List three core ethical obligations a recovery coach must uphold in practice.

• A. Ensuring clients follow prescribed treatment plans; reporting all client communications to supervisors; persuading clients to pursue stricter abstinence.
• B. Respect for client autonomy; confidentiality with appropriate limits; maintaining professional boundaries and avoiding dual relationships that could impair judgment.
• C. Diagnosing clients early; prescribing medications; documenting all sessions in medical records.
• D. Setting personal therapy goals for clients; sharing clients' personal data publicly; enforcing attendance with penalties.

Answer: (B)

Ethical practice for a recovery coach centers on honoring client autonomy, protecting privacy, and maintaining professional boundaries to prevent harm and preserve trust. Respect for client autonomy means recognizing that clients are the experts on their own recovery and supporting them to make informed choices, set goals, and determine the pace and method of their journey. The coach provides information, resources, and encouragement, but does not coerce or dictate what the client must do.

Confidentiality with appropriate limits is foundational because trust is essential to effective coaching. Information shared in coaching stays private except in defined situations (for example, safety concerns or mandated reporting). The boundaries are explained upfront, and the coach shares information only when necessary and appropriate, with the client’s consent whenever possible.

Maintaining professional boundaries and avoiding dual relationships protects judgment and the coaching relationship. The coach remains in a professional role and avoids personal entanglements or situations that could create conflicts of interest or compromise objectivity.

The other options mix clinical duties or coercive practices that fall outside a recovery coach’s scope and violate these ethical commitments. For instance, trying to ensure treatment compliance or persuading abstinence can undermine autonomy; diagnosing, prescribing, and medical documentation belong to clinicians; sharing personal data publicly or penalizing attendance crosses privacy and professional boundaries.