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Positive Psychology Coaching: Consolidating and Extending the Gains
Abstract
Despite the demonstrated success of Positive Psychology Coaching (PPC) in the workplace, constraints frequently result in it concluding before all goals have been achieved and consolidated. PPC frequently identifies other issues in the workplace that the coachee now recognises need to be attended to for long-term success. This chapter outlines the processes, principles and strategies involved in the consolidation, maintenance and extension of gains, and the means by which a continued work or life improvement plan may be developed and implemented. Topics covered include reviewing the formulation and strategies implemented, assessing progress, identifying remaining work and other obstacles, the identification of personal vulnerabilities, self-monitoring of red flags, identifying problematic situations and decisive moments, access to booster sessions and external resources such as other PPC techniques, professional and social support, coping with future challenges and setbacks, capitalising on strengths, and the formation of self-enhancing and self-sustaining habits.
This research-to-practice text explores how coaching can support thriving in the workplace. It focuses on positive psychology coaching in the workplace in relation to: the convergence with organisational psychology and coaching psychology, professional and ethical practices, resilience and wellbeing, team and systemic approaches, leadership, tools of intervention, convergence of clinical interventions and virtuousness, and the future of thriving workplaces. The chapter contributions represent a truly international scholarship and bring together complementary perspectives from the fields of positive psychology, coaching psychology, organisational psychology, organisational scholarship, neuroscience, education and philosophy. Written in a scholarly but accessible style, this text is of interest to a wide readership, including academics, professionals and postgraduate students of positive psychology, organisational psychology, counselling and coaching psychology, human resource management, mental health, health and social welfare.
Coaching is a rapidly emerging discipline in a world in constant change. Many of the issues facing coaches and their clients fit within the rational linear models that have served psychology well in the past. However, coaches and clients are also called upon to deal with novel complex and even chaotic challenges for which linear frameworks offer little value. Between the linear and the chaotic, the space on the edge of chaos creates possibilities for emergent creativity. Each of these spaces, the simple, complex and chaotic, has implications for us as practitioners, researchers and as a profession. This paper explores each of these. If coaching psychology is to come of age we need to find a way to create a discipline that can build on our foundations yet work comfortably with cross disciplinary ideas and colleagues. It may be that coaching psychology will emerge as a new kind of discipline one that can embraces rigour and the chaotic in the service of its clients, science and the profession.
Despite the popularity of the term Positive Psychological Coaching within the literature, there is no consensus as to how it should be defined (framed) or what the components of a positive coaching “model” should include. The aim of this systematic review was to define positive psychological coaching and to construct a clear demarcated positive psychological coaching model based on the literature. A systematic literature review led to the extraction of 2,252 records. All records were screened using specific inclusion/exclusion criteria, which resulted in the exclusion of records based on duplicates (n = 1,232), titles (n = 895), abstracts (n = 78), and criteria violations (n = 23). Twenty-four academic, peer-reviewed publications on positive psychological coaching were included. Data relating to conceptual definitions and coaching models/phases/frameworks were extracted and processed through thematic content analysis. Our results indicate that positive psychological coaching can be defined as a short to medium term professional, collaborative relationship between a client and coach, aimed at the identification, utilization, optimization, and development of personal strengths and resources in order to enhance positive states, traits and behaviors. Utilizing Socratic goal setting and positive psychological evidence-based approaches to facilitate personal growth, optimal functioning, enhanced wellbeing, and the actualization of people's potential. Further, eight critical components of a positive psychological coaching model were identified and discussed. The definition and coaching process identified in this study will provide coaches with a fundamental positive psychological framework for optimizing people's potential.
This is a preview PDF to book including foreword, preface, Chapter 1 and references.
Positive Psychology Coaching in Practice provides a comprehensive overview of positive psychology coaching, bringing together the best of science and practice, highlighting current research, and emphasising the applicability of each element to coaching. With an international range of contributors, this book is a unique resource for those seeking to integrate positive psychology into their evidence-based coaching practice. Beginning with an overview of positive psychology coaching, the book includes an assessment of theories of wellbeing, an examination of mindfulness research, a guide to relevant neuroscience, and a review of a strengths-based approach. It also contains chapters that explore the application of ACT, the role of positive psychology in wellness and resilience coaching, positive leadership theory, and developmental psychological theories as they relate to coaching through significant life transitions. In each chapter, theory and research is thoroughly explored and applied directly to coaching practice and is supported with a list of relevant resources and a case study. The book concludes with the editors' views on the future directions of positive psychology coaching. Positive Psychology Coaching in Practice will be essential reading for professional coaches in practice and in training seeking to enhance their evidence-based practice; coaching psychologists; practitioners of positive psychology; and academics and students of coaching, coaching psychology, and positive psychology. Suzy Green is a clinical and coaching psychologist based in Australia. She is a leader in the fields of coaching psychology and positive psychology and is the founder of Sydney-based The Positivity Institute, dedicated to the research and application of positive psychology.
