The Coaching Psychologist - Beck Forsland · ing Psychologist.So if you know of any events that would be of interest to coaching psy-chologists please e-mail Jennifer directly at

No 1 July 2005

The CoachingPsychologist

Special Group in Coaching Psychology

ISSN: 1748-1104

The Coaching Psychologist

Editor: Kasia Szymanska Centre for Coaching and Central Stress Management Ltd

Consulting Editors: Ho Law Empsy LtdAlanna O’Broin Private PracticeStephen Palmer Centre for Coaching and City UniversityManfusa Shams BACL. Regents CollegeAlison Whybrow The Vedere Partnership

www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk

SubscriptionsThe Coaching Psychologist is distributed free of charge to members. It is available to non-members for £5 per issue fromThe British Psychological Society, St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR.

AdvertisingAdvertising space is subject to availability and restricted to full members only, subject to the discretion of the Editor. The cost is:Full page £50Half Page £30

High quality camera-ready artwork and remittance must be sent together to the Editor, [email protected] or to The Centre for Coaching, 156 Westcombe Hill, London SE3 7DH.

Cheques should be made payable to: The British Psychological Society.

DisclaimerViews expressed in The Coaching Psychologist are those of individual contributors and not necessarily of the Special Group inCoaching Psychology or The British Psychological Society. Publication of conferences, events, courses, organisations andadvertisements does not necessarily imply approval or endorsement by the Special Group. Any subsequent promotional pieceor advertisement must not indicate that an advertisement has previously appeared in The Coaching Psychologist.Situations vacant cannot be accepted. It is the Society’s policy that job vacancies are published in theAppointments Memorandum. For details, contact the Society’s Leicester office.

CopyrightCopyright for published material rests with the Special Group in Coaching Psychology and the British Psychological Societyunless otherwise stated. With agreement, an author will be allowed to republish an article elsewhere as long as a note is included stating: first published in The Coaching Psychologist, issue no. and date. Coaching psychologists and teachers of psychology may use material contained in this publication in any way that may helptheir teaching of coaching psychology. Permission should be obtained from the Society for any other use.

WELCOME TO THE first hardcopyissue of The Coaching Psychologist(TCP). The forerunner of the

Society’s Special Group in Coaching Psychology (SGCP), the Coaching Psycho-logy Forum (CPF) had an online versionwhich we formally took over on 15 Decem-ber 2004. We still intend making each issueof TCP available online, which I hope willhelp to promote coaching psychology.

Although our journey from 2002 as aninternet forum to the formation of a BPSSpecial Group had its moments, we existtoday due to the hard work and on-goingsupport of hundreds of psychologists andthat all-important vote last year when over4000 Society members ticked the ‘Yes’ box!The Society staff were always helpful andsupportive of our quest. I realise that it maybe against convention, but I would like todedicate this first issue of The Coaching Psy-chologist to everybody who has contributed tothe UK coaching psychology movement bothwithin and outside of the BPS – and thatincludes your membership.

The SGCP inaugural meeting and con-ference held on 15 December 2004 had 360SGCP members in attendance, with almost100 more on the waiting list. Dr Tony Grant,the originator of coaching psychology, gavean enlightening and entertaining keynotepaper. The round table discussion was a verylively affair and there were numerous issuesand questions from our membership.

Our membership, which is fast approach-ing 1900, highlights the growing interest incoaching psychology. To support this interestwe are running workshops throughout theyear and are arranging a combined two-daynational conference and workshops event on19–20 December 2005. For those of you whomay be down on your CPD hours for 2005,this event could provide the hours you need.

A lot of time has been spent working onsuitable publications to support the interestin coaching psychology. The Coaching Psycho-logist is our in-house publication which willinclude news items, details about our SGCPevents, your views, book reviews, letters,reports from SGCP Officers, and shortarticles up to approximately 1500 words. Fullmembers can advertise in this too, subject toacceptance by the editor.

