Tag Archive for: women in business

Ethical Guidelines for Trauma-Informed Coaching

Trauma-informed coaching is about creating a safe and supportive space for clients, while respecting the boundaries of your role as a coach. Following clear, ethical guidelines helps protect both you and your clients, ensuring the work is impactful and professional.

Bonus: You become the one person who “gets” your clients. This modality, when done with integrity and compassion, builds a undying loyalty and consistent referrals. People just want to feel heard and seen. Help them by becoming Trauma-Informed.

Understand Your Scope

As a coach, your role is to guide, support and empower clients, not to diagnose or treat trauma. Be clear about your boundaries and avoid stepping into therapeutic territory.

Your role involves creating an environment where clients feel heard and validated, while recognizing that deeper trauma processing requires the expertise of licensed mental health professionals.

When working with clients, explicitly communicate your scope of practice at the outset of the relationship. This clarity helps set appropriate expectations and builds trust.

For example, if a client begins discussing unresolved trauma that seems beyond your ability to address, gently explain that while you can support them in specific ways, they may benefit from additional professional help.

Recognize When to Refer

Referrals are a critical component of trauma-informed coaching. Knowing when and how to refer a client to a mental health professional ensures their needs are met ethically and effectively.

Below are key indicators that a client may require additional support:

  1. Intense Emotional Dysregulation: If a client is unable to manage overwhelming emotions during or after sessions, it may indicate the need for therapeutic intervention.
  2. Recurring Trauma Flashbacks: Persistent flashbacks or dissociative episodes are beyond the scope of coaching and require specialized care.
  3. Stagnation or Regression: If a client shows little progress despite consistent effort, it may signal unresolved trauma requiring deeper exploration with a therapist.
  4. Self-Harm or Suicidal Ideation: Immediate referral is necessary when a client exhibits signs of self-harm or expresses suicidal thoughts. Be prepared to act swiftly and responsibly.
  5. Substance Abuse or Addictive Behaviors: These often require comprehensive treatment plans and the involvement of specialized professionals.

Referring a client isn’t a failure. It’s a testament to your commitment to their well-being.

Building a trusted network of licensed therapists, counselors and other mental health professionals ensures you have resources ready when needed. Familiarize yourself with their areas of expertise and maintain open communication to facilitate smooth transitions for your clients.

Providing clients with multiple options, where possible, empowers them to choose the right fit for their needs.

Navigating Ethical Dilemmas

Ethical dilemmas can arise unexpectedly in trauma-informed work. For example, a client may disclose current abuse, self-harm, or suicidal ideation.

Here are key steps to navigate these situations:

  • Prioritize Transparency: Let clients know at the beginning of your coaching relationship about any limits to confidentiality, such as mandatory reporting laws.
  • Client Safety Comes First: If a client’s safety is at risk, take appropriate action. This may involve reporting to authorities, contacting a mental health professional or involving emergency services.
  • Seek Guidance: Consult with a supervisor, mentor or peer network to ensure your decisions align with ethical best practices. Document these consultations for accountability and clarity.

Respect Client Autonomy

Empower your clients to make their own decisions and set the pace for their healing journey. Avoid pushing them to explore areas they are not ready to confront.

This approach fosters a sense of safety and collaboration. Key principles include:

  • Active Listening: Reflect and validate clients’ experiences without judgment or assumptions.
  • Encouraging Agency: Use questions and exercises that help clients identify their own solutions and next steps.
  • Pacing: Allow clients to progress at a speed that feels safe and manageable for them.

Ongoing Education

The field of trauma research is always evolving, and staying informed is essential to maintaining ethical and effective practices.

Commit to continuous professional development by:

  • Attending workshops and conferences focused on trauma and its impacts.
  • Reading recent studies, books, and resources from experts like Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score) and Peter Levine (Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma).
  • Engaging in peer learning through supervision groups or online forums.
  • Pursuing certifications or advanced training in trauma-informed approaches.

By adhering to these ethical guidelines, you create a coaching relationship built on trust, safety, and integrity.

Trauma-informed coaching is a collaborative process that respects the unique journey of each client. When coaches remain within their scope, refer appropriately, and commit to ongoing learning, clients feel supported, understood, and empowered to move forward.

References:

  • van der Kolk, B. A. (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.
  • Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
  • SAMHSA. (2014). Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov

Ready to become a trauma-informed coach?

Are your clients hitting emotional walls that slow their progress? You know they have incredible potential, but something is blocking their breakthroughs.

In our Trauma-Informed Coaching Certification program, you’ll learn to recognize trauma responses and integrate practical tools that allow you to help your clients push through their emotional barriers for lasting transformation.

Do your clients struggle with stress, burnout, or emotional rigidity that undermines their leadership? Unresolved trauma can impact a leader’s ability to perform at their best. Our Trauma-Informed Coaching Certification program shows you how to recognize trauma in leadership, provide emotional regulation tools and create healthier work environments – so your clients can lead with clarity and confidence.