Two studies used the self-concordance model of healthy goal striving (K. M. Sheldon & A. J. Elliot, 1999) to examine the motivational processes by which people can increase their level of well-being during a period of time and then maintain the gain or perhaps increase it even further during the next period of time. In Study I, entering freshmen with self-concordant motivation better attained their 1st-semester goals, which in turn predicted increased adjustment and greater self-concordance for the next semester's goals. Increased self-concordance in turn predicted even better goal attainment during the 2nd semester, which led to further increases in adjustment and to higher levels of ego development by the end of the year. Study 2 replicated the basic model in a 2-week study of short-term goals set in the laboratory. Limits of the model and implications for the question of how (and whether) happiness may be increased are discussed.
Purpose There is limited empirical literature on the effectiveness of leadership coaching in healthcare settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of leadership coaching for individuals implementing strategic change in the Australian public health system. Design/methodology/approach Using a within-subjects (pre-post) design, participants ( n=31) undertook six one-hour coaching sessions. Coaching was conducted by professional leadership coaches. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Findings Participation was associated with significant improvements in goal attainment, solution-focused thinking, leadership self-efficacy, perspective-taking capacity, self-insight and resilience, and ambiguity tolerance. There were significant reductions in stress and anxiety. The benefits of coaching transferred from the workplace to the home. Many participants reported being able to use insights gained in coaching in their personal lives, and reported better work/life balance, less stress and better quality relationships at home. Originality/value Few studies have provided evaluation of leadership coaching in healthcare setting. Leadership coaching in the public health system may be an important methodology for facilitating goal attainment and fostering resilience in this vital social sector, benefiting workers in the health services, their families and ultimately their patients and the broader community.
There are four main ideas in relapse prevention. First, relapse is a gradual process with distinct stages. The goal of treatment is to help individuals recognize the early stages, in which the chances of success are greatest. Second, recovery is a process of personal growth with developmental milestones. Each stage of recovery has its own risks of relapse. Third, the main tools of relapse prevention are cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation, which are used to develop healthy coping skills. Fourth, most relapses can be explained in terms of a few basic rules. Educating clients in these rules can help them focus on what is important: 1) change your life (recovery involves creating a new life where it is easier to not use); 2) be completely honest; 3) ask for help; 4) practice self-care; and 5) don't bend the rules.
Whereas coaching is very popular as a management tool, research on coaching effectiveness is lagging behind. Moreover, the studies on coaching that are currently available have focused on a large variety of processes and outcome measures and generally lack a firm theoretical foundation. With the meta-analysis presented in this article, we aim to shed light on the effectiveness of coaching within an organizational context. We address the question whether coaching has an effect on five both theoretically and practically relevant individual-level outcome categories: performance/skills, well-being, coping, work attitudes, and goal-directed self-regulation. The results show that coaching has significant positive effects on all outcomes with effect sizes ranging from g = 0.43 (coping) to g = 0.74 (goal-directed self-regulation). These findings indicate that coaching is, overall, an effective intervention in organizations.
The use of external business coaches to improve the performance and competence of employees is increasing dramatically. However, there is still little empirical research attesting to its effectiveness in achieving business goals, and there is no universally accepted way of evaluating its added value to the individual or the organisation. This study takes a multi-dimensional approach to reviewing the published literature on the tangible benefits of business coaching combined with the more established processes of training evaluation and business results measurement. The study goes on to identify, via a case study, how a group of corporate purchasers select and measure the effectiveness of external business coaches. Data is also obtained from a large-scale national survey of people receiving coaching in a variety of business contexts. A grounded theory methodology is applied to the data to identify what factors the key stakeholders perceive to be important in deciding if a business coaching relationship is successful. These factors are then used to develop a generic and holistic framework and associated benefits model that is proposed as relevant to both corporate purchasers and external suppliers of business coaching.