However, to develop the theory, practiceand research of coaching psychology throughpublished papers, my idea has always been tohave an international publication dedicated tocoaching psychology and not just coaching.For many months we have been workingclosely on this project with the Interest GroupCoaching Psychology (IGCP) of the AustralianPsychology Society. The IGCP convenor,Michael Cavanagh, and his colleague TonyGrant have been key players in supporting thisproject. We are about to sign a Memorandumof Agreement to jointly publish The Interna-tional Coaching Psychology Review (ICPR). TheSociety office has been very supportive of thisproject, too, and has given us guidance regard-ing the Memorandum of Understanding.

The ICPR will be peer reviewed and haveUK and Australian co-editors and an inter-national editorial board. We are still devel-oping submission guidelines, so if you havean academic paper on the theory, practice or research of any aspect of coaching psychology you wish to submit, please con-tact me directly by e-mail ([email protected]). Articles should be3000–6000 words although extended papersmay be accepted with prior agreement. In-depth book reviews will also be included.Advertisements will not generally beaccepted unless they are BPS or APS events.Of course, until we have tied up all the looseends, the ICPR may still be a pipedream butI remain very optimistic.

The Coaching Psychologist ● No. 1 July 2005 1

Chair’s updateCoaching psychology officially exists. Thank you for your support.

2 The Coaching Psychologist ● No. 1 July 2005

Chair’s Update

It is hoped that TCP will be published twoor three times a year and the ICPR will comeout twice a year. This will mean that we willreceive coaching psychology publications ona regular basis once they are both up andrunning.

Currently, we still have draft rules for theSpecial Group. We submitted revised rules tothe Society’s Board of Trustees but they werenot approved. The trustees decided that theSpecial Group should consider submittingchanges to its rules that were more appro-priate to its Special Group status or to applyfor Divisional status in the usual manner.

Their comments need careful considera-tion. Your thoughts are welcome, too.

Certainly, our immediate issue is havingmore committee members to support ourwork and the existing draft rules do set alower limit on members.

Finally, on a personal note, it is a privi-lege to be the first Chair of the SpecialGroup in Coaching Psychology. I recall backin 2001 hoping to set up a Special InterestGroup within the Division of CounsellingPsychology (DCoP), but it was not possiblethen because of the Division’s rules. I neverimagined that we would end up being a largeSpecial Group. Thank you for making it possible.

Professor Stephen Palmer

The British Psychological Society Press Committee

Media Training Days

For a registration form and further details contact:Dawn Schubert, The British Psychological Society, St Andrews House,

48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR; Tel: 0116 252 9581; e-mail: [email protected]

Introduction to Working with the Media

A one-day intensive immersion in themedia – with lots of hands-on experience.

Dates (Mondays): 26 September, 5 December.

Venue: Society London office,33 John Street, London WC1

Broadcast Interview Skills

A one-day series of presentations andexercises designed to give participantsexperience of being interviewed on radioand TV.

Dates (Tuesdays): 23 August, 7 December.

Venue: Methodist Church House,Marylebone Road, London NW1.


Editorial

WELCOME TO THE very first edition of The Coaching Psychologist!Our aim is to promote the unique-

ness of coaching psychology, to encourage itsgrowth within the UK and to forge links withour international coaching psychologycolleagues.

We cannot do this without the support ofour members, so to reiterate StephenPalmer’s Chair’s letter, we need articles andnews items on all aspects of coachingpsychology. Articles of a 1000 words andnews items can be e-mailed directly to me [email protected] as can letters to theEditor. We would also like to include bookreviews, and members interested in review-ing books should contact me and I will e-mailor send you guidelines outlining the process.Don’t forget, all reviewers get to keep thebook they reviewed!

In addition, Jennifer Liston-Smith haskindly agreed to be the Special Group’s Conference and Events Correspondent andto compile a conference diary for The Coach-ing Psychologist. So if you know of any eventsthat would be of interest to coaching psy-chologists please e-mail Jennifer directly [email protected]. We are keen to hearyour views about coaching psychology andcomments about The Coaching Psychologist, soplease write in.