Do you see clients who are emotionally stuck or overwhelmed but don’t know how to guide them past these roadblocks? In our Trauma-Informed Coaching Certification program, you’ll gain strategies to help your clients work through their emotional barriers—empowering them to find balance, resilience and inner peace so they can thrive in all areas of their life.

The next cohort begins Feb. 27.

Join us and become part of the 1%. Your clients need you now more than ever.

You decide your income (not your numbers)

I learned a long time ago that numbers (website hits, online followers, likes, comments and email subscribers) are such a teeny-tiny part of what determines my earning potential that I never look at them.

And on the rare occasion that I do look, I don’t really care what they are.

The way I see it…

Income and impact are completely and totally unlimited. Meaning, nothing will determine how much you make or how many people you help except YOUR BELIEF and your action.

I have about a million examples of this in my own life. For the sake of brevity, I’ll give you one:

My first launch, many moons ago, I hired the marketing team and the FB ads experts and opened a Facebook group and did all the things.

I had no idea what typical sales percentages were, how many people bought from a big launch, etc. And I liked it that way.

I knew what I wanted to make and I knew I would show up powerfully for whoever joined.

So I did the thing.

For 6 weeks, I showed up and gave it my all. I let the ads people monitor costs per click and the marketing people deal with ad copy. My only job was to stay aligned to my goal and help people.

When we closed the launch, I made $500K profit. Not bad for my very first launch. I was stoked.

But then the team sat me down and said something that I will never forget…

“You don’t understand, Becky. The sales rate for your industry is only about 2.5%. You just closed 18%. How did you do that?”

My answer then is the same as it is now.

Numbers, industry standards, averages and formulas don’t mean shit.

The only metric I care about is my level of belief in myself and my work, and my commitment to showing up to help people.

You get what you expect.

And then I told them to never again share their numbers with me – because I don’t want to know what a “typical” launch looks like. That’s none of my business.

In fact, the less I know about foolish rules or typical outcomes, the better off I am. I don’t want that shit in my head, limiting my ability.

I decide my results. Period.

Now listen, that launch made me a fuck ton of money. And it brought in 250 new souls to my business. It was magical.

But what I remember most about it was that I didn’t know the fucking rules, which meant I didn’t have to follow them.

The same thing has applied to my ENTIRE career.

When I was a 35 year old agoraphobic with two small kids, piecing together a blog and eventually a website, I had no idea what the fuck I was doing.

Then I sat my ass in front of my computer and wrote on that blog every day, connecting with people all over the world, eventually growing a writing coach business.

I googled things. I watched YouTube videos. I played with Twitter to get traffic.

I had a feeling that maybe – just maybe – I was doing something that was going to help a whole lot of people.

I did it myself.

A lot of times, it was the hard way.

But I always did it before I was ready, before I had any clue what the “rules” or expectations were, before I had too much time to think about it.

(Irony: My blog was called “ThinkingTooHard,” a practice that made me anxious AF, before I bought the domain rebeccatdickson.com and opened up the biz.)

The point is I did the shit. I did it scared. I did it uncertain.

But I DID IT.

I use the same domain name today – but with an awesome design and great photos because I can now afford to pay the pros for that stuff.

This isn’t about who builds your website. This is about doing things when you’re scared… Even if you don’t know what may happen, or you’re not sure why you feel pulled to run this damn business at all.

It’s also about letting things add up.

Over 16 years, I have no earthly clue how many followers I have across social media, how many email subscribers, or how many website hits.

But I do know this: They only add up if I keep going. And they add up faster the further I go, too.

  • Things that took five years now take one year.
  • Things that took one year now take one month.
  • Things that used to take me a month, I can now do in a day.

Start before you’re ready and watch it add up.

Or sit around thinking about it some more and multiple it by zero. (Which gets you more zeros, for those who struggle with math.)

Your next wild idea that makes no sense and freaks you out?

The program that keeps pulling you to create, and scares the shit out of you?

The new niche? The new income goal? The new partnership?

MOVE.

You will figure it out as you go.

This is what we free spirits do. We follow our REALLY BIG hearts. We trust our purpose. We lean the fuck in when others are too afraid to trust themselves.

And then we make magic.

You really can do this.

Here’s the deal:

I believe I was put on this planet to help women who want to help others make a difference (and make money).

The world is full of incredible, gifted women who want to make a difference in the world. Some of them feel guilty for wanting what they want or are confused about how to get it.

They often have a hard time believing in themselves and their work.

They feel stuck around how to start, how to attract clients, sell offers, earn what they deserve, and run a REAL business.

It’s my job to help you with all of that.

There is nothing wrong with you for being over your mediocre results.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a massive impact, and earn an income to match.

One of the things that is different about me and my work is that I understand the practical and the energetic.

I understand the internal work of healing the past, removing limiting beliefs, clearing space for what you want most and taking the right actions.

I know how to guide you through all of that.

I’m not your average business woman.

Need help? Reach out. You can get me directly via becky(at)rebeccatdickson(dot)com.