Division of Coaching Psychology

There is no one solution to this situation. As you think about it, be aware of what you are taking into account as you decide what you would do? Why are you taking these things into account? What other perspectives are there?

Challenge 

Here is a hypothetical situation that you may find relevant to your practice, or presented in supervision. What is happening here? What are the main areas to enquire into, to support learning and to help navigation of new ways of working.

The context: 

The coach, Jon, has a strong track record, working as an executive coach for more than 10 years. They have a robust coaching profile and firm relationships with a number of successful client organisations. Their typical client is one who is very senior. Along with many others in the coaching world, the coach has a presence on a number of social networking sites including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. 

Part of Jon's practice is to gain structured feedback from coaching clients. More recently, this had frequently led to a number of recommendations on LinkedIn. A number of colleagues have commented on the value of the recommendations as a way of marketing. 

More recently, Jon has connected with current individual clients, and has sent the odd coaching question, via the social networking media. 

A specific situation within this: 

One of Jon's client organisations has chosen not to re-engage him as part of their coaching panel. The reason given? Too high a Social Networking profile.

Some considerations: 

• How certain are you of the privacy around your Social Networking profile(s)? 
• How might your use of Social Networking sites align with your coaching practice? 
• What could the issues be here from a client perspective? 
• What impact might a high Social Networking profile have on practice? 
• What impact might high Social Networking use have on perceptions of professional distance/proximity between coaches and their clients? 
• What in your own practice is similar/different to the context presented? 
• To what extent do you think communication through Social Networking is governed by norms familiar to you from other forms of communication?

Note: All individuals and organisations described are fictitious.

Thanks to Dr Alison Whybrow for this example. It is a provocation for reflective practice and does not constitute advice. Alison is a practicing coach and a past chair of the SGCP.

Note: You can discuss this with peers by putting across your own ideas and hearing others ideas at the interactive ethics forums. If you have not used the interactive forums before you will be required to create a profile, which takes just a few minutes. 

What went wrong? What are the main areas to enquire into, to help ensure a good outcome this time and prevent something similar on another occasion?

The background:

The coach has a long and happy association with a mid size management services company. The coach traditionally provided training, team development and consultancy type services internally for this company, on a contract basis. 

Then, an influential company director with whom the coach has a good relationship, proposed that each senior manager in his department receive 5 one-hour sessions from this coach. This was to be a trial period, based on the director knowing that the coach thought one-to-one coaching would add value and would be interested to provide it. The senior director has not been coached, nor has coaching been available in the company before. A price was agreed and the deal was done! 

A specific situation within this: 

Stuart is one of the senior managers. Introduced to the coach, he was overjoyed to be receiving some exclusive one-to-one coaching, something that he had been requesting for over a year since his promotion.

Session 1: The coach understands that Stuart is clearly under a lot of pressure in terms of accountabilities and achieving his performance targets, something that is causing him real anxiety. However, the session goes well. 

After the first session, the company director calls the coach in for an update. The coach gave a positive view, without going into detail. But the coach left wondering if there was perhaps some history about his coachee that was not being shared. 

Session 2: While the coach felt that the session with Stuart went well, he was again pulled in to give an account of progress. The director made clear his view that Stuart was failing consistently in achieving his targets and that if he was not 'fixed' he would be out of a job.

Session 3: This session did not go well and was cut short. 

This is the point at which the coach brought the issue to supervision. 

Some considerations:

• At what point in this story did you spot a warning sign? 
• What hasn't been said that needs to be said? To who? From who? 
• What would you have done differently and why?
• Who are the clients in this story? Stepping in to their shoes, what has each 'signed up' to? 
• Who has influence over who in this story? Of what type? What are the consequences? 
• Who in this story knows what coaching might involve or lead to? 

Thanks to Derek Ross, the former peer practice group co-ordinator, for this example. It is a provocation for reflective practice and does not constitute advice. 

Safety For All When Pressure Points Emerge 

You are coaching a senior manager, Peter, in a coaching series arranged through the HR department. The reason he has been offered coaching and you were engaged is that his role has changed (and expanded) significantly following a merger between two organisations, and this is seen as a good way of helping him adjust to the new landscape and set priorities - as well as deal with an increased workload. 

You have seen him for three sessions so far. In the most recent one he referred to big arguments with his wife (but didn't want to elaborate) and that he was having trouble sleeping. Most of the session focused on work related issues. 

His immediate line manager, a director of the company, has contacted you. She is concerned about Peter and told you that he has started behaving out of character: ignoring staff in his team; upsetting a client and turning his phone off for prolonged periods when out of the office. 

This director wants to meet you to talk this through, "particularly as you're a psychologist and all of this has started since you started coaching him." You think you detect a note of accusation in her voice although she says she wants to work with you to help Peter.

What will you do? 

Considerations might include: 

• How do you decide if/when to refer to a more clinical or therapeutic practitioner? If you did decide that, how would you do it?
• How will you use supervision? 
• What form of contracting took place at the outset? 
• What 'inklings'/ flags are you aware of? What are you options for testing them? 
• What might you say to Peter? To the line manager? To HR? 

Thanks to Sarah Dale, CPsychol for this example Sarah leads the Nottingham-based Peer Practice Group 

Relationship Management 

You are contacted by a commercial organisation wanting to get to know some coaches to add to their supplier resource. They want you to provide a set of three sessions to one of their managers so they can assess if you are the right kind of coach for them. They would like you to provide this for expenses only. What is your response? 

Some considerations:

• Imagine you accept. You tell a colleague about this. He has declined because he doesn't think that it's appropriate to provide a valuable service for free, and doing so devalues his services and those of fellow practitioners. What is your response?
• Imagine you accept. You tell a colleague about this. He says he explained to the organisation the drawbacks he could see in their assessment process. You somewhat agree, but they didn't, and didn't continue with their interest in him. What is your response?
• Imagine you decline. Six months later a colleague tells you that not only do they have work with this organisation but it's been going so well that she has been recommended by them to two other organisations and she is really enjoying the work. What is your response?
• There are a variety of situational factors that may impact your choices. They include and are undoubtedly not limited to: your view on the business of the organisation and whether you are interested to serve this business, your view on whether you have sufficient work currently, your view on whether the proposed scheme will demonstrate your value to the organisation in their view or allow you to assess it in your own view, your career stage and needs in relation to breadth of experience, your view on whether the proposed scheme will deliver what the organisation hopes it will and your knowledge/ability to discuss alternatives, your view on money and fees for your time.
• There are many stakeholders you may perceive in this situation. They include and are likely not limited to: you, your business or associates, fellow practitioners, the organisational 'commissioning' individual and their wider department, their line manager, the managers taking part in this scheme, the wider organisation.

Thanks to Julie Allan, CPsychol for this example 

Shifting Boundaries 

You have recently started coaching a member of a corporate management team. The organisation is realising its need has evolved and is now asking you to coach other team members. Do you take on other members of that same team? 

Would your answer be different if the team appointed you to work with all of them?

Or if you had been asked at the start to work with several members?

Or if you had been coaching the chief executive and at some point in your coaching he decided his team could benefit from coaching by you too.

Think through what your options would be, the conversations you might choose to have and why.

Thanks to Jonathan Passmore for this example

Showing respect? 

You receive an email-shot from a member of your profession, highlighting their services. You don't know them personally, however you think the material carries an implicit prejudice towards a particular group. You re-read it, wondering if you are mistaken.

Do you take any action? If so, what?

Do you unsubscribe? Do you seek others' views. Do you introduce yourself to the practitioner and explain your view? Do you contact any official body? If so, which one?

Is your answer different if you are yourself a member of the group in question?

Is your answer different if you know the individual to have a high profile? Or is it different if you know them?

Think through what options you might take and the conversations that would ensue.

Thanks to Julie Allan for this example

Read the BPS statement on ethics review and independent research with human participants.

Find out more about how to get involved with our Peer Practice Groups.

The former BPS Special Group in Coaching Psychology (now the Division for Coaching Psychology) commissioned a series of webinars from leading academics at the Henley Centre for Coaching in 2019 to support coaching psychologists in developing and maintaining their skills in research.

Topics range from epistemology, critical appraisal, systematic reviews, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and designing and conducting small-scale research projects.

How to access the webinars

These world-class resources are for Division of Coaching Psychology members only and you must be signed in to access the webinars.

If you're already logged into the website, you should be able to view this page. If you click 'log in' on the page and sign into your account, you'll be redirected to the website homepage. You'll then need to type in the URL again to get back to the page.

Watch the webinars

In this video we share a five minute interview with Cornelia Lucey ,BA (Hons), QTS & PGCE, MA, MSc, who provides an example of her experience of a typical day.

Cornelia is a member of the SGCP and part of the BPS working group developing accreditation standards in coaching psychology education.

She is also the co-founder of leadership consultancy; Livewise.

Overview

The dissertation award in Coaching Psychology recognises undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral projects that have made a valuable contribution and/or potential real world impact to the field of coaching psychology.

The nominee must be registered at a UK institution on an undergraduate or postgraduate course related to Coaching Psychology or have graduated within the last year.

The nominator can be student, peer or supervisor and must be a BPS member.

Assessment criteria 

Awarding Process

Three members of the DoCP committee will form an awards sub committee and act as  reviewers for submissions.

Each will be individually rated on a scale from 1-7 and a minimum of 16 points must be achieved in order to receive the award. 

Submissions will be separated into three types

1. Undergraduate
2. Postgraduate
3. Doctoral

Three awards will be made in each category:

1st prize £250
2nd prize £150
3rd prize £100

Prize Winners

Prize winners will be required to submit an article based on their research to one of the Division publications.

They will also be awarded and celebrated in the Division newsletter.

Nominations can be made either by or on behalf of students who conduct Coaching Psychology research.

Make a nomination

2019

Congratulations to Natalie Lancer from Birkbeck, University of London, who is the winner of the 2019 Student Project Award.

Natalie's PhD research, 'Navigating the tensions of undergraduate life: an existential, phenomenological analysis of personal growth and the role of coaching at a UK university' highlighted a little known application of coaching and how it may pre-empt mental health issues developing in students.

We look forward to hearing how her research develops.

2012

Doctoral Level - Angelina Bennett
Masters Level - Belinda Ryding

Overview

Grants to support research in the area of coaching psychology, funds can be used for any resources needed to conduct the research.

Assessment criteria 

Grant winners will be required to provide an annual update to the research sub committee and when the work is completed to prepare an article for the ICPR. 

Nominations must be received from the student.

Make a nomination

Overview

This high profile achievement award is aimed at psychologists who have made an outstanding contribution to coaching psychology.

The award is made in recognition of the achievements of a psychologist who is either currently making, or who has already made, an unusually significant contribution to the field of coaching psychology.

Assessment Criteria

The nomination process:

• Nominees need to be a member of the DoCP and have at least Graduate Basis for Chartership with the society 
• Nominations for this award can be made by a member of the DoCP. However, people cannot nominate themselves
• Nominations should take the form of a narrative (max. 250 words) supported by two referees prepared to provide testimony if the nomination is short-listed
• Nominations will only be accepted for named individuals

Please note:

• An individual can only receive this award once
• An unsuccessful nominee will not be reconsidered for two years after the initial nomination (for example, a person nominated in 2017 would not be eligible for reconsideration until 2019).
• Individuals will not be considered for more than one DoCP award in any one year
• Up to one award winner only will be selected to receive this award in any one year

Panel

The award winner will be selected by an Awards Committee whose decision is final.

The award will be presented at the DoCP Coaching Psychology Workshops & Conference. The recipient should ensure that they are able to attend the Conference.

Recipient of award will receive

The winner of the Distinguished Contributions Award winner will receive a complimentary place at the DoCP Coaching Psychology Workshops & Conference where the award will be presented (Attendance at the conference will be free of charge for the award winner. However, it will be responsibility of the awarded winner to cover their travel costs, accommodation and any other expenses incurred).

Overview

As part of our commitment to encouraging and supporting coaching psychology research, the Division of Coaching Psychology offers an award for coaching psychologists who are actively involved in research as either an academic or practitioner. 

