Psychology coaching is simply the psychology of coaching put into practice. The psychology part is where all the science is, psychological theories, mechanisms of human functioning and human behaviour. This is the evidence base that informs the practice. The practice translates all the scientific understanding of how we tick into a conversation, and that conversation opens a person and enables them to grow beyond their perceived limits.
The combination of psychology and coaching enables us to really explore and understand who we are, what we want, what holds us back and ultimately how to generate desirable and sustainable behaviour change.
Coaching Vs Therapy
Coaching and therapy do share some similarities, but they are not the same. While the two disciplines do use similar techniques such as Socratic questioning and powerful listening, and share a goal of facilitating some kind of change, it is the main focus of the sessions that makes them fundamentally different. Therapy places its primary focus on overcoming clinical issues such as depression or PTSD (1), whereas coaching focuses on harnessing untapped potential. A coach acts as a guide, helping people towards their own discoveries. Uncovering true desires, insights, goals (2) and explores how we behave, think and feel. The coaching conversation can help a mind to flourish, unleashing things from within ourselves that we may have never been aware of before. This generates clarity, builds knowledge about ourselves which leads to deep understanding of what we want and how to get it. This enables us to take action and move purposefully towards achieving what we truly want.
Who is Psychology Coaching for?
Psychology coaching is one of the most powerful ways to deal with the challenges that surround us in our everyday lives (3), which makes it a truly versatile tool for human development. here are some examples of what it can be used for:
Challenges and Crossroads:
If you are going through, or approaching, life changes psychology coaching can help to navigate those transitions. Weather that is a career change, or becoming a parent the coaching process can be applied to any domain of your life.
Professional development:
If you are looking to enhance your career prospects, improve leadership skills, overcome workplace challenges or find greater satisfaction or fulfilment in your work psychology coaching can help to explore and expand those horizons.
Personal growth:
If you want to explore your personal potential psychology coaching can help you to think, feel and behave better in your everyday life. Weather this is how you show up as a parent, a partner or a friend, or simply how you want to show up for yourself, psychology coaching can empower you to learn, grow and improve your level of life satisfaction.
Wellbeing and happiness:
If you are looking to enhance your overall wellbeing, manage stress, improve work-life balance, and develop new habits and behaviours, psychology coaching can help you identify areas of your life that need attention and guide you toward creating positive changes.
Relationships:
Psychology coaching can be valuable for individuals who want to improve their relationships, whether it's with a partner, family members, friends, or colleagues. The coaching process can help you discover why things aren't as good as you might like them to be and how you could begin to develop healthier and more fulfilling connections.
Sports performance:
Optimal sports performance requires an athlete to have mental strength as well as physical. Psychology coaching can help athletes to build resilience, overcome performance anxiety, enhance focus, build confidence and self-efficacy as well as develop mental preparation strategies enabling athletes to unlock their greatest potential.
Psychology coaching is an incredibly powerful and awe-inspiring tool for human development and transformation. It combines the best of psychology and coaching to help people unlock their full potential and achieve their dreams.
References:
Hart, V. Blattner, J. Leipsic, S. (2001). Coaching versus therapy: A perspective. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 53(4), 229–237.
Passmore, J. Stopforth, M. Lai, Y.-L. (2018). Defining coaching psychology: Debating coaching and coaching psychology definitions. The Coaching Psychologist, 14(2), 120–123.
Peterson, D.B. in Cox, E. Bachkirova, T. Clutterbuck, D. (2018). The Complete Handbook of Coaching. 3rd edition. SAGE Publications ltd.
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