Now to the contents of this edition. Inthe first paper Stephen Palmer and AlisonWhybrow, the co-proposers of the SpecialGroup in Coaching Psychology, present theoriginal Special Group proposal which was

submitted to the BPS and which outlines thereasons why the Society needed a SpecialGroup. The second article, by Alex Linleyand Susan Harrington, highlights the linksbetween positive psychology and coachingpsychology. The third, by Kristina Gyllenstenand Stephen Palmer, focuses on the ubiqui-tous issue of stress and the part that coachingpsychologists can play in its reduction. Thencommittee member Ho Law discusses therole of ethics in coaching psychology. In thefinal article John Groom, our first interna-tional contributor, outlines the strategiesused to improve our listening skills.

In the next part of The Coaching Psycho-logist, Alanna O’Broin and Alison Whybrowreport on their vital roles as Honorary Sec-retary and Honorary Treasurer, and DouglasYoung outlines his role as our ScottishRegional Representative. Then SiobhanO’Riordan presents a detailed outline of theSpecial Group’s Events Programme andinformation about our Netiquette guidelinesbefore going on to list, with Alanna O’Broin,some of the most frequently asked questionsabout Coaching Psychology. We include theSpecial Group’s draft strategic plan to high-light the key areas we are focusing on. In thefinal paper Jennifer Liston-Smith reports ona workshop run by Bruce Grimley.

Don’t forgot our 2nd National CoachingPsychology Conference is taking place at CityUniversity on 19–20 December. I hope to seeyou all there.

Happy reading!Kasia Szymanska

THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Special Group in

Coaching Psychology (SGCP)

2nd National Coaching Psychology ConferenceMonday 19 and Tuesday 20 December, 2005

Venue: City University, London

The two-day conference will include a main conference, workshops

and Annual General Meeting.

Speakers and workshop facilitators include

◆ Dr Michael Cavanagh (APS IGCP National Convenor)

◆ Professor David Lane

◆ Professor Stephen Palmer

Further information about the conference will be announced via

the SGCP e-mail discussion group ([email protected])

as it becomes available, and on the SGCP website,

http://www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk


The Coaching Psychologist ● No. 1 July 2005 5© The British Psychological Society 2005

Overview To promote the development of coachingpsychology at an academic and practitionerlevel, to develop ethical standards, and tofoster a voice for psychology within thebroader coaching arena, we propose a Spe-cial Group in Coaching Psychology beformed within the British PsychologicalSociety (BPS).

Against the background of increasedapplication of coaching in personal, trainingand organisational contexts (e.g. Cockerill,2002; Fournies, 2000; Neenan and Dryden,2002), we believe the members of the BPS,their clients and the public at large wouldbenefit from a Special Group in CoachingPsychology within the BPS.

Our rationale is laid out below. In addi-tion, we have attached a proposed set ofdraft rules and application form for mem-

bership. Key articles can be supplied asrequested (e.g. Grant, 2001).

Background and contextThe practice of life/personal and executivecoaching has grown substantially since theearly 1990s. Coaching as a term has beenborrowed as a metaphor from sport, and isnow commonly being applied to the per-sonal and work contexts, with terms such as‘life coach’ and ‘executive coach’ havingwidespread currency. In fact, coaching asso-ciated with sporting activities has been inexistence for decades, if not longer (e.g.Gallwey, 1975, 1979). It has moved frombeing a highly marginalized activity to beinga mainstream interest for people involved inteaching, policy development and peopledevelopment (Parsloe and Wray, 2000).

There are many voices influencing the

1 This version was revised in March 2004. This is the proposal that was first submitted to PPB(6 June 2003) and MPTB (20 June 2003). However, in the light of feedback, recent events andnew CPF members, additional footnotes and references have been included to update the doc-ument. In addition, alterations have been made to illustrate the domain of CoachingPsychology, and to change the rules following specific input from the BPS Council (18 Octo-ber 2003), and the nominated representatives of PPB & MPTB.2 Proposers of the BPS Special Group in Coaching Psychology.