The winner of the DoCP Research Award is made in recognition of a distinguished, completed research project in coaching psychology.

Assessment Criteria

Submissions for this award can be made by the person who has completed the research study or by a third party who wishes to recommend the individual for the Research Award. Nominations will only be accepted for named individuals.

The award will be made to the person whose research is deemed to make the most valuable contribution to the field of coaching psychology. Innovation will be considered alongside scientific rigour in the conception, design and analysis of the study. The award winner will be selected by an Awards Committee whose decision is final.

The project must represent the independent work of the researcher. 

The recipient of this award is likely to be a member of the DoCP (although this is not essential). 

Please note that individuals will not be considered for more than one DoCP award in any one year.

Recipient of award will receive

The winner of the DoCP Research Award is made in recognition of a distinguished, completed research project in coaching psychology.

The winner will receive:

• A complimentary place at the DoCP Coaching Psychology Workshops & Conference* where the award will be presented (attendance at the conference will be free of charge for the award winner. However, it will be responsibility of the award winner to cover their travel costs, accommodation and all other expenses) 
• The opportunity to present their research at the conference
• The opportunity to promote their research through the publications edited by the DoCP

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer explores 'What has Psychology got to do with coaching?' with Professor Jonathan Passmore, Dr Nancy Doyle and Dr Sandra Diller. We tease out what Psychology can usefully bring to coaching in a field that is unregulated and rapidly evolving, by asking:

• What training should coaches have in ethical decision making?
• What is the importance of evidence-based research to coaching practice?
• How critical is it for coaches to review their own practice?
• In what ways can coaches share their knowledge to develop training for the coaching community?
• To what extent can coaches collaborate on research studies?
• How does applying research feed into coaches' own professional development?

Hear how you can develop your coaching practice from today's panel of experts:

• Dr Nancy Doyle is an Occupational and Coaching Psychologist.  She founded Genius Within, a social enterprise whose services include productivity and career coaching for around 4000 neurodivergent adults, worldwide each year.  

• Dr Sandra Diller is a certified coach (University of Salzburg, CoBeCe), trainer (LMU Munich), and mentor (LMU Munich, Center of Leadership and People Management). While working as a coach and trainer, she researches on coaching, training, mentoring, and leadership and teaches personnel and leadership development at the University of Salzburg and University of Seeburg.

• Professor Jonathan Passmore is Senior Vice-President of CoachHub and is a Professor at Henley Business School. He is a Chartered Psychologist and an accredited coach with the ICF and EMCC, as well as holding qualifications in team coach and coach supervision.

• Dr Natalie Lancer is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer explores 'Does coaching work?' with Dr Gil Bozer, Dr Rebecca Jones and Dr Yi-Ling Lai.

We find out what Coaching Psychology research studies have revealed to us about the effectiveness of coaching in today's society and ask whether coaching can really make a difference by exploring:

• What are the potential benefits of coaching?
• What do we mean by contracting and why is it important?
• How can the Return On Investment of coaching be measured?
• How is coaching perceived differently by organisations and individuals?
• Which coaching approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioural Coaching, Solution Focused Coaching or the GROW model, are most effective?
• Which is better for the client: virtual or in-person coaching?
• How can coaching help with working from home?

Hear from today's panel of experts on how you can capitalise on Coaching Psychology research studies to evolve your coaching practice:

• Dr Gil Bozer is a workplace coaching researcher, senior lecturer, author, and consultant. Gil is on the faculty at Sapir Academic College in Israel, where he teaches executive coaching, management, and leadership for graduate and undergraduate students. Gil's areas of expertise include workplace coaching, talent development, and executive succession.

• Dr Yi-Ling Lai is a Lecturer in the Department of Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London. Prior to joining Birkbeck, she had many years' experience as an academic and consultant. She is the Editor of BPS International Coaching Psychology Review (ICPR).

• Dr Rebecca J Jones is an Associate Professor in Coaching at Henley Business School. She is the Programme Director for Henley's MSc in Coaching for Behavioural Change and a Chartered Psychologist. Her research interests lie in examining the factors that influence coaching effectiveness.

• Dr Natalie Lancer is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer explores 'What should I look for in a coach?' with Dr David Tee, Tia Moin and Hilary Gee.

We discuss the ins and out of finding the right coach for you by considering:

• What to look for when seeking a credible and professional coach
• To what extent your coach will hold you accountable
• How much you want a coach to stretch you
• The difference between a mentor and a coach
• Questions to ask in a chemistry session
• Finding the right fit between a coach and coachee
• What are the red flags to look for when engaging with a coach
• Different ways of measuring coaching success
• What to expect at the ending of the coaching contract

Learn how you can a set up your coaching sessions for maximum success from our panel of experts, from a range of backgrounds:

• Dr David Tee is a Senior Lecturer in Positive and Coaching Psychology at the University of East London, and a Visiting Fellow at the University of South Wales. He has coached, trained and supervised coaches, undertaken research, chaired conferences and consulted on all things coaching.

• Tia Moin is a Psychologist with over 20 years of international consulting experience, developing leaders and professionals, and is currently working towards a PhD at the University of Reading. She is a Committee Member of the Division of Coaching Psychology of the British Psychological Society.

• Hilary Gee is an Executive Coach, Learning Facilitator & Change-Catalyst. Hilary has coached and trained over several thousand people in over 500 organisations. His focus includes leadership, teamwork, culture, creativity, change and making a bigger and better impact for success. Hilary is a visiting Lead Executive Coach and Facilitator at the London Business School, a Certified Master Practitioner in NLP and is qualified in a range of psychometrics.

• Dr Natalie Lancer is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer examines 'How do coaches work race?' with Dr Terrence Maltbia, Charmaine Roche and Nankhonde Kasonde-van den Broek.

We explore how race shows up in the coaching context by debating:

• What it would take for the world of coaching to take an anti-racist approach
• What the implications are for coaches wanting to bring up race
• What neutrality in coaching means and the associated ethical implications
• How fixed and growth mindsets affect our approach to working with race
• Why we get anxious when we talk about race
• The challenges of tackling racism at the systemic level
• The shortcomings of diversity work in relation to race

Learn from our panel of experts who interrogate the evidence and draw on their life experiences, to gain deeper insights into this critical topic, and hear how we must do the foundational work, in order to get to the real work of dealing with race today.

Our guests today are:

• Dr. Terrence E. Maltbia is Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Organization and Leadership, at Teachers College, Columbia University and also serves as Faculty Director for their Coaching Center of Excellence. He has over 30 years of diverse experience as an external and internal organizational effectiveness consultant, thought leader and educator. Terry was recognised as #1 In Coach Education in the World by Thinkers50 Marshall Goldsmith's Top Global Coaches.

• Charmaine Roche is Director of Lifeflowbalance Coaching and Consulting Ltd and an Association for Coaching Accredited Executive Coach, Coach and Leadership Supervisor, and PhD researcher at Leeds Beckett university. Charmaine focuses on the ethics of coaching for social change in oppressive contexts. She is currently engaged in a ground-breaking global research project exploring the views of Black, Indigenous, and other coaches of colour about what the world of coaching needs to do to take and anti-racist approach.

• Nankhonde Kasonde-van den Broek is an Executive Coach, development activist and serial entrepreneur. She is the Founder and Lead Consultant at Nankhonde Kasonde Consultancy, Founder and CEO at ZANGA African Metrics. She develops affordable, accessible coaching in Africa, with over 20 years of multicultural experience supporting international organizations and Governments across multiple sectors. Nankhonde is the winner of the 2021 Thinkers50 Marshall Goldsmith Coaching & Mentoring award.

• Dr Natalie Lancer is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In loving memory of Alison Whybrow, co-founder of the Climate Coaching Alliance.

This episode is dedicated to Alison, for being an inspiring, kind, loving, generous and courageous role model.

Her passion for our living Earth is an important legacy which she has left behind to shape how coaching can transform the ecological crisis through regeneration.

In this episode we explore 'How do coaches work with nature?' with Professor Peter Hawkins, Anna-Marie Watson, Karen Finn and Elsa Valdivielso Martínez.

We discuss how the growing interest in bringing the natural world into our coaching conversations is impacting coaching by asking:

• Is coaching with nature the latest fad?
• What do we mean by 'coaching with nature'?
• Why are we drawn as coaches and coachees to working with nature?
• What does it mean to be a student of nature as a coach?
• How can we turn nature's obstacles, such as inclement weather, into coaching opportunities?
• How can coaching with nature grow our capacity to deal with the unexpected?
• How do we let nature and the wider ecology into our coaching?

Learn what is involved in coaching with nature from our panel of experts in this episode:

Peter Hawkins is Emeritus Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School and founder and Chairman of Renewal Associates.  He is a leading consultant, writer and researcher in leadership and leadership development and an international thought leader in executive teams and systemic team coaching. 

Anna-Marie Watson is a certified Performance Coach and Coach Supervisor who loves to escape the confines of four walls and take conversations into nature. As a former British Army Officer, she has worked in challenging environments from snowy Arctic tundra to hot and sandy deserts though currently resides within the rolling countryside of Wiltshire. She has a Post Graduate Certificate in Applied Coaching from the University of Derby and is certified to use psychometric-based coaching tools.

Karen Finn holds an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. Karen's dissertation led to the development of the Elements Coaching Framework which considers nature within the individual as well as the individual within the ecosystem. Karen is currently studying for a Professional Doctorate in Systemic Practice. She encourages coaching clients to be in nature and or to look onto nature during audio coaching sessions. Karen volunteers with Fashion Revolution facilitating discussions on nature-positive textile policy. 

Elsa Valdivielso-Martínez is a teacher, certified coach and wellbeing practitioner. She holds an MSc with distinction in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. Elsa runs a nature-based coaching and training business intended to make clients aware of the impact of climate change upon  their wellbeing and to work on their emotional responses to it. She is an active member of the Coaching Climate Alliance.

Dr Natalie Lancer is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode we discuss 'How can leaders build a coaching culture?' with Professor David Clutterbuck, Dr Lise Lewis and Dr Dumisani Magadlela.

We learn the nuts and bolts of implementing and cultivating a coaching culture in organisations. We ask:

• What do we mean by a 'coaching culture'?
• How can you identify a coaching culture?
• How long does it take to create?
• How can we develop psychological safety in our organisations?
• Why is it important that the CEO adopts the role of 'Coach Chief'?
• What pitfalls can we avoid when creating a sustainable coaching culture?
• How can we make a coaching culture sustainable?

Hear how your organisation can benefit from adopting a coaching culture from today's panel of experts:

Professor David Clutterbuck is one of the early pioneers of developmental coaching and mentoring and co-founder of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC). Author of more than 70 books, including the first evidence-based titles on coaching culture and team coaching. He leads Coaching and Mentoring International, a global network of specialist mentoring and coaching training consultants. 

Dr Lise Lewis is an accredited Master Coach, Mentor and Coach Supervisor and founder of Bluesky International, offering accredited training for coaches, mentors and coach supervisors. Her practice focuses on Relational Leadership Coaching. She is the Past President of EMCC Global 2011-2017 and currently Global Special Ambassador.

Dr Dumi Magadlela is an accredited international executive coach and accredited by the EMCC as a Senior Practitioner in Team Coaching. He is based Johannesburg, South Africa. Dumi co-founded the Ubuntu Coaching Foundation (UCF) at The Coaching Centre (TCC) in South Africa and is part-time faculty at the University of Stellenbosch Business School's MPhil in Management Coaching.

Dr Natalie Lancer is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer explores how to create and coach high performing teams with Dr Ruth Wageman, Kirsten Dierolf and David Webster.

We dissect the coach's role in working with teams by asking:

• What is team coaching?
• Why are two coaches better than one for teams?
• What's the difference between team coaching and one-to-one coaching?
• What is the optimum frequency, duration and mode for team coaching?
• What are the skills needed to coach a team?
• What are typical team coaching interventions?
• What are the critical questions that need to be asked when designing and coaching teams?
• What are some of the common traps when coaching a team?

