#112 Can coaches offer their clients a ‘safe’ space?

In coaching, the idea of a 'safe' space refers to creating an environment where clients feel comfortable and secure enough to openly express their thoughts, feelings, and concerns without fear of judgment. Such a space is founded on mutual trust, and respect.

When coaches offer a ‘safe’ space, they suggest it will enable their clients to be vulnerable, explore their inner world, and take meaningful actions toward their goals. Coaches are encouraged to cultivate this environment through deep listening, being non-judgmental, accepting the client as they find them, maintaining confidentiality, showing empathy, and being supportive.

However, if this space were truly ‘safe’, then it would be observable as safe by anybody and everybody. In other words, it would exist as a safe space in its own right; it would be a belief shared by the coach and the coachee and, indeed, by any third-party observer. I suggest this is infeasible.

Safety is both an action and a result: both parties co-create it through their actions and experience it through sustained intentions. They do this by offering their vulnerability and having that vulnerability rewarded through those behaviours noted above (deep listening, non-judgmental, acceptance, confidentiality, empathy, and support).

But what of ‘challenge’? If a coach challenges their client, does this destroy the ‘safe’ space? I think I know the answer to this, but what do you think?