The proposal to establish a Special Groupin Coaching Psychology1

Professor Stephen Palmer & Dr Alison Whybrow2

A large majority of Society members who voted for or against the proposal to set up a Special Group inCoaching Psychology (SGCP) did not actually see the proposal on which they were voting. This is just ananomaly of the way subsystems are set up within the Society. We have 14 versions of the working documentwhich gradually changed as it went through different committees. Although rather late in the day, in anattempt to address this issue, we are publishing the final version below. It is dated March 2004 but in reality had various footnotes added to it during the spring and early sum-mer of 2004, thus ensuring that the document remained unaltered but up to date as it went through theBPS system. We have edited out a couple of sentences due to the sensitive areas they relate to and notincluded the draft rules which have been available on our SGCP website.We hope that publishing the proposal provides insight into what is coaching psychology from a UK andBPS perspective as well having the proposal on the record, in the first hardcopy edition of The CoachingPsychologist.


Stephen Palmer & Alison Whybrow

development of coaching practice and anumber of coaching bodies have developedsuch as the Association for Coaching, theEuropean Mentoring and Coaching Counciland the International Coach Federation(UK chapter). Despite this, there is no uni-fied psychological voice informing the cur-rent development of the coaching arena.Psychologists have raised their concernsabout the coaching profession being unreg-ulated in the UK (e.g. Williams & Irving2001).

In addition, a range of courses have beendeveloped providing training for people whowant to become coaches. Unregulatedcoaching training has been in operationsince the early 1990s, which is not explicitlygrounded in psychological science (Grant,2001). One of the main influential advocatesof coaching, Sir John Whitmore states(1999:2):

In too many cases they (coaches) have not fullyunderstood the performance-related, psychologi-cal principles on which coaching is based. With-out this understanding, they may go throughthe motions of coaching, or use the behavioursassociated with coaching, such as questioning,but fail to achieve the intended results.

Whilst Whitmore appreciates the impor-tance of psychological principles, he thenminimises the acquisition of them (Whitmore, 1999:2):

I hasten to reassure the potential coach, how-ever, that the beauty of coaching lies in itsdepth and impact, and that you don’t need adegree in psychology in order to practice (sic) it.

If the putative ‘profession’ requires psycho-logical input in training programmes, webelieve that there is an active role for psy-chologists to take. Indeed, psychology has along history in this area, as Grant (2001, p.2)points out:

The notion of using validated psychologicalprinciples to enhance life experience and work

performance in normal, non-clinical popula-tions goes back at least to Parkes (1955).

Currently, many psychologists are involved inthis growing field. Some have associationswith different coaching bodies that are exter-nal to the BPS. Psychologists, our clients andthe public in general are looking for guidancein this area to understand what an individualcoach has to offer, to understand what expert-ise particular training provides and studentsare looking for clarification as to what coach-ing programmes will really equip them tobecome professional coaches, (Carter 2001).

History of existing CoachingPsychology Forum Stephen Palmer’s involvement with the fieldof coaching had highlighted some of theproblems of untrained or poorly trained‘coaches’ working with members of the pub-lic. He had noted their lack of understand-ing of the psychology of coaching, and theneed for a voice for psychology in this grow-ing arena. The BPS office advised that set-ting up an interest group within an existingBPS Division would be easier then setting upa subsystem in Coaching Psychology.

At the British Psychological Society, Divi-sion of Counselling Psychology (DCoP)Annual Conference held in Torquay duringMay 17–19, 2002, on 18 May, a meeting wasconvened by Stephen Palmer for BPS mem-bers interested in learning more aboutcoaching psychology and forming a Coach-ing Psychology Special Interest Group withinDCoP.3 Out of 29 members attending, 28were supportive of the motion. AlthoughDCoP at that time did not have a constitu-tion that allowed the formation of a SpecialInterest Group (SIG), the interest generatedat the meeting was sufficient to launch aninternet Coaching Psychology Forum as aplatform for discussion and continuing pro-fessional development. It was decided thatmembership would be restricted to BPS

3 The meeting had been agreed at the 2002 DCoP AGM under Any Other Business and isnoted in the AGM minutes.


Proposal to establish a Special Group

members, student subscribers and affiliates.Non-BPS members who wished to join wereencouraged to become members or affiliatesof the BPS, otherwise they would not be per-mitted to join the forum.

An article (Law, 2002) on coachingpsychology and the internet CoachingPsychology Forum was published in TheOccupational Psychologist. This generated afurther surge in membership. This articlewas part of the cross-psychology develop-ment that was initially agreed at the DCoPconference.