Team coaching is a sought-after, fast growing and complex area in the coaching industry. More recently, teams are operating in hybrid environments, bringing together people working in different places, both virtually and in person. Our panel of experts today discuss the critical importance of teams and how coaching can take them from good to great.

Our guests today are:

Dr Ruth Wageman is one of the foremost scholars studying and working with teams, especially leadership teams.  Ruth's research, teaching, and practice are focused on the conditions that influence superb team performance.  Ruth especially focuses on teams that solve complex problems and lead system transformation. Ruth has been a professor at Columbia, Dartmouth, and Harvard.  Ruth co-wrote 'Senior Leadership Teams: What it Takes to Make them Great'.

Kirsten Dierolf is the owner and founder of SolutionsAcademy, a global ICF accredited coach training academy.  She coaches executives and teams for global corporations and has designed and delivered several global initiatives for leadership development. She currently serves as the President of the German Chapter of the International Coaching Federation. Kirsten is a subject matter expert on team coaching. Kirsten is the author of 'Solution Focused Team Coaching'.

David Webster is a Chartered Occupational & Coaching Psychologist and is the Founding Partner at Centre for Teams, London. He has been coaching teams internationally for over 20 years and, in 2018, won the CEO Magazine Management Consulting Award.  He served as Chair of the British Psychological Society's Coaching Psychology Group 2017-2019 and formerly led the School of Coaching. David is the author of 'Creating Adaptable Teams: From the Psychology of Coaching to the Practice of Leaders.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer explores and discusses with Stephanie Wheeler, David Love and Anna Sheather how a creative-based approach to coaching can support others.

We consider how coaching can help people be more creative and what that means by asking:

• What does it mean for the coach to take a creative approach to their coaching?
• What are the benefits for the coachee of exploring and expanding their own creativity?
• Which creative techniques can we use to facilitate the generation of insights for coachees?
• How does a sense of playfulness enhance the coaching relationship?
• What does it mean to empower clients without censoring their creative explorations?
• How do we create a safe space in which clients can experiment?
• How can we own our creative voice as a coach and support others to do the same?
• What are the ways in which we can apply outcomes from creative coaching sessions to specific real-world situations?
• How might organisations benefit from a more creative coaching approach?
• How do we encourage clients to sustain and leverage their creative insights?

Bringing a sense of playfulness and creativity to the coaching relationship and environment has attracted recent interest and research.

Our panel of experts discuss how taking a creative approach benefits both individuals and organisations.

Our guests today are:

Stephanie Wheeler is an ICF accredited coach, working with executives, leaders and emerging leaders. She holds an MSc in Coaching & Behavioural Change and is also a research supervisor on the Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (MAPPCP) at the University of East London. Stephanie is the co-author of a research article examining the impact of Lego® Serious Play® on team cohesion, collaboration and psychological trust and is co-writing a book on creative, playful and imaginative coaching conversations. Stephanie co-delivers team workshops and coaching sessions on playfulness, creativity and imagination in work.

David Love is a leadership coach, coach supervisor, cartoonist and author, working with senior and middle managers in the public services. He believes in the power of creativity for finding innovative solutions to leadership challenges – from day-to-day dilemmas to the major issues needing urgent attention such as inequality and the climate emergency. David spent four years as a Visiting Tutor at Henley Business School, teaching on the Master's-level Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching Programme. David co-authored Advanced Coaching Practice – Inspiring Change in Others, which included a chapter on creative methods.

Anna Sheather is an accredited APECS Master Executive Coach and coach supervisor. She has been increasingly drawn to combining her passion for art with her passion for coaching.

Anna owns 'Art in Coaching', a platform for sharing her art-based practice and research through writing, workshops, coaching and supervision.  Anna also speaks about and runs sessions on art-based coaching and supervision including sessions for the AC, APECS, the Global Supervisors' Network and Coaching at Work. She has recently published 'Coaching Beyond Words – Using Art to Deepen and Enrich Our Conversations'.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode, Dr Natalie Lancer and her hand-selected panel comprising Alison Clarke, Professor Sarah Corrie and Dr Marie Stopforth, explore a variety of pathways to become a Chartered Coaching Psychologist.

We consider the importance of Chartership by discussing:

• The distinction between coaching, clinical psychology, coaching, counselling and therapy
• How the profession of Coaching Psychology evolved
• The areas in which Coaching Psychologists work
• How Coaching Psychology contributes to improving coaching standards and other types of psychology
• The importance of considering the scope and limitations of our knowledge through regular supervision and Continuing Professional Development
• How Coaching Psychology is well-placed to challenge psychological assumptions and boundaries
• The two different types of accreditation offered by the British Psychological Society

Coaching Psychology can be described as the scientific study and applied understanding of individuals' and groups' performance, achievement and wellbeing in a coaching context.

As the profession of Coaching Psychology has evolved, new routes to British Psychological Society Chartership have been developed.

Today's panel of experts are amongst the pioneers of Coaching Psychology. Our guests are:

Alison Clarke is a Coaching Psychologist specialising in transforming anxiety and restoring confidence. She has decades of experience in training and development, coaching individuals and groups, and management consulting and service innovation. As Chair of the BPS Practice Board, she hopes that the accredited training pathways for Coaching Psychology will shift the balance of the influence of Psychology away from 'What's wrong with you?' to 'What's possible for you?'.

Professor Sarah Corrie is a Chartered Psychologist, Registered Coaching Psychologist and Consultant Clinical Psychologist. She was the recipient of the British Psychological Society's Achievement Award for Distinguished Contributions to Coaching Psychology. Sarah has authored over 80 articles for academic journals, professional journals and trade magazines, and nine books including The Art of Inspired Living: Coach Yourself with Positive Psychology. Sarah is a Founder Member and former Chair of the British Psychological Society's Special Group in Coaching Psychology. She has a particular interest in how coaching might contribute to emotional well-being and mental health.

Dr Marie Stopforth is a Chartered Psychologist, HCPC Registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, and BPS Registered Coaching Psychologist. She is the Professional Development lead in the BPS Division of Coaching Psychology. Marie spent 20 years working in Higher Education, including as Programme Leader of the Master's in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology programme at the University of East London. She now runs her own coaching business where she provides coaching to individuals and training to organisations, as well as offering Coaching Psychology courses and supervision.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In the final episode for this first series, your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, and guests Wei-Ying Chen, Matti Niebelschuetz and Will Foussier discuss how coaching is changing from an organisational and technological perspective.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why coaches will never be replaced by AI and technology
• How digital technologies can make coaching accessible to more people
• The benefits and challenges that new technologies bring to coaching
• How to know whom to coach in an organisation to maximise impact
• The importance of an organisation investing in coaching the whole person rather than just their professional persona
• How to strike the balance between performance management and psychological safety
• The management and responsibility of collecting data in digital coaching
• The scale of coaching in the next ten years

In some respects, coaching is in its infancy and is being influenced by emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

At the same time, organisations have used coaching to adapt quickly to a rapidly changing global context which includes flexible working, greater diversity in teams and investing in individuals' personal and professional development.

Our experts are:

Wei-Ying Chen is the Founder of COACHLAB, an e-learning tool to enable organisations to embed a coaching culture. After graduating from Cambridge University, Wei started his career in management consulting. COACHLAB has since supported line managers across the globe from small startups to large multinationals with a simple tool that adds structure to conversations and helps managers ask the right questions to empower their teams.

Matti Niebelschuetz is Managing Director and Founder of CoachHub, a platform designed to democratise coaching for employees at all career levels worldwide by offering live coaching sessions via video. CoachHub prepares managers for better leadership, team and group performance through coaching. Matti is an entrepreneur and former management consultant at McKinsey Digital with 15 years of experience in startups and creating digital businesses.

Will Foussier founded AceUp.com with the desire to help professionals at all levels realise their potential, by giving them easy access to science-based, transformational coaching delivered by experts, enabled by technology and backed by data. He is a Forbes 30U30 and Harvard alumnus with a background in social-impact investment. Will believes in driving positive change for people, organisations, and their communities.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Psychologist, coach and supervisor. She is the Deputy Chair and Secretary of the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer with Dr. Kimberly Allen, Dr. Margaret Machara and Vielka Gabriel explore how coaches can work with families, sometimes in vulnerable communities, towards a more empowered family life.

We learn what the coach's role is in working, with young children, teenagers and the elderly, through the normal challenges of life across the lifespan, through discussing:

• What is family life coaching?
• How is it different to other forms of coaching and interventions?
• How does family life coaching relate to other family science practices?
• How can you become a family life coach?
• What evidence base does family life coaching draw upon?
• When did family life coaching start?
• How is family coaching different from social work?
• Why would a family life work with a family coach?
• What does family life coaching typically look like?
• How have post-pandemic coaching practices impacted family life coaching?
• Where is the profession of family life coaching heading?

Family life coaching is a growing field that coaches in the US are pioneering. It celebrates positive approaches to help families increase their confidence in dealing with life's challenges by engaging with families who actively want to direct their own futures. Our guests today are:

Kimberly Allen, Ph.D., BCC, CFLE is Interim Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs and Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University as well as Co-Creator of the Family Life Coaching Association where she trains coaches in this discipline. Dr. Allen has over 20 years' experience working with youth and their families. Her research interests include family life coaching, student success, teaching with technology, parenting, and relationship education. Dr. Allen is author of the book Theory, Research, and Practical Guidelines for Family Life Coaching.

Margaret E. Machara, PhD, CFLE is a Professor of Human Sciences at Tennessee State University and co-creator of the Family Life Coaching Association.  She currently oversees the Child Development/Family Studies concentration at TSU and is actively involved in several Family Science professional organisations.  Dr. Machara has worked with diverse groups of children, adults, and families in a variety of settings.  Her areas of expertise are Human Development, Family Relationships, Parenting, Interpersonal Dynamics, Play-Based Learning, Experiential Education, and Outdoor Activity. 

Vielka Maria Gabriel has a background in Human Development, specialising in Family Coaching with an emphasis on working with vulnerable communities. Since 2007, she  has served as a life coach and managed the MindSet Life Coaching program at Wake County Health and Human Services, North Carolina.  The 10-week life coaching program assists individuals and families to become self-sufficient by addressing barriers including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), goal setting, accessing resources to strength and skill building in financial, physical, and mental health.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer, with Justin Wise and Dr Michael Marx, explores how some coaches integrate faith-based concepts and secular equivalents, including meaning, intuition and a capacity to respond to life's challenges, into their coaching. We learn how religious values, ethics and practices may inform the work that coaches do with their clients. In this episode, we discuss Christian and Jewish orientations as examples of coaching with faith-based principles.

We ask:

• What is coaching in faith?
• What if the client is secular or a different religion to the coach?
• Which religious concepts or secular equivalents, frequently show up in a coaching conversation?
• Which specific practices drawn from a religious life could be of value in coaching?
• How can coaching from a faith perspective allow the coachee to develop other stories and perspectives about themselves?
• How can faith-based thinking help us transcend normative problem-solving in coaching sessions?
• What can coaching in faith teach us about meaningful ways of living?
• How can thinking from a faith-based approach towards relationships and communities serve us better?
• What alternative conceptualisations of life and human beings does religion provide?
• How can coaching in faith help us recognise our inherent complexity?

Coaching in faith is an often over-looked and rarely acknowledged topic and can offer alternative ways of thinking about common coaching issues. Our guests help us to begin to unpack this potential and explore the possibilities of coaching in faith. Our guests today are:

Justin Wise is a coach, educator, founder and faculty member at Thirdspace. He is a graduate of the MSc in People and Organisation Development at the Roffey Park Institute, UK and holds first-class postgraduate degrees from both Cambridge University and University College London. He has been an accredited Integral Development Coach (New Ventures West / Thirdspace) since 2008 and holds the PCC Credential from the International Coaching Federation. Justin views coaching and organisational development as vital disciplines in the creation of sustainable, ethical communities, organisations and societies.

