The Psychology of Coaching

What is Coaching?

Coaching is about fostering directed purposeful change. Coaching has been shown to be effective in developing personal insight and shaping and reinforcing desired behaviours to enhance performance or life experiences. [1,2]

Coaching has been defined as a therapeutic relationship between you and your coach with the objective of assisting you in achieving your professional or personal goals. [3]

Coaching combines philosophies, theories, and evidence-based interventions and techniques from a variety of fields, including behavioural medicine, positive psychology, sociology, business leadership and management, and sports performance psychology. [1,4]

Coaching has grown in popularity among business professionals and individuals as a means of enhancing performance, managing stress, and achieving professional and personal goals. [5,6]

Almost all forms of coaching share several characteristics, such as the underlying assumption that people have an inherent capacity for growth and development, as well as the ability to construct their own solutions, rather than simply analysing the problems. [1]

Coaching can be defined in a number of different ways, including:

Coaching is the process of assisting you in realising your full potential and performing at your peak. [7]
Coaching is a tutoring or instructional approach that focuses on improving your performance and skill development. [8]
Coaching is the art of assisting you in improving your performance, learning, and self-development. [9]

What is Coaching Psychology?

Coaching psychology is a person-centred, collaborative, systematic solution-focused approach that entails a long-term therapeutic relationship in which the life coach facilitates the enhancement of your personal and/or professional life experiences. [4,10,11]

Coaching is a person-centred approach that focuses on assisting you in identifying and overcoming obstacles, and sustaining long-term behavioural changes consistent with your personal values, purpose, and goals. [10]

According to Grant (2001), “Coaching psychology can provide a useful platform from which to investigate the psychological factors involved in purposeful, directed behavioural change in normal populations, and in this way further the contribution of psychology to the enhancement of performance, productivity and quality of life of individuals, organizations and the broader social community.” [2]

The definition of coaching psychology is: [2]

An empirically validated framework of change, which facilitates the coaching process.
A model of self-regulation, which allows delineation of the processes inherent in self-regulation, goal setting and goal attainment.
A methodology of how behaviour, thoughts and feelings interact, and how behaviour, thoughts and feelings can be altered to facilitate goal attainment.

What is the Role of a Coach?

It is the coach's job to create an atmosphere of trust and openness so that you can achieve your full potential.

The coach's role is to "facilitate" rather than guide, direct, or instruct you through a process of new discoveries and insights that will drive you closer to your goals. [12]

The key skills for all coaches include understanding human behaviour, emotions, cognition and motivation. [12]

The coach aims to facilitate hope by assisting you in clarifying and pursuing your goals in a variety of life domains while helping you to change your perception of your ability to achieve your goals. [11]

The coach employs their skills and techniques to help you make purposeful behavioural changes while helping you to identify and foster your strengths to encourage the enhancement of your personal and/or professional life experiences. [10]

The Benefits of Coaching

What you may not realise is that you have all of the solutions within you and that you are the only person with the power to change your life.

Coaching can assist you in reaching your full potential and assist you in taking control of your life by facilitating you to evaluate your values and circumstances, allowing you to explore solutions and learn to overcome obstacles and problems on your own without seeking advice. [7]

Coaching can help you become more optimistic, which is the general expectation of positive outcomes in life, and can be used by anyone who sees a gap between the present and where they want to be in the future.

There is evidence that cognitive-behavioural, solution-focused coaching can improve mental health, quality of life, and goal achievement. [2]

Coaching has been shown in research to increase self-confidence, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and reinforce positive beliefs, all of which contribute to increased work performance. [4]

Coaching can also be effective in helping you improve your interpersonal and communication skills as well as your critical and creative thinking skills. [4]

Coaching can help you identify and develop your strengths and assist you in attaining your goals and feeling more fulfilled, healthier, and happier in life. [10]

Your personal goals may also include enhancing your self-esteem, well-being, and sense of meaning and purpose in life. [11]

How does Coaching Work?

Coaching is based on your needs and values, as you set the agenda once you have identified and prioritised the most important issues to address in your life. [1]

The evidence-based psychology of coaching includes the underlying psychological mechanisms of change to help you develop insights into the best way to adopt new behaviours. [2]

The coaching process is a one-on-one consultation designed to facilitate you towards helping you: [2,13]

Develop a clearer perception of your overall life
Develop a clearer understanding of your present needs
Evaluate your readiness for change, make decisions, and manage stress
Identify and evaluate your response to your environment and new situations
Attain the necessary skills to effectively cope and achieve your objectives.

The coach also facilitates the process of setting goals, developing and implementing a plan of action, monitoring and evaluating performance and modifying the plan to improve performance. [2] See figure 1.

Figure 1. Source: 1. Grant, A.M. (2001). Towards a Psychology of Coaching: The Impact of Coaching on Metacognition, Mental Health and Goal Attainment.

The coach facilitates the processes of setting goals, developing and implementing a plan of action, monitoring and evaluating performance and modifying the plan to improve performance. [2] See figure 2.

Figure 2. Source: 1. Grant, A.M. (2001). Towards a Psychology of Coaching: The Impact of Coaching on Metacognition, Mental Health and Goal Attainment.

Do You Want To Know If Coaching Is Right For You? Request a Call Back to learn more.

DR ALAIN FRABOTTA is a highly qualified and experienced integrative chiropractor and functional medicine naturopathic doctor in Sydney since 1995.

With a specific interest in the treatment, prevention, and management of complex chronic diseases -

Alain is an Executive Coach in Sydney who combines Life Coaching, Health Coaching, and Lifestyle Medicine to enhance all aspects of your life.