During 2002, about 70 BPS membersfrom different BPS subsystems joined theinternet Coaching Psychology Forum.4 Thisbreadth of membership meant that if a SIGwas finally set up within any one BPS Divi-sion, many members would be alienated, i.e.would not be allowed full membership of theSIG unless they were also full members ofthe said BPS Division. Further advice wassought from the BPS office and at a Coach-ing Psychology Forum seminar and meetingheld in London on 21 February 2003, it wasdecided to submit a proposal to the BPS forthe setting up of a Special Group in Coach-ing Psychology. Currently the forum has over100 BPS members including student sub-scribers and affiliates.5

A conference facilitated by the CoachingPsychology Forum on The Psychology ofCoaching, that was held in London on 6 June 2003 has created a lot of interest andwas fully booked over a month in advance ofthe event. It is anticipated that it will berepeated later this year.6

DefinitionsThe generally accepted definitions of coach-ing illustrate the difference between coach-ing and coaching psychology:● Coaching is unlocking a person’s

potential to maximise their ownperformance. It is helping them to learnrather than teaching them – a facilitationapproach (Whitmore, 1992, based onGallwey, a tennis expert).

● Coaching – Directly concerned with theimmediate improvement of performanceand development of skills by a form oftutoring or instruction – an instructionalapproach (Parsloe, 1995).

● Coaching – The art of facilitating theperformance, learning and developmentof another – a facilitation approach(Downey, 1999).

Whereas coaching psychology focuses on thepsychological theory and practice:● Coaching psychology is for enhancing

performance in work and personal lifedomains with normal, non-clinicalpopulations, underpinned by models ofcoaching grounded in establishedtherapeutic approaches (Grant andPalmer, 2002).

The definition for coaching psychology hasevolved in the UK as psychologists from avariety of BPS sub-systems have becomeinvolved with the coaching psychologyforum: ● Coaching psychology is for enhancing

well-being and performance in personallife and work domains underpinned bymodels of coaching grounded inestablished adult learning orpsychological approaches (adaptedGrant & Palmer, 2002).

Coaching Psychology is firmly rooted in thediscipline of Psychology, whilst focusing onunderstanding the skills, approaches andmodels that benefit well-being and perform-ance in personal life and work domains.

Coaching Psychology is a domain ofpractice for psychologists concerned withthe integration of psychological theory and

4 A Coaching Psychology Forum website was established, http://www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk5 By 8 March the Coaching Psychology Forum had over 370 members, all of whom were BPSmembers, students or affiliates; 70 per cent are Chartered members.6 The second and third conferences were run at the Society offices on 15 September 2003 and2 February 2004. Over 100 delegates attended.



research promoting individual well-beingand performance, as well as group andorganisational performance.

The practice of Coaching Psychologyrequires a high level of understanding ofindividual and group development estab-lished in psychological and adult learningtheory and the application of this under-standing to the individual context.

Coaching Psychology practice isgrounded in values that aim to empowerthose who use their services, and is groundedin ethical practice. Psychologists practicing ascoaches are bound by the Code of Conductof the British Psychological Society.

Examples of the application ofcoaching psychologyThe following examples of the application ofCoaching Psychology are intended to illumi-nate areas of practice, they are not exhaus-tive and include: ● Supporting people to develop effective

strategies for dealing with concernsabout specific areas of performance, forexample giving presentations.

● Providing 1:1 support to facilitate peoplein achieving their life and/or work goals.

● Facilitating the achievement of groupgoals.

● Supporting the development of effectivecoaching programmes in organisations.

● Supervising non-psychologists practicingas coaches in the personal life and workdomains.

● Offering training programmes incoaching.

RationaleIn the light of the issues raised in theprevious sections, we believe it is a matter ofurgency to promote the development ofcoaching psychology at an academic andpractitioner level, to develop ethical stan-dards, and to foster the influence of psycho-

logy within the broader coaching fieldbeyond the BPS. As such, we propose the for-mation of a Special Group in CoachingPsychology. We believe this will be beneficialto psychologists7, their clients (both individ-ual and organisational), professional bodiesinvolved in coaching, and the public at large.