Michael J. Marx, MBA, EdD, MCC, CMCC, is an ICF Master Certified Coach specialising in business coaching and corporate consultation. He is a past-president of Christian Coaches Network International and the author of the book Ethics and Risk Management for Christian Coaches (2016). Dr. Marx has served as the leader of the ICF 'Global Community of Practice on Ethics.' He is the Administrative Director of Success Unlimited Network, a school which specialises in coaches who are on a spiritual journey. He has also founded a not-for-profit called Coaching Suicide Awareness.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

© British Psychological Society 2023

In today's episode Dr Natalie Lancer explores with Dr Nic Bowes, Honorary Professor Geraldine Akerman, Vicki Cardwell and Lilian Flynn, how coaching can impact both prisoners and prison staff.

Coaching is used by forensic psychologists and volunteer coaches to develop motivated prisoners' full potential. We learn about the challenges and rewards of coaching in this environment, through discussing:

• How is coaching employed in the prison system?
• How do coaches get the prisoners engaged in the coaching process?
• How do coaches work with prison staff?
• How do forensic psychologists contribute to a coaching culture?
• How can coaching help prisoners prepare for being released?
• How can coaches and prisoners be flexible and innovative when engaging with coaching in a complex, prison environment?
• How can a focus on the whole person inspire relationship, engagement and meaning in a prisoner's life?
• How can a strengths-based coaching approach be used to nurture a sense of hope, compassion and self-actualisation?
• How can coaching in a prison sharpen a coach's skills and practice?
• What is involved in becoming a volunteer coach in a prison?

Coaching in prisons can have an enormous impact on prisoners and staff, as well as the coaches involved, and yet this is a coaching context that is rarely discussed. We reveal in this conversation the different ways coaching is employed by forensic psychologists and coaches in a prison environment.

Our guests are:

Dr Nic Bowes is a forensic psychologist and has over 20 years of clinical experience, working with people who have committed serious offences. She is a Reader in Forensic Psychology at Cardiff Metropolitan University, leads the largest Higher Education Practitioner Forensic Psychology training programme in the UK. Nic is also an active researcher. Her specialism and research interests focus on criminal violence and in the prevention of, treatment of and management of violence. Nic is also the Chair of the British Psychological Society Division of Forensic Psychology.

Honorary Professor Dr Geraldine Akerman is a forensic psychologist who has worked in prisons for over 24 years. Geraldine has worked with young people and adult males in secure and open prisons, encouraging residents and staff to reach their potential. The majority of her career was in a therapeutic community. Geraldine helps prison staff develop their skillsets and enhance their learning to help them achieve more job satisfaction, thus aiding retention in what can be a challenging environment. Geraldine is the past Chair of the British Psychological Society Division of Forensic Psychology.

Vicki Cardwell is the CEO of Spark Inside, a pioneering charity that uses coaching to unlock the potential of individuals and drive culture change in the criminal justice system so that rehabilitation is possible. She spent a decade working in leadership roles in the criminal justice sector, following an earlier career in public policy. She has led justice collaborations to secure legislative change; and helped found the ground-breaking Transition to Adulthood Alliance making the case for a distinct approach to supporting young adults in the criminal justice system.  Vicki holds a Master's in Social Policy and accredited coaching qualifications.  

Lilian Flynn is an ICF Professional Certified Coach, trainer and coach supervisor. She is a volunteer coach for Spark Inside. She holds a Master's in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology from the University of East London. She runs her own private practice, where she helps clients in the area of mindset and creating a positive psychology. As well as coaching in prisons, Lilian works with senior leadership teams in organisations and offers coach training and CPD courses on Group Coaching and Positive Psychology.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

© British Psychological Society 2023

In this episode, Dr Natalie Lancer talks to Dr Andrew Marren, Natalie Silverdale and Dr Andrew Parsons. Natalie Silverdale and Dr Andrew Parsons are part of the team behind the pioneering concept of coaching cancer patients at The Fountain Centre, a cancer charity located at St Luke's Cancer Centre at the Royal Surrey Hospital. Dr Andrew Marren researched the 'therapeutic coaching' happening at the Fountain Centre for his doctorate. We discuss:

• How did the coaching service at The Fountain Centre get started?
• How does coaching support cancer patients?
• How does coaching fit into other holistic and emotional services offered to patients?
• How is the coaching delivered and in what format?
• How did The Fountain Centre develop a framework of standards and ethics for coaching cancer patients?
• How does the coaches' learning and development inform the coaching services offered to patients?
• What are the key research findings from the patients' and coaches' perspective?
• What does The Fountain Centre look for in volunteer coaches?
• How do supervision and self-care practices support the volunteer coaches?
• How might 'therapeutic coaching' fit into existing National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on Cancer Services?

The case study of The Fountain Centre demonstrates how coaching is a service that can be offered in addition to counselling and other forms of support. The impact of this service has been recognised by NHS England who are using the approach to develop National Standards for coaching in cancer. In this conversation, we discuss how as well as improving palliative care for people with cancer, coaching in hospitals may well benefit other patients. Our guests today are:

Dr Andrew Marren undertook his PhD at the University of Portsmouth as a collaborative project with The Fountain Centre cancer charity. The PhD focused on exploring the impact of coaching cancer patients, from both the coaches' and patients' perspectives. He previously completed an ILM Level 3 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring and an MSc in Work Psychology. He worked on a coaching project at University of South Wales, exploring the training needs of academic staff. He is currently employed at the University of Winchester as a Lecturer in Psychology and researches coaching in cancer care, advocating for coaching as an emotional support intervention.

Natalie Silverdale has been working in the field of cancer and end of life care for over 25 years. Since 2015, she has worked for The Fountain Centre. She is a qualified coach in the Centre and Head of Research and Development. She has worked extensively in palliative care services, undertaking a national evaluation of the Marie Curie Nursing Service, working as Head of Research and Policy for the Dignity in Dying and working as researcher on Lord Joel Joffe's Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill that was subject to a House of Lords Select Committee in 2004/5.

Dr Andrew Parsons is an Accredited Master Coach and Certified Wellness Practitioner with speciality in Psychology, Neuroscience and Physiology.  He is an experienced holistic therapist and registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (Hypnotherapy). He was the founding coach at The Fountain Centre. He is a member of the National Wellness Institute's multi-cultural competency committee and the Chair of the EMCC UK Health and Wellbeing special interest group. He has over 100 peer reviewed scientific publications and has co-authored, Empowerment in Health and Wellness.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer with Dr Tim Anstiss, Shira Ben-Arzi, Jordan Friedman explores how coaches can work with clients to improve their health and well-being.

In this conversation, we discuss a variety of approaches including motivational interviewing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, stress reduction and medical coaching. We also cover:

• How is Medical Coaching different from Health or Wellness coaching?
• How can coaches shift the clinical focus towards what matters to the patient?
• How can coaches create a model beyond illness?
• How can healthcare practitioners embrace coaching?
• How can motivational interviewing (MI) be applied to a clinical environment?
• How can coaching and training reduce stress?
• How does medical coaching fit into a patient's healthcare and work alongside other approaches?

Health and Wellness coaching is a burgeoning field which encompasses working with a wide range of clients who are experiencing conditions including chronic illness, anxiety and everyday stress. Many practitioners in health and wellness are moving towards supporting clients to become more resilient and pro-active in planning their medical needs. Our expert guests today are:

Our guests are:

Dr Tim Anstiss is a medical doctor, educator, coach and coach trainer. After working in the NHS, Tim developed and led an MSc in Exercise and Behavioural Medicine at Thames Valley University. Tim has trained thousands of healthcare professionals and others in motivational interviewing and health coaching, and has been involved in several national and international behaviour change initiatives. Tim worked with several organisations helping to improve individual's health and wellbeing, including the Rugby Players Association. His weight loss programme 'Re:Balance' ran for several years in leisure centres in London and his Wellbeing Course for Physicians was run in partnership with the BMA. He has written book chapters on different coaching approaches and lectures on the MSc in Coaching and Behaviour change at Henley Business School.

Shiri Ben-Arzi is the founder of the Medical Coaching Institute (MCI). She holds certifications in Medical, Health, Co-active, Embodiment, ADHD, Caregiver Coaching. She was co-leader of the ICF Health and Wellness Community of Practice and is currently Co-President of ICF Israel. Shiri has worked with pharmaceutical companies, medical organiations, patient associations, and hospitals. Her vision is to promote empowerment and a patient-centered medicine practice within medical systems through a coaching approach. To find out more about using practical tools to support coaching clients through a Health or medical Challenge, you can take her free online course.

Jordan Friedman is a stress management and wellness education pioneer, helping many people including CEOs, students, police officers and incarcerated adults reduce their stress. He trains coaches, educators, healthcare providers and other professionals to teach stress reduction techniques to their clients. He founded The Stress Coach, which produces training programs and stress reduction resources for schools and the workplace. Jordan is the author of The Stress Manager's Manual and co-author of The Go Ask Alice Book of Answers. Jordan hosts his podcast, The Chill Factory podcast, discussing stress relief strategies www.thechillfactory.net and has a stress reduction app, The Chill Factory, which you can download from the App Store or Google Play and enter the password bps when prompted for full and free access during 2023.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer with Deborah Barleggs, Peter Fennah, Dr Richard Kwiatkowski discuss the breadth of coaching careers from narrative, practical, emotional and cognitive perspectives, drawing on a range of coaching psychology and career-specific theories. Today's panel of experts offers guidance, suggestions and resources for both experienced career coaches and those interested in exploring this field.  

We examine:

• What topics come up regularly in career coaching conversations? 
• What is the difference between career change and transition?
• What do we mean by personalised career coaching in fast-changing and complex times?
• What are the three types of client that career coaches usually work with and how are they different?
• How does career coaching benefit culturally-diverse postgraduate students?
• What theories and frameworks are in a career coach's toolkit?
• What are the different approaches that can be used for succession planning, career advancement and changing career?
• How is technology impacting career coaching?

Career coaching is a well-established field with a substantial evidence base. It spans constructing CVs, impression management, preparing for peak performance and how to come down from a specific peak performance moment.

We also discuss navigating organisational politics and C-suite challenges and pressures such as needing to perform 24/7, managing strong egos and connecting with an internal and external wider audience.

Our guests today are:

Deborah Barleggs is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Coaching Psychologist. She works as a career and leadership coach and talent management adviser with a number of corporate clients across financial services, construction, energy and professional services supporting career pathway and talent development programmes. 

During two decades of coaching and consulting experience across private, public and third sectors, she held leadership roles in three consultancy practices, including Head of Psychology at Arup Consulting, and a Director of Zircon Management Consulting. Before launching her second career in occupational psychology, Deborah had a varied career in administration and leadership. 

She worked within the corporate hospitality, marketing, events and publishing sectors, culminating in a UK Management Executive position for an international publisher. She can personally identify with the challenging and yet deeply rewarding experience of making a significant career change.

Peter Fennah is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist and Chartered Organisational Psychologist with expertise in career and leadership transition, and supporting individuals and teams as they face uncertainty, developed over 24 years of working in roles including management consultant and Disability Occupational Psychologist in the Civil Service.

In his coaching practice, Peter partners with middle managers to senior global leaders, including new-to-role CEOs, Public Sector Director Generals and military 3* Generals, as they seek to reposition themselves and adjust to new leadership demands.

He is an Ashridge accredited Organisational Coaching Supervisor and offers masterclasses and supervision for seasoned or novice career coaching teams and individuals. He also designs leadership level career programmes for top business schools and corporates. Peter is constantly curious about how individuals align to the multiple systems they inhabit and create meaningful impact. 

Prof. Richard Kwiatkowski is an applied psychologist who has been involved in coaching and development for over 40 years. He is a Registered Occupational Psychologist and Counselling Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He was a founder member of the Coaching Psychology and Counselling Psychology Divisions, Chair of the BPS' Division of Occupational Psychology and Ethics Committee, a member of the BPS Council and a Trustee.

He is Professor of Organizational Psychology at Cranfield University, where the Organizational Behaviour Module on the MBA which he is responsible for was rated in the top 10 worldwide by the Financial Times. His research interests centre on the application of psychology to organisations and individuals, and includes work on culture change and resistance, on the emotional aspects of learning and change, on Ethics, and on Psychology and Politics.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

© British Psychological Society 2023

In this episode, Dr Natalie Lancer, with Juliette Alban-Metcalfe, Dr Anna Kane and Dr Eva-Maria Graf, discusses how research can be applied to coaching in organisations. We cover linguistic research in coaching conversations, the use of psychometric tools in coaching, and confidence at work.