Self-enhancement is variously portrayed as a positive illusion that can foster health and longevity or as defensive neuroticism that can have physiological-neuroendocrine costs. In a laboratory stress-challenge paradigm, the authors found that high self-enhancers had lower cardiovascular responses to stress, more rapid cardiovascular recovery, and lower baseline cortisol levels, consistent with the positive illusions predictions and counter to the predictions of the defensive neuroticism position. A second set of analyses, replicating the "illusory mental health paradigm" (J. Shedler, M. Mayman, & M. Manis, 1993), also did not support the defensive neuroticism hypothesis. The association between self-enhancement and cortisol was mediated by psychological resources; analyses of the cardiovascular results provided no definitive mediational pathway. Discussion centers on the potential stress-buffering effects of self-enhancing beliefs.
Relapse prevention (RP) is an important component of alcoholism treatment. The RP model proposed by Marlatt and Gordon suggests that both immediate determinants (e.g., high-risk situations, coping skills, outcome expectancies, and the abstinence violation effect) and covert antecedents (e.g., lifestyle factors and urges and cravings) can contribute to relapse. The RP model also incorporates numerous specific and global intervention strategies that allow therapist and client to address each step of the relapse process. Specific interventions include identifying specific high-risk situations for each client and enhancing the client's skills for coping with those situations, increasing the client's self-efficacy, eliminating myths regarding alcohol's effects, managing lapses, and restructuring the client's perceptions of the relapse process. Global strategies comprise balancing the client's lifestyle and helping him or her develop positive addictions, employing stimulus control techniques and urge-management techniques, and developing relapse road maps. Several studies have provided theoretical and practical support for the RP model.
The extent of mental illness concerns in the workforce is becoming increasingly apparent. Stress, depression, anxiety, workplace bullying and other issues are costing businesses billions every year in lost productivity, poor treatments and employee retention. Unless appropriately addressed, issues related to mental illness difficulties will result in stiff financial, organizational, and human costs for organizations.
The authors of Mental Illness in the Workplace provide a practical guide to identifying, understanding, treating and preventing individual and organizational mental health issues. They illustrate how organizations can save money and improve the health and well-being of their employees by using a psychological disability management approach in the treatment and accommodation of mental illness issues. Drawing on empirical evidence from North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, the book is in three parts. The first addresses the scope of mental health issues in the workplace. The second part describes the most common mental illnesses found in the workplace, while the third focuses on prevention and treatment of mental health issues.
This book will meet the needs of human resources professionals, administrators of employee assistance programs, industrial and organizational psychologists, mental health practitioners, those teaching or studying psychology and disability management, and more generally will serve to enlighten students of business management and practicing managers regarding a major workforce risk factor.
Objective:
Despite robust evidence of efficacy, family services for individuals diagnosed as having serious mental illness are of limited availability and drastically underutilized. This underutilization may be due to a mismatch between consumer and family preferences and the services offered. This study is the first systematic report on preferences expressed by consumers with serious mental illness for family involvement.
Methods:
The study enrolled 232 mental health consumers with serious mental illness who had contact with family but did not have any family regularly involved in their mental health care. Consumers were recruited from outpatient mental health clinics at three large medical centers in two Veterans Integrated Service Networks. Interviews elicited demographic characteristics, treatment preferences regarding family involvement, and perceived benefits and barriers to involvement. Chart diagnoses and measures of symptom severity, family functioning, and contact were collected.
Results:
Seventy-eight percent (171 of 219) of the consumers wanted family members to be involved in their care, and many desired involvement through several methods. Consumers were concerned with the impact of involvement on both themselves and their family member. The consumer's degree of perceived benefit of family involvement significantly predicted the degree of desire for family involvement after analyses controlled for service need (family conflict, family-related quality of life, and symptom severity), enabling factors (family contact and family capacity), demographic variables (age, gender, race, living with family, and marital status), and barriers perceived by the consumer.
Conclusions:
The extent of overall support for family involvement in care coupled with the heterogeneity of preferred modes and concerns and anticipated benefits underscore the imperative to offer diverse family services and to elicit consumers' preferences regarding whether and how to involve their families.
Executive coach or therapist? It’s getting harder to tell the difference
- K Bindley
Tiny habits: The small changes that change everything
- B J Fogg
- BJ Fogg
The B.E.S.T. model of performance enhancement
- J A Franklin
- JA Franklin
The efficacy of coaching, Chapter 2
- A M Grant
- AM Grant
Achieving success and happiness: The relevance of theories of well-being and flourishing in positive psychology coaching practice
- J A Franklin
- JA Franklin
Prevalence and effects of mood disorders on work performance in a nationally representative sample of U.S. workers
- R C Kessler
- H S Akiskal
- M Ames
- H Birnbaum
- P Greenberg
- R M A Hirschfeld
- R Jin
- K R Merikangas
- G E Simon
- P S Wang
- RC Kessler
Evaluating the effectiveness of coaching
- K Ely
- S J Zaccaro