Rhodes to Wellness Coaching
Last updated: September 2026
At Rhodes to Wellness Coaching, I believe ethical practice begins with how we treat people.
I am committed to providing services and education with compassion, integrity, respect and professionalism. I recognise the trust people place in me when they choose to share their experiences, participate in my programmes or work alongside my horses.
This Code of Ethics outlines the principles that guide my professional practice and applies to my coaching services, Root Cause Therapy, Equine Wellbeing Sessions and the Equimotional Coaches Course.
I will conduct myself in a professional, honest and respectful manner.
I will:
Act with integrity in my professional relationships;
Treat clients, students and colleagues with dignity and respect;
Communicate honestly and clearly;
Represent my qualifications, training and experience accurately;
Avoid making promises or claims that cannot reasonably be supported;
Maintain appropriate professional standards in person and online;
Take responsibility for my professional decisions and actions.
I will not knowingly engage in behaviour that could exploit, manipulate, intimidate or cause unnecessary harm to a client or student.
Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
I will seek to provide an environment that is welcoming and inclusive regardless of a person's background, circumstances, identity, beliefs, abilities or life experiences.
I will respect each person's right to make their own decisions and recognise that individuals have different needs, values, boundaries and perspectives.
I will be transparent about the nature of the services and education I provide.
This includes being clear about:
My qualifications and areas of training;
What my services do and do not provide;
Fees and payment arrangements;
Cancellation and refund policies;
The nature and limitations of coaching and holistic wellbeing services;
The educational nature and scope of the Equimotional Coaches Course.
I will not intentionally misrepresent a service, qualification, accreditation or expected outcome.
Consent is an ongoing part of ethical practice.
I will respect a client's or student's right to:
Ask questions;
Set boundaries;
Decline an activity or exercise;
Pause or end a session;
Choose what they wish to discuss;
Change their mind about participation.
Clients and students are not required to disclose personal experiences, trauma or sensitive information in order to participate.
For Equine Wellbeing Sessions, appropriate consent will be obtained before activities involving physical interaction with the horses.
I will respect the privacy of clients and students and treat personal information with care.
Information shared during sessions, courses or other professional interactions will not be disclosed unnecessarily.
There are circumstances in which confidentiality may have limits, including where disclosure is required by law or where there is a serious safeguarding or safety concern.
Personal information will be collected, stored and handled in accordance with the Rhodes to Wellness Coaching Privacy Policy and applicable privacy legislation.
I will maintain appropriate professional boundaries with clients and students.
This includes maintaining appropriate boundaries around:
Communication;
Personal disclosure;
Physical contact;
Social media;
Gifts;
Financial relationships;
Dual relationships;
Romantic or sexual relationships.
I will not knowingly use the professional relationship for personal, financial or emotional exploitation.
Physical contact will only occur when appropriate to the service or activity and with appropriate consent.
I recognise my responsibility to take reasonable steps to protect people who may be at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation or other significant harm.
I will take safeguarding concerns seriously and respond in accordance with my Safeguarding Policy, applicable legislation, professional responsibilities and relevant accreditation requirements.
I will not promise absolute confidentiality where doing so could prevent appropriate action to protect someone from serious harm.
I will work within the knowledge, skills and training I currently possess.
I will seek appropriate continuing education and professional development to maintain and improve my practice.
Where a client's or student's needs fall outside my competence, I will not knowingly provide services beyond my training.
Where appropriate, I may recommend that an individual seek additional support from a suitably qualified professional or service.
Rhodes to Wellness Coaching provides coaching, holistic wellbeing services, Root Cause Therapy and equine wellbeing experiences within the scope of my training and professional practice.
These services are not a replacement for emergency services, medical treatment or regulated healthcare services.
I will not knowingly diagnose medical or mental health conditions, prescribe medication or represent my services as a substitute for regulated healthcare where they are not.
I will be clear with clients and students about the nature and limitations of the work I provide.
I will seek to identify and appropriately manage any actual or potential conflict of interest.
Where a conflict could affect my objectivity, professional judgement or the client's or student's best interests, I will address it openly and take appropriate steps to manage the situation.
I will not use my professional relationship with a client or student for inappropriate personal or financial gain.
I will maintain appropriate records relating to my professional services and educational activities where reasonably necessary.
Records will be:
Accurate and factual;
Relevant to the service provided;
Stored securely;
Accessed only where appropriate;
Retained in accordance with applicable legal, professional and privacy requirements.
Personal information will be handled in accordance with the Rhodes to Wellness Coaching Privacy Policy.
I will communicate with clients and students in a manner that is respectful, appropriate and professional.
I will make reasonable efforts to communicate important information clearly and in a timely manner.
I will respect the boundaries of the professional relationship and will not encourage unnecessary dependency on my services.
Where horses are involved in my work, their welfare is an important part of ethical practice.
I will treat the horses involved in Equine Wellbeing Sessions with respect and care and will make reasonable decisions based on their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Activities may be modified, paused or stopped when necessary to support the welfare of the horse or the safety of the people involved.
I will not knowingly place a horse in a situation that causes unnecessary distress, discomfort or harm.
As an educator, I have a responsibility to model the ethical principles I teach.
Students participating in the Equimotional Coaches Course are expected to conduct themselves respectfully and to maintain appropriate boundaries and confidentiality within the learning environment.
I will encourage students to recognise the limits of their own competence and scope of practice and to seek appropriate support or referral when a situation falls beyond their training.
I will represent Rhodes to Wellness Coaching and my professional qualifications honestly.
Marketing and educational materials will not intentionally make misleading claims about qualifications, accreditation, services, outcomes or professional status.
I will distinguish between education, coaching, holistic wellbeing services and regulated healthcare services where appropriate.
I welcome respectful feedback and take concerns about my professional conduct seriously.
Clients and students are encouraged to raise concerns through the applicable Complaints Procedure.
Complaints will be handled respectfully and as fairly and objectively as possible.
Where appropriate, concerns may be referred to a relevant external organisation, accreditation body or authority.
I will not retaliate against a person for raising a genuine concern or complaint.
This Code of Ethics reflects the standards I strive to uphold in my work.
Ethical practice is an ongoing responsibility. I will review this Code periodically and make changes where necessary to reflect changes in my services, professional development, applicable legislation or accreditation requirements.
Policy owner: Janet Rhodes, Rhodes to Wellness Coaching
Review date: September 2027