We ask:

• What do we mean by self-confidence?
• How can we use different models and tools to build confidence in clients?
• What do coaches and clients do when they are having an authentic coaching conversation?
• What does the research show about using closed questions?
• What can we learn from the EDI (Embodied, Dynamic, Inclusive) model about confidence including our physical experience?
• What are the 12 types of questioning sequences that show up in coaching?
• How do coaches work with ideologies, stereotypes and generalisations, including gender, when coaching leaders?
• How can psychometric tools support the coaching process towards increasing self-awareness?
• What makes coaching unique?

We talk about the benefits and limitations of coaching tools, including psychometrics, in achieving the aims of better leadership and team working. We also discuss how to manage coachees' resistance during the coaching process. The episode concludes with the panel sharing their future research plans.

Our guests today are:

Juliette Alban-Metcalfe is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, CEO of the Real World Group, author and researcher. As a leadership and organisational behaviour expert, Juliette has authored articles and book chapters on leadership, teamworking and diversity & inclusion and she has helped establish assessments of Engaging Transformational Leadership.

She earned her MSc in Occupational and Organisational Psychology from Birkbeck, University of London and her MSc in Positive Organisation Development and Change and Certificate in Appreciative Inquiry from Case Western Reserve University.

She is currently undertaking a doctorate exploring effective leadership of hybrid teams. She also served as co-Chair of the Thought and Action Steering Group of the UK government-sponsored Engage For Success and co-edited the International Congress on Leadership, Management and Governance.

Dr Eva-Maria Graf is Associate Professor in Applied and English Linguistics at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria and is also a coach and trainer of coaches. Her research interests and publications are in applied linguistics with a focus on the helping professions, in particular, coaching.

She is the founder of linguistic coaching process research which analyses the micro interactions between coach and client in coaching sessions. She uses Conversation Analysis and Interactional Sociolinguistics to interrogate her data.  She co-launched the first open-access academic journal on coaching research in the German speaking market (Coaching | Theorie & Praxis).

She currently investigates forms and functions of questioning practices in coaching from an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating qualitative linguistic and quantitative psychological methods (https://questions-in-coaching.aau.at/).

Dr Anna Kane is a Chartered Coaching and Occupational Psychologist with 20 years' experience offering occupational psychology services within public, private and third sectors. Anna is driven to support people from under-represented groups navigating leadership roles.

She draws upon principles and practices of mindfulness, compassion, creativity, innovation and an appreciation for our innate, embodied intelligence. Her research draws on queer and black feminist theory to challenge the status quo and deliver meaningful, progressive outcomes.

As a coach, facilitator and supervisor she enables individuals, teams and organisations to experience restoration, growth and transformational change. You can read about her research on the measurement of self-confidence and the Embodied, Dynamic and Inclusive (EDI) model in the International Coaching Psychology Review.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

© British Psychological Society 2023

This podcast is dedicated to the memory of Edgar Schein, a former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of 'Process Consultation' who sadly died four days before this podcast was recorded.  He made notable contributions in the field of organizational development in many areas, including career development, group process consultation, and organizational culture.  Professor Schein's influence has extended into many other 'helping' domains, including Educational Psychology and Coaching Psychology.  His valued legacy will live on, while we send condolences to his family and loved ones.

In this episode, Dr Natalie Lancer discusses with Mark Adams, Prof. Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Dr. Manfusa Shams how coaching benefits students and staff alike. We highlight the two streams of practice in coaching in education, one involving educators using coaching tools and models from an educational perspective, and the other involving coaching psychologists using psychological knowledge to support individuals. We discuss the specific ways in which coaching psychology can make a positive difference in schools and education. We explore:

• Why is coaching psychology in education important?
• What do we know about coaching in education today?
• What impact can coaching have on students and teachers?
• How does coaching psychology interface with educational psychology?
• To what extent is grounding coaching practice in appropriate theories and models important?
• What are the key considerations in making coaching initiatives successful in schools?
• How do the different methods of delivery (external/internal coaches, peer-to-peer) affect coaching outcomes?
• How can coaching psychology help build capacity within school communities?
• What is the value of reflective coaching spaces for leaders in schools?
• What are some key current priorities for research and the application of coaching psychology in education?

There are a growing number of pathways into coaching in education and a variety of ways that coaching initiatives can be implements in schools. Coaching in education can also be used to help address mental health and well-being issues in schools and we discuss its future potential uses in this context. Our guests today are:

Mark Adams is a Chartered Educational Psychologist and a Chartered Coaching Psychologist with over 25 years' experience. Mark is the Director of Aspen Psychology Services, an independent psychology service, based in Bristol. He was a teacher and has worked as an Educational Psychologist since 2003, supporting schools and families with individual children's needs.

He is the author of Coaching Psychology in Schools (2015), a collection of case studies demonstrating how psychology-informed coaching can support enhanced performance, development and wellbeing in schools. Mark recently co-authored a book chapter on how coaching can support staff and pupil mental health, and wellbeing in education (Watts & Florance, 2021).

Prof. Christian van Nieuwerburgh is an academic, consultant and executive coach. He is Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology at the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Global Director for Growth Coaching International, a provider of coach training and consultancy for the education sector.

Christian has written extensively in the fields of coaching and positive psychology and is the author of An Introduction to Coaching Skills: A Practical Guide and co-author of From Surviving to Thriving: A Student's Guide to Feeling and Doing Well at University.

Dr. Manfusa Shams is a Senior Fellow of the UK Advance Higher Education Academy and a Chartered Psychologist, coach, mentor, and supervisor. She is the series editor for 'Coaching Psychology for Professional Practice' and consultant editor for 'The Coaching Psychologist' and has recently published 'Psychology in coaching practice (2022)'. She was the guest editor for the Special Issue: Coaching in education of International Coaching Psychology Review. She holds academic positions at the Open University and Reading University.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode, Dr Natalie Lancer, Dr. Yi-Ling Lai, Dr. Tom Kolditz and Dr. Qing Wang discuss coaching in higher education, emphasising the importance of well-being and performance for university students and academics. They share research and case studies on the use of professional coaching for developing students into leaders, group workshops to foster academics' well-being and peer coaching to cultivate students' ability to learn how to learn. We explore:

• What are the benefits of using local, highly experienced professional coaches with industry expertise to coach students?
• How effective are universities at creating leaders for the future?
• Why is it important to develop students as leaders?
• How is coaching being used to develop students into leaders in their specific areas of interest?
• What approaches are universities using to overcoming the challenges of students' resistance towards leadership?
• Which four areas in university students' personal and professional skill development can be targeted through coaching approaches?
• How can we foster intrinsic motivation in university students?
• What psychological measures are universities using to enhance students' self-awareness?
• How can academics manage their well-being during the long peer review process?
• What research methods can be used to monitor academic well-being?
• How can students and academics constructively use critical feedback?

The panel share how they are helping to realise the potential of students and academics through eliciting and cultivating confident leadership of self and others through workshops and coaching programmes. Our guests today are:

Dr Yi-Ling Lai is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in HRM and Organisational Behaviour at University of Southampton. Prior to working at Southampton Business School, Yi-Ling has had several years' academic experience at Birkbeck, University of London and the University of Portsmouth. Yi-Ling's research mainly concentrates on social and contextual factors in the coaching process including power relationships, political hierarchies and ethical dilemmas. Yi-Ling currently supervises several PhD students on topics including narrative coaching and identity transformation.

Dr. Qing Wang is an Educational Psychologist, Chartered Psychologist and accredited Coaching Psychologist. She is an Associate Professor in Educational and Coaching Psychology at the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University (ECNU). She established the Educational Coaching Research Group (ECRG) focusing on coaching psychology research and practice in the field of education. She explores, designs, delivers and evaluates coaching models and approaches with teachers and students in secondary schools, medical and vocational schools, universities and in parents' education.

Dr Thomas Kolditz is a retired Brigadier General and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. He led the leadership department at West Point for 12 years.  Dr Kolditz was the founding Director of the Ann and John Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University and a Professor in the Practice of Leadership and Management and Director of the Leadership Development Program at the Yale School of Management. His book, Leadership Reckoning, defines a global movement of excellence for leadership development in higher education. 

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

The final episode of Season 2 of The Coaching Psychology Pod is split into two parts. Host Dr Natalie Lancer discusses coaching in sport with Dr. Angela Mouton, Dr. Matt Dubin and Ben Davies. In Part 1 Angela and Matt delve into their interest in coaching, the role of positive psychology, and their research, exploring the concept of 'flow' and its impact on peak performance. In Part 2, Ben elaborates on Prof. Steve Peters' Chimp Model, providing insight into how the mind works so that athletes and all human beings can better overcome the issues and challenges we face, in order to improve our experience of life and our day to day interactions. We explore:

• What is the role of positive psychology in coaching for peak performance?
• What is the Chimp Model and how can it be used?
• Why is flow important for athletes, in daily life, the workplace and other non-sporting contexts?
• How can you coach towards creating the optimum conditions for flow?
• What are the strongest predictors of peak performance in sport?
• How can you work with both athletes and coaches to achieve the best results?
• How does coaching the 'whole person' lead to better performance on the field or court?
• What are the main barriers people have when trying to find their zone of peak performance?
• How can coaching psychologists help people work out what is in their control, and to work with and stick to their strategies?
• What can enhance or derail someone's sporting experience?
• How can we develop a personalised plan to handle the unexpected?

The panellists share their research on attention control, the importance of focusing on one task at a time and the balance between challenge and skill in achieving flow. They also discuss areas of future research. Furthermore, they examine the usefulness of applying sporting analogies in non-sporting contexts including business, the army and the NHS. Our guests today are:

Dr Angela Mouton specialises in strategic human capital, including Organisational Development, Management Consulting and Executive Search and Assessment. She focuses on peak performance, driving business results, goal setting and prioritisation, leadership, and organisational design and effectiveness. She spent a decade practicing Law at multinational firms, and then moved into Management Consulting in 2010. She was a Positive Organisational Psychology doctoral student of Dr Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi at Claremont Graduate University and publishes her research on hope and flow in peer reviewed journals.

Dr Matt Dubin is an Organisational Psychologist and a Culture and Leadership Development expert who uses the concept of flow to facilitate the development and transformation of people and business. Matt holds certifications to administer the MBTI, EQ-I 2.0, Korn Ferry 360, Gallup Clifton Strengths, DiSC, and the TKI conflict modes assessment. Matt was a Positive Developmental Psychology and Organisational Behaviour doctoral student of Dr Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi at Claremont Graduate University focusing on cultivating flow in the workplace. He was awarded the inaugural Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Dissertation Award.

Ben Davies is a Chartered Psychologist and researcher, who has worked for Professor Steve Peter's Chimp Management organisation for over 8 years. Ben has supported various top golfers, premier league football teams, elite international equestrian organisations and GB Taekwondo in their preparation for the 2021 Olympic/Paralympic Games. He also worked alongside the British Army providing mental resilience training to soldiers and trainers. He helps his clients understand the way in which their mind works, and how to develop tools to optimise the use of their mind.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode Dr Natalie Lancer, with Professor Jonathan Passmore, Xenia Angevin and Kaveh Mir, discuss the realities of running your own coaching practice or working for a large, digital coaching platform. We cover the fundamental questions to help you consider how to find your clients, decide on a niche and philosophy and tap into different coaching markets. We explore:

• What counts more: coach expertise or experience?
• How can coaches be tactical and strategic when navigating the gig economy of coaching?
• How do you develop your own unique coaching identity in a business context?
• What do you want your day-to-day coaching life to look like?
• How has coaching evolved to where we are in the current coaching marketplace?
• What can a coach earn, as a novice or an expert, working for a large digital platform?
• How do you choose whether you want to work for a digital provider and which one?
• What are the selection criteria for coaches that digital platforms use?
• What are the benefits and constraints when working with a digital coaching provider?
• What are the different roles a coaching psychologist can adopt as part of their portfolio?
• How can coaching become more inclusive as a profession?
• Why is coaching psychology a good second career?