The Special Group will actively promotea systemised body of psychological theoryand practice. This will support the growth ofa substantive evidence base on which thepractice of Coaching Psychology can build.Although there has been considerable inter-est in coaching, there is a lack of empiricalresearch validating its effectiveness especiallywith the adaptation of therapeuticapproaches to coaching. Promoting researchin this area is essential to sustainable coach-ing practice. Developing a clear body ofknowledge will support the practice ofCoaching Psychology and engage psycholo-gists in the wider growth of the profession.

The principles of Coaching Psychology, i.e.the application of psychological principlesand theories to underpin the practice ofcoaching, are practised across the member-ship of the BPS and have been developed indifferent areas of professional practice in theBPS. The Special Group will provide a focusfor discussion of issues relating to coachingpsychology from all BPS members and a rangeof sub-systems within the BPS, most notably,but not exclusively, the Section of SportsPsychology, the Division of ClinicalPsychology, the Division of OccupationalPsychology, the Division of CounsellingPsychology and the Division of EducationalPsychology. The Special Group will fostercross-fertilisation within the BPS, and facilitatethe sharing of best practice and disseminationof research findings through a variety ofmedia. The Special Group will ensure that itmaintains an inclusive approach to the knowl-edge and practice of Coaching Psychologyfrom across the BPS.

7 The Coaching Psychology Forum undertook a survey of 90 members. The vast majorityresponded that they found that neither the BPS nor other professional bodies currently sup-ported their interest in coaching psychology.



The Special Group will enable the regu-lation of study and practice of coaching to besupported. This will begin to challenge thecurrent lack of regulation in these areaswithin the coaching generally. By establish-ing the psychological theory underpinningthe practice of coaching, and creating stan-dards for study and practice, the SpecialGroup will enable psychologists, clients andthe public generally to identify a clearersense of what constitutes good coachingfrom a psychological perspective.

The Special Group will provide a focuswithin the BPS for engaging external bodiesconcerned with effective coaching practice.Already, the development of coaching hasmoved rapidly from a marginalized to amainstream activity. Many influential voicessuch as the Association for Coaching, theEuropean Mentoring and Coaching Coun-cil, the Chartered Institute of Personnel andDevelopment, have shaped or are currentlyshaping this development and will continueto influence the development regardless ofthe role that psychologists may have histori-cally had in this area. The Special Group willenable psychology to develop and maintainan influential voice as coaching grows anddevelops at this critical time.

Already Coaching Psychology Forum mem-bers are influencing the development of coach-ing with external professional bodies. It isenvisaged that if the Special Group is formedthen it will continue the close relationship thathas developed over the past 12 months betweenthe Coaching Psychology Forum and the Aus-tralian Psychological Society Interest Group inCoaching Psychology. There is interest in theirmembers joining the Special Group9.

AimsThe aims of the Special Group shall be as fol-lows:To promote the development of coaching psychologyThe Special Group will focus on increasing

the knowledge and skills base of its membersin this field of work.To encourage the research and study of coachingpsychology in a variety of personal, organisationaland training contexts.More research is required into the psychologyof coaching (see Grant, 2001). For example,how effective are the facilitation or instruc-tional models of coaching? Another possiblearea of research relates to intervention adher-ence or compliance in executive coaching asthere is hardly any paper published on thistopic (Kilburg, 2001). An EMCC document(Bluckert, 2003) identifies nine types ofcoaching and an additional number of thera-peutic approaches that have been adapted tocoaching such as cognitive-behavioural ther-apy, NLP, and Transpersonal. Psychologistscan help to develop evidenced-based coach-ing in which the theory, skills and techniqueshave been proven to be effective. In addition,Peltier (2001) has written on a range of ther-apeutic approaches being adapted to coach-ing practice including psychodynamic,person-centred and family therapy. The use ofthese therapeutic approaches adapted tocoaching within personal, group, organisa-tional and training contexts opens up newand important areas of research. Althoughthe theory and practice of the cognitive-behavioural, problem-solving, and multi-modal coaching approaches have beenillustrated (see Neenan and Palmer, 2001;Palmer, Cooper and Thomas, 2003; Richard,1999) there is a lack of research into theireffectiveness with non-clinical populations.This is an area of work that needs urgent atten-tion which the Special Group will encourage.

