I first came across the practice of psychedelic coaching a couple of years ago, in the context of supervision. The practitioner, who introduced me to the idea, is also a very qualified counsellor/therapist with an impeccable record of attention to client safety. She has spent years learning when and how to incorporate psychedelics into her broad coaching and therapeutic practice and is clinically licensed to administer psychedelics.
I haven’t yet taken up the offer of experiencing the approach – I haven’t had an issue I would see as appropriate to bring. But I am aware of the potential to do both good and harm and would not engage lightly.
Which is why I find it so disturbing that there appear to be rapidly increasing numbers of coaches offering psychedelic use, often after a superficial dose of “training”. The ethical issues are immense. Is it legal in their country? What safeguards exist for clients? How do they manage the boundary between clients genuinely seeking support and clients seeking the thrill of a trip?
According to an insightful article by journalist Julian Evans[1], the ICF has already accredited one course training coaches in the use of psychedelics. What comes next? What are the reputational risks for coaching as a profession? Do we need to update the Coaching Codes of Practice to cover these issues?
How the professional bodies deal with this emerging conundrum may have a significant impact on how the world perceives coaching in future. I am looking forward to a discussion at the next Coaching Ethics Forum, where these issues may be explored.
[1] https://docs.google.com/document/d/150m13sCPsEJklbwyeQsoI8Oj41NnPeR-0WUzw2M5uCQ/edit?usp=sharing
©️David Clutterbuck, 2025