The digital coaching landscape is evolving and has arguably transformed coaching from a 'cottage industry' to a global, scalable enterprise. We query whether coaching education needs to be updated and how coaching standards can be maintained and measured to reflect this new context. Our guests today are:

Professor Jonathan Passmore is an award winning and international renowned Chartered Occupational Psychologist and the Inaugural Chair of the BPS Division of Coaching Psychologists. He has published widely, with 40 books, 150 book chapters and 100+ scientific papers. His forthcoming books in 2024 include: 'Becoming a Team Coach: The Essential ICF Guide' (Springer), 'The Digital & AI Coaches Handbook' (Routledge), 'The Health & Wellbeing Coaches Handbook' (Routledge) and the second edition of 'Becoming a Coach: The Essential ICF Guide (Springer), with three new titles plus a host of research projects in progress for the future.

He is listed in the Thinkers 50 Marshall Goldsmith Top 8 Global Coaches and Global Gurus Top 30 Thought Leaders. He is currently Professor of Coaching and Behavioural Change at Henley Business School, Senior Vice President at EZRA (the coaching arm of LHH) and previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, IBM Business Consulting and OPM. His current research interests include AI, digital and well-being. 

Kaveh Mir is currently an ICF Global Director at the Institute of Thought Leadership and a Master Certified Coach who works with Executives on critical psychological processes using Positive Behaviour Change and evidence based Coaching Psychology. He is licensed in a portfolio of psychometric assessments tools and a BPS qualified assessor on User Test Occupational Ability and Personality. Kaveh has a degree in Computer Science, a Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, a Master's degree in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology and an Executive MBA.

Kaveh has coached senior executives from international organisations such as Deloitte, Amazon, and Google. He has held various senior executive roles and was the founder of a technology start-up firm. He wrote 'Wars at Work: An Action Guide for Resolving Workplace Battles' which seeks to identify causes for workplace conflict and offer solutions to effectively resolve these issues.

Xenia Angevin, MBA, is a Coaching Psychologist, promoting a dialogue within the Helping and People professions, and across the scientific domains. Xenia's specific expertise is in differential psychology and atypical neurodevelopment. She is a Principal Coaching Psychologist and Head of the Research Lab at Shimmer, directing a coaching practice portfolio for adults with ADHD, Autism and other neurodevelopmental presentations. Xenia is a Steering Group Committee member of the Neurodiversity-Affirming Research & Practice SIG at the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science.

Xenia is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2008) and has worked in complex socio-political environments for the BBC News. Xenia served as a Head of Research and Government Liaison (Diplomacy) Unit at The Royal Household of Queen Elizabeth The Second. In the past 20 years, she has focused on the professional application of non-directive approaches including coaching, mentoring, mediation, supervision, facilitation, organisational development, and policy work in support of these.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this episode, Dr. Natalie Lancer and her guests, Anthony Eldridge-Rogers, Maria Iliffe-Wood, and Dr. Iain McCormick, explore the significance of self-care, presence, and reflective practice in coaching psychology. They discuss the role of self-care in managing the challenges coaches face. The conversation highlights the importance of meaning-centred coaching and the impact of coaching presence on creating a nurturing environment for clients as well as coaches. Reflective practice is also examined as a tool for professional development.

We explore:

• What is self-care, presence, and reflective practice and how are they linked?
• What's the relationship between reflective practice and supervision?
• What is the significance of working with meaning for both clients and coaches?
• What is whole-person coaching?
• How can self-care help coaches build strong, co-created relationships with clients?
• How can we ensure that we are role-modelling self-care to our clients?
• How can we further develop our ability to be present to our clients?
• How can we counteract negative self-talk and 'heroic thinking' in order to be a better coach?
• What does the research say on the effectiveness of reflective practice?

In this conversation we ask what self-care, presence, and reflective practice mean practically for both the coach and the coachee, and the impact that they have on coaching outcomes. Furthermore, we can consider self-care, presence, and reflective practice as tools for professional development, self-improvement for our own well-being and as part of a duty of care to our clients. Our guests today are:

Dr Iain McCormick is the founder of the Executive Coaching Centre in Auckland, New Zealand. He initially trained in clinical psychology, working in the forensic sector, and subsequently completed his PhD studying work stress during a long overland traverse of Antarctica. Iain then moved into organisational consulting, becoming a Partner in Deloitte, working in Canada and New Zealand. He subsequently moved to Hong Kong where he helped build a consulting and coaching firm that was sold to a US multinational.

He returned to New Zealand in 2000 and started the Executive Coaching Centre. He currently coaches a range of board directors, chief executives and senior managers. Iain has been running intensive reflective practice sessions for coaches since 2020.  In 2023 he published the book 'Reflective Practice for Coaches: A Guidebook for Advanced Professional Development'. 

Maria Iliffe-Wood has been a leader, coach and mentor for over 30 years. She is also a Coach Supervisor. She is MD of Meridian Iliffe Ltd, a small leadership development consultancy. She helps business leaders with leadership, team and coach development. She has a broad experience working with a range of business sectors including housing, retail, financial, construction and charity sectors, both in the public and private sector.  

She holds several postgraduate qualifications related to coaching, mentoring and coach supervision. She is the author of 'Coaching Presence, Building Consciousness and Awareness into Coaching Interventions', which has been published in three languages and has been read in over 20 different countries. She is a member of the Association for Coaching and the Association of Coaching Supervisors.

Anthony Eldridge-Rogers is an executive coach, supervisor, coach trainer and organisational consultant in human wellbeing and coaching. He has worked with board members, CEOs, senior management teams and entrepreneurs as both coach and mentor within the context of recovery, wellness and leadership. He has co-authored a book on Recovery & Wellness Coaching Tips (due to be published in 2024 by Routledge) and is a contributor to the WECoach Coaching Tools book series.

He set up and runs specialist recovery and wellness coach training and consultancy, FRC Worldwide, which delivers his Recovery and Wellness Coach training programme based on the Meaning Centred Coaching Model^TM he developed. He is CEO of Jump Fall Fly, an arts-based social project with young people and families to work on their recovery and wellbeing. He is a member of the Association for Coaching.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this podcast episode, Dr. Natalie Lancer with Dr. Sarah Brooks, Paula Dixon, and Natasha Vorrasi discuss the vision for the future of coaching psychology and the two current routes to becoming a chartered coaching psychologist. We outline the high standards required for chartered status, which is recognised by the British Psychological Society. We explore the division's goals, developing an impact statement, a coaching psychologist toolkit and role profiles, as well as the different membership levels within the Division of Coaching Psychology (DoCP). We answer:

• What is the value of being a Chartered Coaching Psychologist?
• How do you become a Chartered Coaching Psychologist?
• How can the DoCP support Chartered Coaching Psychologists?
• How is the DoCP advancing professional recognition of the field?
• How does the DoCP work with our stakeholders?
• What is the DoCP's current vision and mission?
• What is the five year plan for the DoCP?
• How does the DoCP uphold a high level of ethical practice and academic rigour?
• What are the benefits of being a DoCP member?
• How can people get involved with the DoCP committee?

The Division of Coaching Psychology's vision is to be a global leader in coaching psychology, setting standards for excellence and supporting members' professional growth. In this conversation, we discuss what leadership the DoCP can provide around research, sharing new tools and approaches, supervision and providing professional development opportunities, whilst fostering a diverse and inclusive community. Our guests today are:

Paula Louise Dixon is the Chief People Performance and Wellbeing Optimiser at Hazon Consultancy Limited. As a Business & Coaching Psychologist, she is passionate about optimising people potential and has practiced within independent consultancy over the last ten years supporting public, private and not-for-profit clients. With a particular interest in neurodiversity, she enjoys working with newly diagnosed adults to devise workplace strategies to support performance and well-being, alongside refining their self-identity. Paula is the current Deputy Chair/Secretary for the British Psychological Society's Division of Coaching Psychology and is the Chair of the Chartership Subcommittee. She also helps to co-lead the committee's internal team development activities and sustainability events.

Dr Sarah Brooks runs the 'Powerful Dreaming' coaching practice. She is an ICF and EMCC accredited coach and is a committee member for the Division of Coaching Psychology. She is a Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the Institute of Work Psychology, Sheffield University Management School and as Academic Lead for Employability has developed a coaching tool designed to help students think critically about their career. Sarah's research focuses on how employees voice their concerns about unethical behaviour to managers in the workplace, or if they choose not to voice, why they remain silent. Prior to becoming a lecturer, Sarah was a change implementation manager and an operations manager and has 17 years of industry experience. 

Natasha Vorrasi is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist and is the Head of the Lobbying Subcommittee of the BPS Division of Coaching Psychology Committee. Natasha works with an international portfolio of clients, designing consulting and coaching programmes to focus on culture, behaviours and skills, notably in the areas of leadership, career development, performance, and well-being. She is also an HR consultant with extensive experience in strategic organisational projects and culture change programmes, leveraging her coaching approach grounded in psychological theory and change management methods. She is also accredited in Facet5 Personality Profiling and certified in project management with ESCP. Natasha worked for 18 years in Human Resources for BNP Paribas holding senior roles including Group Head of Learning & Development.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

In this podcast episode, Dr. Natalie Lancer hosts a discussion on the role of coach development, self-awareness and the concept of self in coaching. Dr. Julia Carden presents her research on self-awareness, distinguishing it from self-knowledge and self-consciousness. Heather Frost explores the concept of self, drawing on her doctoral research looking at 25 belief systems, highlighting its complexity and the practical impact of understanding a client's concept of self. Dr Elizabeth Crosse details the three developmental strategies that emerged through her doctoral research: the craft, the being and the art of coaching.

We examine:

• Why is self-awareness important for coaches?
• What is the difference between self-awareness and the concept of self?
• How are self-awareness, self-knowledge, and self-consciousness linked?
• What are the challenges involved in demonstrating competency vs capacity development?
• How can we utilise the coach's and coachee's self-awareness in coaching practice?
• What do clients' beliefs about self mean for how coaches tailor their coaching?
• How can the three underpinnings of concept of self: stability vs instability, thoughts of self as a unique expression of me vs the self as an illusion, and unity versus multiplicity, be used to generate a concept of self scale?
• How does understanding the concept of self increase the coach's self awareness of beliefs and bias? And how can this benefit coaching outcomes?
• What is the difference between Continuous Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD)?
• Why is it more helpful to think of coach development as a learning journey than a linear progression?
• How do we know what coaching development opportunities to invest in?
• What are some practical ways to develop self-awareness?

Self-awareness enables coaches to forge deeper connections with clients and furthermore, it seems we can only take clients as far as we have gone ourselves. We discussed how a focus on preparing the self rather than content, allows coaches to trust their abilities and concentrate on other aspects of their practice. As we wrapped up the episode, the guests shared how engaging and reflecting in formal and informal professional and personal experiences have influenced their development.

Our guests today are:

Dr Julia Carden is an accredited Master Practitioner Coach with the EMCC, a Professional Certified Coach with the ICF, an accredited coaching supervisor and is a Visiting Tutor at Henley Business School.  Julia was an officer in the Royal Navy, and then specialised in assessment and development centre work, and Learning and Development.  She fundamentally believes that as coaches we must first, and continue to do, the work on self – because who we are is how we coach.  This approach is underpinned by her PhD research which explored the role of self-awareness in the development of the coach. She is a NLP Master Practitioner, an accredited Time to Think Coach, a Fellow of the CIPD, and is licensed to use a range of psychometrics.  Julia completed the Henley MSc in Executive Coaching and Behavioural Change in 2014.  