Alain provides a holistic, person-centred, multidisciplinary, solution-focused, results-driven approach.

He integrates chiropractic, naturopathic and functional medicine, nutrition, counselling, and coaching to help you bridge the gap between your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Alain is the leading integrative chiropractic and functional medicine naturopathic doctor in Sydney who wants to help you achieve your health and well-being goals as well as reach your full potential in life.

He is also dedicated to providing you with a personalised, targeted treatment approach that employs functional and genomic assessments to diagnose and optimise your health, well-being, and performance.

Learn more about DR ALAIN FRABOTTA

The Coach-Client Relationship

Coaches are trained to listen, observe, and personalise their approach to your individual needs. The coach-client relationship is a dynamic process that involves the interconnection of a coach's and an athlete's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. 14,15]

The behaviours, thoughts, and feelings of both the client and the coach shape the relationship and thus have the potential to influence the outcome. [15]

Types of Coaching

There are a variety of sub-specialised practices of coaching, depending on your current needs, challenges and stage of life. This includes:

Health Coaching is a patient-centred process that focuses on specific health-related topics and goals and seeks to support you in the treatment, prevention and management of health-related diseases and conditions. [1,12]

Healthcare professionals provide health coaching that use evidence-based skills and strategies to assist you in promoting positive behavioural and lifestyle changes in order to achieve your health and well-being goals. [1,12]

According to Palmer health coaching is “the practice of health education and health promotion within a coaching context, to enhance the wellbeing of individuals and to facilitate the achievement of their health-related goals.” [16]

Life Coaching is suitable for everyone as it focuses on a broader range of life issues to help you achieve your personal and professional goals, as well as whole-life balance. [10]

Executive Coaching is coaching for senior, or c-suite, managers. It is specific to professionals wanting to identify, develop and achieve their personal, professional and leadership goals and ultimately maximise their leadership performance. [12]

This has enormous value and impact on the function of the entire business or organisation. Executive coaching can help in times of:

Organisational or business change: this may include adapting to a changing market environment or during downsizing, restructuring, mergers and other organisational changes.
Career performance: when a higher level of performance is required of you, such as transitioning to a more senior position of leadership, authority and responsibility in the business.
Leadership: aligning the leader to the company’s culture and mission, and resolving specific challenges to improve the leader’s personal skills and decision-making process for continued business growth.

Considering a Coach - How To Choose The Right Coach For You

Coaching largely attracts ambitious individuals who want to improve their personal development, growth, and performance, as well as cultivate positive health, well-being, and happiness.

It can be difficult to know where to turn when you need help in today's fast-paced world, with its constant flow of information, advertisements, and advice.

The first step in making a significant change in your life is to find the right coach. Unfortunately, the coaching industry is not regulated in the same way as the health, medical, or legal professions.

Be prepared to do your homework and interview a number of coaching professionals, reviewing their background, experience, and qualifications, as many coaches do not base their practice on behavioural science and instead depend on popularised, unproven motivational approaches. [11]

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+ REFERENCES

[1] Ammentorp, J., Uhrenfeldt, L., Angel, F., Ehrensvärd, M., Carlsen, E. B., & Kofoed, P. E. (2013). Can life coaching improve health outcomes? A systematic review of intervention studies. BMC health services research, 13, 428.

[2] Grant, A.M. (2001). Towards a Psychology of Coaching: The Impact of Coaching on Metacognition, Mental Health and Goal Attainment.

[3] Spence, G. B., & Grant, A. M. (2007). Professional and peer life coaching and the enhancement of goal striving and well-being: An exploratory study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2, 185–194.

[4] Tsai, L., & Barr, J. (2021). Coaching in small and medium business sectors (SMEs): a narrative systematic review. Small Enterprise Research, 28(1), 1–22.

[5] Palmer, S., Tubbs, I., & Whybrow, A. (2003). Health coaching to facilitate the promotion of healthy behaviour and achievement of health-related goals. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 41(3), 91–93.

[6] Yossi Ives. (2008). What is ‘Coaching’? An Exploration of Conflicting Paradigms. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 6(2), 100–113.

[7] Whitmore J. Coaching for Performance. The principles and practice of coaching and leadership. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing; 2017

[8] Parsloe, E. (1995) Coaching, Mentoring and Assessing, Kogan Page, London.

[9] Downey, M. (1999) Effective Coaching, Orion Business Books, London.

[10] Jarosz, J. (2016). What is life coaching?: An integrative review of the evidence-based literature. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 14(1), 34–56.

[11] Green, L. S., Oades, L. G., & Grant, A. M. (2006). Cognitive-behavioural, solution-focused life coaching: Enhancing goal striving, well-being, and hope. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(3), 142–149.

[12] Passmore, J. and Lai, Yi-Ling (2019) Coaching psychology: exploring definitions and research contribution to practice? International Coaching Psychology Review 14 (2), pp. 69-83. ISSN 1750-2764.

[13] Schlossberg, N.K. (1981). Reactions to reactions. Counselling Psychologist, 9(2), 49-50.

[14] Jowett, & Clark-Carter, D. (2006). Perceptions of empathic accuracy and assumed similarity in the coach-athlete relationship. British Journal of Social Psychology, 45(3), 617–637.

[15] Jowett, S., & Poczwardowski, A. (2007). Understanding the Coach-Athlete Relationship. In S. Jowette & D. Lavallee (Eds.), Social Psychology in Sport (pp. 3–14). Human Kinetics.

[16] Palmer, S., Tubbs, I., & Whybrow, A. (2003). Health coaching to facilitate the promotion of healthy behaviour and achievement of health-related goals. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 41(3), 91–93.