To promote the application of appropriate ethicalstandards and guidelines for the practice of coach-ing psychologyAs psychologists practicing coachingpsychology work in a variety of settings, it isimportant that ethical standards and guide-

9 With the amount of interest the Coaching Psychology Forum has created, it is likely that if aSpecial Group is formed there will be non-psychologists in the UK and overseas psychologistswho will want to join it. This has already increased the number of BPS affiliates.



lines are promoted and upheld to cater forthe different issues that can arise. To encourage the development of coachingpsychology by facilitating workshops, symposia,conferences and publications.Already the Coaching Psychology Forum hasrun a workshop (The Future of CoachingPsychology in the UK) and is holding a con-ference on 6 June, 2003 (The Psychology ofCoaching) both sponsored by IBM9. It is cur-rently arranging a number of CPD events formembers10. It is proposed that the SpecialGroup would continue to run regular eventsfor its members. In addition, non-BPS mem-bers who either practise or employ coacheswill be invited to the events so that the pro-file of coaching psychology will be raised. Itis proposed that the Special Group will pub-lish a newsletter containing research andpractice papers plus news items, and Occa-sional Papers on particular topics.

To develop public awareness of the nature, aimsand practical applications of coaching psychology.Currently the BPS is asked to make com-ments to the media about coaching-relatedissues. There is a fair amount of misunder-standing about what coaching involves. Tele-vision and radio programmes show ‘coaches’being not just active and directive, but veryprescriptive. In addition, issues related toconfidentiality and ethics are difficult formembers of the public to understand whenthey read in newspapers about well knownpeople and their ‘coaches’ talking to othersabout personal information.

To add to this, there is a whole host ofcoaching derivatives, and CoachingPsychology needs to work to establish whatand how Psychology adds to the coachingarena and how this complements and differsfrom some of the other forms of ‘coaching’that are present.

The Special Group would have a pool ofmembers willing to speak to the media oncoaching psychology and coaching-relatedissues.

To work closely with Sections, Special Groups andDivisions of the Society in pursuit of these aimsand, to collaborate appropriately with externalagencies and organisations.Other BPS Sections, Special Groups andDivisions already have members applyingcoaching theory and skills such as sports psy-chologists, educational psychologists, clinicalpsychologists, occupational psychologistsand counselling psychologists. This is similarto how counselling theory and practice isused by psychologists across the board. How-ever, the proposed Special Group will focusall of its attention to coaching psychologyand will benefit from the support of othersubsystems of the BPS.

Members of the existing coachingpsychology forum are already activelyinvolved with external organisations and col-laboration with the Australian PsychologicalSociety, Interest Group in CoachingPsychology could lead to the hosting of inter-national conferences.

To promote the interests of members of the SpecialGroup in their activities in coaching psychology.By ensuring that the public become aware ofcoaching psychology as a branch ofpsychology, then the interests of the mem-bers can be promoted externally. Also byeducating other psychologists about coach-ing psychology through publications such asThe Psychologist, their interests will be pro-moted within the BPS. (The Occupational Psy-chologist has commissioned a special editionon coaching psychology to be publishedlater this year.)

9 Delegates fees are currently being paid into a BPS bank account. If the proposed SpecialGroup is formed, then these fees will be transferred to a relevant BPS bank account.10 We recently made a presentation on Coaching Psychology at the DOP conference, andattracted an audience of well over 100 people. In addition to the three events we have run sofar, we are planning our conferences schedule for 2004/5.



To carry on all such activities as may be conduciveto the foregoing aims.

ConclusionThere is a growing demand for a BPS SpecialGroup in Coaching Psychology to supportBPS members who have an interest in orpractice coaching within a psychologicalframework.

The proposed Special Group will facili-tate sharing of research, best practice andknowledge in this field of work throughmeetings, conferences, workshops, seminars

and a regular newsletter.

