clients have the ability to consent to intimate contact as would peers in a relationship with an equitable distribution of power.
3. CARCs should not engage in any sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with current or former trainees, students, pupils, mentees or with any other recipients of their consultation.
4. CARCs should not engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with a colleague, when to do so would create a real or potential conflict of interest.
CARCs engaged in or anticipating engagement in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with a colleague, should terminate and transfer professional duties to avoid a conflict of interest, as necessary.
5. CARCs should not engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with relatives or close friends of a client, if such interaction in any way risks the exploitation, traumatization or endangerment of the client.
(a) In the event that a CARC does engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with relatives or close friends of a client, they should do so with client consent.
(b) In the event that a CARC does engage in sexual activities or conduct of any kind, with relatives or close friends of a client, they should immediately terminate the practitioner-client relationship, with proper referral of the client to a comparable, alternate service provider.
6. CARCs should not provide coaching services to persons with whom they are currently or have formerly engaged in a romantic, sexual or other close relationship.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that they may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unethical conduct, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to identify and take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
In the event that a CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that a colleague may be in jeopardy of or involved in any form of unethical conduct, they must IMMEDIATELY take the following measures:
1. contact their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, immediately.
2. contact the NBARP
3. contact the NBARP-approved learning entity from which the CARC and/or the colleague graduated
4. work intensively with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor, to assess accurately and intervene effectively.
5. Work in conjunction with their Professional Mentor and/or any other practitioner(s) qualified to be a Professional Mentor to encourage and assist the colleague to take preventative and/or remedial actions, including but not limited to the following:
(a) adjustments in workload
(b) partial, full, temporary or permanent transfer of clients, with proper referral and transfer
(c) termination of coaching-client relationship, with proper referral and transfer of client
(d) termination of or sabbatical from practice
(e) forthright disclosure of credentials, certifications and qualifications
(f) additional training
(g) any additional actions required to protect clients and others
5. If a CARC fails to comply with any/all remedial measures recommended by their Professional Mentor, other practitioner(s) qualified to be their Professional Mentor, the NBARP-approved learning entity from which they graduated and the NBARP, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the NBARP and all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
6. If a colleague from an outside discipline fails to apply recommended remedial measures, they risk stringent action being enforced upon them by all appropriate professional organizations and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to all relevant national, state, local, public and private entities.
CARCs are solely, fully and legally responsible to immediately terminate the practitioner-client relationship and to promptly facilitate the referral and transfer of such client to a comparable, alternate service provider, if at any time or for any reason, the CARC concretely determines or even merely suspects that they may be in any way incapable of fully adhering to the professional and ethical standards set forth in this Code.
This Code cannot guarantee ethical behavior. Each CARC's ethical conduct should naturally extend from their personal values and their desire to be of maximum service to their clients.
CARCs should maintain constant awareness of and allegiance to their mission, always acting to discourage, prevent and correct unethical behavior. They should be well versed in the guidelines, requirements and protocols for both assessing and addressing ethical complaints and violations in this Code and their respective practice jurisdictions, including but not limited to those also established by professional organizations, regulatory bodies and by the NBARP.
CARCs are independently operating entities and are solely, fully and legally responsible to follow the ethical and other practice guidelines, requirements and protocols in this Code and in their respective practice jurisdictions, including but not limited to those also established by professional organizations, regulatory bodies and by the NBARP.
The NBARP applauds and support CARCs who seek help if in crisis, thereby responsibly preventing professional, ethical or other violations.
The NBARP offers financial compensation for any reports of unethical, unauthorized, unqualified, disrupted, compromised or otherwise incompetent practice by a CARC which lead to criminal or civil conviction. Report here.
Footnotes
[1] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.1: A Professional Mentor is designated as a CARC who is also formally registered with an NBARP-approved learning entity or a Masters or PhD-level counseling professional.
[2] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.2: All CARCs are required to select and confer weekly with a Professional Mentor.
[3] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.7: A CARCs Professional Mentor does not hold any supervisory role in relation to the respective CARC and is in no way responsible for the respective CARC's practice.
[4] NBARP Certification Board Publication 14.31: A CARCs Professional Mentor provides only anecdotal coaching experience.
[5] http://Merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiduciary
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fiduciary
http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=745
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/fiduciary
LAST REVISED: February 03, 2022