Heather Frost is the Founder of People and Practice, Co-founder of Think Perspective, an accredited coach, Doctoral Researcher and Visiting Tutor at Henley Business School. She is a Henley accredited coach, an accredited Senior Practitioner with the European Coaching & Mentoring Council (EMCC Global), and an accredited Coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Heather has over 20 years of global experience coaching individuals, teams, leaders, and organisations for systemic behaviour change and development. With an MSc in Coaching & Behaviour Change from Henley Business School (UK) and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology (BPsych) with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Newcastle in Australia, she holds the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School (PCEC), and is also a Breakthrough Coaching Advanced Practitioner from WBECS (now coaching.com). 

Dr Elizabeth Crosse is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) and works as a coach, mentor and supervisor. Her practice focuses on Continuous Professional and Personal Development.  This has evolved from over 30 years of involvement with the coaching profession and being a research practitioner interested in how coaches develop expertise. Elizabeth is passionate about lifelong learning. She has navigated dyslexia and dyspraxia to transition from an early career in education to becoming a senior HR professional specialising in people development before setting up her coaching-consultancy business, specialising in strategic leadership. Along the way, she became a fellow of the CIPD, a Master Credentialed Coach with the ICF (MCC) and completed a Diploma in Coaching Supervision. She achieved three Master's degrees (Education, Counselling Psychology and Coaching and Mentoring) and a Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

In this podcast episode, Dr. Natalie Lancer with Dr. Divine Charura, Dr. Sarah McKay, Gry Osnes, and Amy Brann, discuss the integration of neuroscience into coaching practice. They explore the benefits and challenges of applying neuroscience concepts in coaching, emphasising the need for a more-informed understanding for coaches who choose to work in this way. Our guests explain how coaches can stay informed about neuroscience research and offer insights into how to effectively apply neuroscience concepts into coaching sessions. We discuss:

• What can an understanding of neuroscience bring to coaching psychology?
• How is neuroscience research advancing and what is its impact on coaching?
• What is the role of neuroscience in organisational leadership and the workplace?
• How can we use neuroscience to help us understand emotions, cognition, and behaviour when coaching people on change processes?
• How can coaches access reliable neuroscience information and education?
• What are the risks of coaches using neuroscience principles without a solid understanding?
• What neuromyths can we debunk?
• What are the difficulties of integrating complex neuroscience concepts into coaching practice?
• What are some useful neuroscience insights coaches can immediately apply?
• How can we create brain-friendly work environments that foster better habits and heightens creativity?

Drawing on neuroscience in our coaching needs to be done in a considered way. We must draw from peer-reviewed research rather than 30 year old neuroscience ideas that have since been revised, such as the oversimplified 'lizard brain' concept or the left brain-right brain dichotomy. Coaches must ensure their understanding of neuroscience is solid before practically applying these concepts in their practice. Our guests today are:

Dr Sarah McKay is an Australian-based (Kiwi-born) neuroscientist, speaker, author and founder of Think Brain, which offers professional development programs in applied neuroscience and women's brain health, and the Neuroscience Academy suite of training programs. Sarah attended Oxford University to complete an MSc and DPhil in Neuroscience. She sums up her thesis with the words, 'Nature, Nurture or Neuroplasticity' and worked on research in spinal cord injury as a post-doc. Sarah is the author of The Women's Brain Book: The neuroscience of health, hormones and happiness. Her second book, Baby Brain: The surprising neuroscience of how pregnancy and motherhood sculpt our brains and change our minds (for the better), was published by Hachette in April 2023. 

Professor (Dr.) Divine Charura is a practitioner psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council in England and a Chartered Coaching Psychologist. Divine is an Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and an adult psychotherapist. Furthermore, his work as an Executive leadership coach, has included working with members of senior leadership teams, within corporate organisations, and private institutions in the UK and abroad.  Divine is also passionate about coach education and how the coaching profession can support the development of coaching practitioners as researchers. He believes that this will enable them to continue to contribute to the coaching evidence base and enhance the development of the coaching profession. Divine has co-authored and edited numerous books.

Gry Osnes is a clinically trained psychotherapist and consultant and received her PhD from the University of Oslo and an MSc from HEC/INSEAD. In the domain of organizational leadership, she applies Active Inference Psychology and The Emotional Brain to top leaders and teams. Her expertise includes cognitive and affective neuroscience and the intricate dynamics of human behaviour. Her work revolves around understanding people's roles, their strategic manoeuvres, and the fulfilment of socio-emotional needs in a rapidly evolving world. She has a foundation in a system psychodynamic approach, and brings together insights from cutting-edge research in affective neuroscience. Her publications include "Family Capitalism: Best Practices in Ownership and Leadership" (Routledge, 2017) and "Leadership and Strategic Successions" (Routledge, 2021).

Amy Brann is the founder of Synaptic Potential, a consultancy that helps people achieve sustainable high performance that enables them to contribute more to their organisation by working smarter not harder. She is an author and a global speaker. She passionately believes that a great way to achieve your full potential in life and work is by knowing more about how your brain works so you can work with it rather than against it. She delivers practical frameworks on how to improve performance. Amy is the author of three compelling books - Make Your Brain Work, Neuroscience for Coaches, and Engaged: The Neuroscience Behind Creating Productive People in Successful Organizations – that offers organisations practical ways to approach people development through the lens of neuroscience.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

In this episode of The Coaching Psychology Pod, host Dr. Natalie Lancer, with Raul Aparici, an integrative coach and psychotherapist, and Dr. Susan Kahn, a psychodynamic coaching psychologist, engage in a rich discussion about the nuances of psychodynamic coaching. We explore the wounded and celebrated self, emphasising the need for coaches to be self-aware and to understand their own vulnerabilities. The conversation also covers the contributions of influential thinkers such as Winnicott and Bion, and the use of creative techniques in coaching. The importance of ethical boundaries, supervision, and respecting client defenses in deep psychodynamic work is highlighted. 

We ask: 

• What is psychodynamic coaching?
• What is the difference between psychotherapy and psychodynamic coaching?
• Which tools and concepts are useful in psychodynamic coaching?
• Does goal-setting show up in psychodynamic coaching?
• What are the challenges in using psychodynamic terminology with clients?
• Why is containment, referral and maintaining boundaries in the coaching relationship important?
• What roles do supervision, reflective practice and self-awareness have in psychodynamic coaching work?
• Who are influential thinkers in the field of psychodynamic coaching?
• How can we train in psychodynamic coaching?
• What are the risks and rewards of psychodynamic coaching?

The importance of taking a client-centred approach is emphasised in psychodynamic coaching. It privileges understanding the unconscious and the here and now in coaching relationships, such as unpicking transference and counter transference in coaching sessions. Psychodynamic coaching draws upon a rich lineage of a specific set of assumptions and philosophical foundations, aspects of which we cover in our conversation. Learn how this distinctive approach can be integrated into your coaching practice with expert guidance and education in this field.  Our guests today are:

Dr Susan Kahn is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist and Business Psychologist, an executive coach, consultant, mediator, BPS registered supervisor and author.  She writes about below the surface dynamics at work and her research interests encompass vulnerability, conflict, leadership and resilience.  She has written three books, Death & the City: On Loss, Mourning and Melancholia at Work; Bounce Back, How to Fail Fast and be Resilient at Work and Reinvent Yourself: Psychological Insights that will Transform your Work Life. She is also a lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London, teaching coaching and organisational psychology, and is a faculty member at the School of Life, working with businesses to develop their emotional intelligence. 

Raul Aparici is a coach, psychotherapist, consultant and facilitator. He is the Head of Faculty for The School of Life, a global organisation focussed on delivering psychological and philosophical insights to help people learn, heal and grow. With a diverse background in literature, fitness, management and consulting, an MA in Critical theory, and an MA in Gestalt Therapy Theory, he is driven by curiosity and a desire to help others make the most out of their current situation and likes to match academic insights with commercial pragmatism. He provides Equine Assisted Coaching and Leadership Consulting with Operation Centaur in Richmond Park and he is the former Programme Director for Coaching Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to mailto:[email protected].

In this episode, Dr. Natalie Lancer and Julia Vaughan Smith, Kate Brassington, and Jenny Rogers, explore the nuances of trauma-informed coaching. The panel give thought to the complexities and responsibilities involved in trauma-informed coaching, discussing the internal dynamics of trauma, its influence on coaching practices, and the importance of sensitivity to clients' experiences. The conversation covers the distinctions between coaching and therapy, ethical considerations, and the skills necessary for trauma-informed coaching, such as presence, attunement, and reflective practice. The importance of safeguarding, establishing boundaries, and self-care for coaches is also addressed.

We consider:

• What is trauma and how can we recognise it in our coaching practice?
• What are the reasons why clients seek trauma-informed coaching?
• What are the benefits for the client of working with a trauma-informed coach?
• Where is the overlap between coaching and therapy in addressing trauma-related issues?
• How can we address trauma in coaching?
• What are the core qualities and skills needed to coach in a trauma-informed way? 
• How can we train to become a more trauma-informed coach?
• Do self-care and supervision look different for trauma-informed coaches?
• How should we contract appropriately for client safety?
• What are the risks, safe-guards and limits of trauma-informed coaching?
• In what ways can coaching contribute to trauma healing?

Our experts shared their approaches to working with trauma in coaching, for example, understanding clients' backstories without explicitly using the term "trauma". Trauma can be subtly present in coaching sessions, even when clients may not explicitly seek help for trauma-related issues. Trauma-informed coaching helps clients process trauma in the present and integrate their experiences in safe ways through creating a trusting environment where they feel heard and understood. 

Our guests today are:

Jenny Rogers is a leader in a new approach to coaching which combines insights from psychotherapy with the pragmatic emphasis on change, drawing on a career in coaching spanning three decades. She works with senior clients in the law, medicine, finance, healthcare, performing arts and media who typically face a major transition in their lives. Jenny won the Henley Business School Award for Outstanding Contribution to Coaching in 2019. She is the author of Are You Listening? and nine other books on coaching.

Julia Vaughan Smith is an Accredited Master Executive Coach and Supervisor and was in private practice as a Psychotherapist, focusing on trauma processing and healing. Together with Jenny Rogers, she has co-facilitated Masterclasses and associated workshops on trauma and coaching. She is the author of a number of books including 'Coaching and Trauma', 'Therapist to Coach', and 'Daughters: How to Untangle Yourself from Your Mother', exploring the impact of developmental and ancestral trauma on this relationship and how to become untangled.

Kate Brassington is a Coaching Psychologist (GMBPsS) and PCC ICF-certified Trauma Informed Coach who researches applied coaching strategies. She has published her research on resilience training for people in high-risk occupations. She hosts a podcast called 'Refreshing Leadership' which brings to life applied trauma-informed coaching for leaders in all walks of life. She works with a wide range of people from teens to 70+'s; with executives, retirees, solo-entrepreneurs, and more. She offers pro-bono coaching to military amputees through the charity BLESMA.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected]

In this podcast episode, Dr. Natalie Lancer with Professor Almuth McDowall, Cara Langford Watts, Pippa Simou and Dr. Francoise Orlov, consider the multifaceted nature of neurodiversity coaching encompassing personal neurodiversity journeys, training, supervision and research. The speakers explore the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals, particularly women with ADHD and/or autism, and stress the importance of creating inclusive coaching environments. They delve into the double empathy problem, ethical dilemmas, and practical strategies for support. We discuss:

• What is neurodivergence and how do neurodiversities show up in coaching?
• What value can coaching bring to neurodiverse individuals?
• How can coaches support creating inclusive environments for neurodiverse coaches?
• What are the challenges and positive developments in neurodiversity coaching?
• What are the limitations of traditional coaching models when considering neurodiversity?
• What is the 'whole sphere' of neurodiversity and how does neurodiversity intersect with other marginalised identities?
• How can we best understand autistic women's experiences in the workplace?
• What are the misconceptions faced by women and girls with ADHD?
• How can coaching strategies support attendance and workplace inclusivity?
• What specific strategies and techniques can coaches employ when working with neurodivergent coachees?
• What are the ethical considerations in supporting neurodivergent individuals?

Coaches who work with neurodivergent people can be neurotypical or neurodiverse themselves and we discuss the importance of understanding the individual needs and how to co-determine what kind of coach and approach would be best. Coaches and their clients benefit from developments in research and training programmes for neurodiversity coaching as they become more equipped to grasp the complexities and nuances of neurodiversity coaching. Our guests today are:

Almuth McDowall is Professor of Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London. With Dr Nancy Doyle, she co-directs the Centre for Neurodiversity Research at Work and co-authored Neurodiversity Coaching: A Psychological Approach to Supporting Neurodivergent Talent and Career Potential. Making people happy at work is at the core of Almuth's mission – she advocates for approaches which support everyone to thrive.

Her award-winning research has been funded by research councils, professional associations and charities, and she is widely published in the academic and practitioner literature. Almuth is passionate about dissemination of research to practitioner audiences, is a sought-after speaker and consultant, and makes frequent appearances in the press, on radio and TV. 

Cara Langford Watts is a Coaching Psychologist and the Director of Neuro Directions, specialising in providing progressive coaching services tailored to neurodivergent individuals. Cara brings a down-to-earth blend of personal insight, drawing from her own lived experience of ADHD and dyslexia combined with a wealth of professional expertise in coaching neurodivergent clients. 

Cara is actively working to integrate coaching research and practice through a neurodiverse lens. Her recent Master's research was on autistic women's experiences of workplace coaching and ableist power dynamics. By challenging conventional coaching theories, research paradigms, and practices, Cara passionately advocates for inclusivity. Her mission is to challenge societal norms, paving the way for a more equitable and diverse coaching landscape.

Pippa Simou is a coaching psychologist, specialising in supporting women and girls to live well with ADHD and other conditions that may also be present. With 20 years of experience in secondary education and diagnosed with ADHD at 44, Pippa joined a local charity, working to support parents and professionals who live or work with children who have ADHD and/or Autism. 

She started 'The ADD-vantage' in 2020, offering support services to women and girls with ADHD symptoms, and also mentors girls in local schools, trains professionals, coaches women with ADHD one-to-one and facilitates support groups. Awarded a Distinction for her MSc in Psychology, Pippa continues to be involved in research at the University of Hertfordshire.

Dr Francoise Orlov is a Master Practitioner Coach, Mentor and Coaching Supervisor with 30 years of international experience. She is a member of the world-renowned 100 Coaches community of top coaches and leadership experts. Her expertise integrates theoretical knowledge, emotional intelligence, and practical experience to support her clients in steering complex, international projects through high stakes situations. Francoise previously held senior management and board level positions and was an academic in Strategy and Project Management.

An advocate for the professionalisation of coaching, she has authored contributions to several coaching publications, encouraging an eclectic and systemic approach.

Her current research focuses on neurodivergent professionals and their contributions to the coaching profession, building on her commitment to diversity.

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS's Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [email protected].

In this podcast episode, host Dr. Natalie Lancer is joined by Angie Belcher, Harriet Beveridge and Stuart Goldsmith to explore the intersection of humour and coaching. Angie, a comedian and comedy educator, shares her experience using stand-up as a therapeutic tool for diverse groups, including men at risk of suicide and army veterans. Harriet, a corporate coach, key-note speaker and stand-up comedian, discusses humour's role in offering new perspectives and building rapport. Stuart, a corporate speaker on the Climate Crisis and Resilience gives us insights on using humour to facilitate personal growth and cultural change. 

We discuss:

• How can you use humour in coaching?
• Where is the intersection between comedy and coaching?
• How can comedy be used to build rapport?
• In what ways can comedy be used as a therapeutic or coaching tool?
• What's the link between comedy and trauma?
• How do you coach people to learn comedy? 
• What is the purpose of humour and making people laugh?
• How are psychological models used in comedy?
• How can we use comedy to help people take a different perspective? 
• What can we learn from comedians about vulnerability, resilience and authenticity?

There are many transferable skills we can take from comedy to enhance our coaching practice such as relationship building and creating psychological safety. Furthermore, working with comedy can help clients reframe risk and failure and cultivate their ability to get into a peak performance state. We also explore the role of comedy in a variety of settings including building new mothers' confidence and working with NHS patients, army veterans and men at risk of suicide. Our guests today are:

Harriet Beveridge is an executive coach providing support challenge to senior individuals and teams, stand-up comic and keynote speaker, helping individuals, teams and organisations in the corporate world to 'stand up and thrive'. She blends business coaching, comedy and neuroscience. Harriet has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and TEDx talking about the power of humour to raise wellbeing and performance. She has taken four solo stand-up comedy shows to the Edinburgh Fringe. Her latest show focussed on 'neuroscience with lashings of laughs'. She is co-author of the bestselling business book, 'Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?' and has over 20 years' coaching experience. Harriet is also a mental health first aider and is currently studying for an MSc in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College, London. 

Angie Belcher is a coach, comedian, award-winning workshop trainer, comedy educator and keynote speaker, specialising in the link between comedy, mental health and personal development. Her Comedy On Referral programme uses stand-up comedy workshops to help people in recovery from trauma for the NHS, and she was also commissioned by the NHS to provide stand-up comedy projects for men at risk of suicide through the charity Rethink. She teaches comedy to CEOs and staff at major organisations and has a daytime comedy club AFTERMIRTH and ELDERMIRTH providing entertainment to new parents and people in care homes respectively. She holds a post-graduate diploma in Humanistic Psychology for Leadership, Facilitation and Coaching. In 2022 Bristol Live named Angie Bristol's 2nd most influential woman for her pioneering work in comedy and health. The Hague awarded her 'World Comedian of Emancipation 2022'.

Stuart Goldsmith is an internationally award-winning comedian, corporate speaker and writer. Stuart is also the host of the internationally renowned podcast: The Comedian's Comedian. He has interviewed many of the comedy world's household names, including Jimmy Carr, Bo Burnham, Sarah Millican and James Acaster. He is the creator of the popular Resilience Presentation, a 45-minute business-focussed session which offers a fresh take on cultivating resilience. Stuart's stand-up career has seen him win several awards and he has taken seven solo stand-up shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the New Zealand International Comedy Festival and made multiple appearances at the prestigious, invitation-only Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. In 2019, he performed stand-up on the TBS chat show Conan, in the US.

In this last episode for Series 3, Dr Natalie Lancer and our panel of experts, Sam Isaacson, Professor Nicky Terblanche, and Alex Haitoglou, delve into the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and coaching psychology. They discuss the critical need for coaches to understand technology, the nascent research on AI in coaching, and the rapid advancements in AI. We explore AI's capabilities in coaching as well as potential benefits, concerns and ethical issues. We discuss the importance of coaches adapting to technological changes while maintaining the uniquely human aspects of their practice. 

We consider:

• What is the impact of technology, specifically AI, on coaching psychology?
• How is human interaction affected by AI?
• How important is it for coaches to keep up-to-date with AI and technology?
• Which are the technologies currently shaping the coaching industry?
• What is the current state of research on AI and coaching?
• How can coaches balance the use of technology and AI in their practice?
• How can AI be appropriately integrated into coaching practices?
• What are the risks, challenges and benefits of integrating AI and technology with coaching?
• What are some of the ethical considerations around the use of AI in coaching, on which coaches may wish to reflect?
• What are the needs and challenges for regulation of AI in coaching?

Our experts also considered future trends, including conversational AI and immersive technologies. We know that these AI and technological tools will play a significant role in delivering coaching at scale and enhancing remote coaching experiences. Therefore, adapting to technology is not optional; it is essential for effective coaching.There is a need for more research to fully understand how AI can serve as a beneficial tool for coaches and their clients.

Our guests today are:

Sam Isaacson is a coachtech thought leader, as well as a coach, coach supervisor and consultant. He writes a regular LinkedIn newsletter and has written several books, including How to Thrive as a Coach in a Digital World (Open University Press, 2021) and Superhuman Coaching (Hanwell Publishing, 2022). He is the founder of the Coachtech Collective, a global community of coaches grappling with technology, and works closely with EMCC Global on the development of thinking around technology and ethics. He is Chair of the Coaching Professional apprenticeship. Sam has experience in a disruptive coaching technology start-up and coaching in virtual reality. 

Alex Haitoglou is co-founder and CEO of Ovida, has created the world's first AI platform aimed at enhancing the fundamental soft skills of leadership and coaching. Ovida's mission is to use AI and human expertise to enhance people and organisations' communication potential. In collaboration with academics, Ovida is used for training and research. This platform supports leaders and coaches in their growth by providing AI-generated objective data, video reviews for self-reflection, and expert human mentoring. Alex formerly worked with Procter & Gamble in global business roles and also led their global Grow Coaching programme, training hundreds of leaders and business coaches in coaching skills. 

Prof. Nicky Terblanche is an academic, researcher, leadership coach, entrepreneur and research lead at Ovida. He is also the founder and CEO of CoachVici.com which creates AI Coaches for organisations. He has a Master's degree and PhD in Leadership Coaching and a Master's degree in Electronic and Software Engineering. He is Associate Professor of Leadership Coaching and Research Methodology at Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa. His research interests include leadership coaching with a focus on AI Coaching. Nicky has published more than 30 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters and regularly presents at international conferences as a keynote speaker.

Full professional recognition route (permanent route)

A professional recognition route has been developed in order to recognise the professional training and experience of those who have significant training and experience in coaching psychology, but who are not already Chartered members of the BPS.

Applicants must be undergoing supervision of their coaching psychology practice as described in the Handbook, and must hold current professional indemnity insurance (or be covered by an employer's provision).

The Professional Recognition route will be available to all members holding GBC who have at least three years training and experience in coaching psychology since achieving GBC.

Candidates will be required to submit a full portfolio of evidence demonstrating alignment with each element of the Level 8 Standards in Coaching Psychology.

Successful applicants will achieve Chartered Member status of the society and full Divisional membership of the Division of Coaching Psychology

Find out more about the professional recognition route

The Accelerated route is an abbreviated version of the full Professional Recognition route, and is available for members who hold GBC and who are already able to demonstrate five years full time (or part-time equivalent) experience as a coaching psychologist, including at least three years since achieving GBC.

Candidates will be required to submit a reduced portfolio demonstrating alignment with the top-level standards in the Level 8 Standards in Coaching Psychology and specific second-tier standards that address ethical autonomous practice.

Successful applicants will achieve both Chartered Member status of the society and full Divisional membership of the Division of Coaching Psychology.

The Accelerated route has been extended and will no longer expire on the 31 December 2024.

The deadline for applying to the Accelerated Route is now 11:59pm on 30 June 2025.

Please note: no applications submitted after this time will be accepted.

The final deadline to submit evidence for the Accelerated Route is 31 December 2025.

Submissions uploaded after this deadline may not be assessed. 

Read the Accelerated Route applicant guidelines.

Candidates wishing to apply for the Accelerated Route will need to complete the application form below.

An application fee of £744.88 + VAT (£893.86 inc. VAT) is payable. Once the application fee has been processed, and eligibility for the route confirmed, applicants will be provided with access to the route via BPS Learn.

They will then be able to download all relevant forms and documentation in order to prepare their submission.

Apply for the Accelerated Route for Full Divisional Membership

Stage One - A BPS accredited Masters degree in Coaching Psychology.

We are currently working with Higher Education partners towards accrediting a number of Masters programmes in coaching psychology.

Stage Two - A BPS Qualification

We have plans to develop a 2 year doctoral level qualification which would lead to eligibility for Chartered membership of the society, entry onto the Register of Coaching Psychologists and full Divisional membership of the Division of Coaching Psychology, but there is no current timescale for this work.

• Attend and present at conferences, symposia and workshops
• Be part of a dynamic, multi-disciplinary network focused around our common interest in supporting the achievement of human potential through the provision of coaching psychology services.
• Membership delegate rates at DoCP events, webinars and conferences
• Opportunities for non-psychologist coaches to engage with the psychological community of practice
• Periodic discounts arranged with other related event organisers and publishers
• Receive two regular Coaching Psychology Publications: The Coaching Psychologist (TCP) and The International Coaching Psychology Review (ICPR).

The Division of Coaching Psychology uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues. 

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The Division of Coaching Psychology relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Division is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.

Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or in-training members, and together form an open and inclusive community.

Keep an eye on our "News" tab for announcements about how to apply for a committee role.