AcknowledgementsWe acknowledge the helpful contributionand feedback made by the following to thisdocument: Claire Ballard, Professor RobertBor, Giles St John Burch, Margaret Chap-man, Professor Cary Cooper, Nick Edgerton,Richard Kwiatkowski, Professor David Lane,Dr Ho Law, Tammy Mindel, Professor Mikevan Oudtshoorn, Jonathan Passmore,Vanessa Rhone, Peter Ruddell, Kasia Szy-manska, Professor Mary Watts, BarbaraWilloughby, Pauline Willis, Professor RayWoolfe.

Julie AllanClaire BallardGordon BarkerJoan Baxter AFBPsSRobert Bor AFBPsSRowan BradfordHazel BraithwaiteAnnette Brooks-RooneyGiles St John Burch Kristine BushMargaret ChapmanLouise Clarkson AFBPsSCary L Cooper FBPsSMary D DayKieran Duignan AFBPsSNick Edgerton AFBPsSHeather Freeman-MayBruce GrimleySyd HalsteadVictoria HendersonDinah JenkinsRobert S.P. Jones AFBPsS

Stephen Joseph AFBPsSRichard Kwiatkowski AFBPsSDavid Lane FBPsSHo C LawJosephine McHale AFBPsSTamar Mindel AFBPsSMel Myers AFBPsSMaja O’Brien AFBPsPStephen Palmer AFBPsSRobert Parkinson AFBPsSPaul Scott PhillipsVanessa RhoneAdrian Starksy AFBPsSAmanda Sherlock-StoryKasia Szymanska AFBPsSDenise Taylor AFBPsSClaire Willis FBPsSPauline WillisBarbara Anne WilloughbyAlison WhybrowDouglas Young

Supporters of the proposal to establish a Special Group in Coaching Psychology



Bluckert, P. (2003). Typology of coaching and mentoring.Draft 1. London: European Mentoring andCoaching Council.

Carter, A. (2001). Executive coaching: Inspiring perform-ance at work. Report 379, Institute of EmploymentStudies.

Cockerill, I. (2002). Solutions in sport psychology. Lon-don: Thomson.

Downey, M. (1999) Effective coaching. London: OrionBusiness Books.

Fournies, F.F. (2000). Coaching for improved work per-formance. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Gallwey, T. (1975). The inner game of tennis. New York:Random House.

Gallwey, T. (1979). The inner game of golf. New York:Random House.

Grant, A.M. (2001). Towards a psychology of coaching.Sydney: Coaching Psychology Unit, University ofSydney.

Grant, A.M. & Palmer, S. (2002). CoachingPsychology. Meeting held at the Annual Confer-ence of Division of Counselling Psychology,British Psychological Society, Torquay, 18 May.

Kilburg, R.R. (2001). Facilitating intervention adher-ence in executive coaching: A model and meth-ods. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice andResearch, 53, 4, 251-267.

Law, H.C. (2002). Coaching Psychology InterestGroup – an introduction. The Occupational Psychologist, 47, 31–32.

Neenan, M. & Dryden, W. (2002). Life coaching:A cognitive-behavioural approach. Hove: Brunner-Routledge.

Neenan, M. & Palmer, S. (2001). Cognitive BehaviouralCoaching. Stress News, 13, 3, 15-18.

Palmer, S., Tubbs, I. & Whybrow, A. (2003). Healthcoaching to facilitate the promotion of healthybehaviour and achievement of health-relatedgoals. International Journal of Health Promotion andEducation, 41, 3, 91-93.

Palmer, S., Cooper, C, & Thomas, K. (2003). Creatinga balance: Managing stress. London: BritishLibrary.

Parkes, R.C. (1955). We use seven guides to helpexecutives develop. Personal Journal, 33, 326–328.

Parsloe, E. (1995). Coaching, mentoring, and assessing:A practical guide to developing competence. New York,NY: Kogan Page.

Parsloe, E. & Wray, M. (2000). Coaching and Mentor-ing: Practical methods to improve learning. London:Kogan Page.

Peltier, B. (2001). The psychology of executive coaching:Theory and application. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

Richard, J.T. (1999). Multimodal Therapy: A usefulmodel for the executive coach. Consulting Psychology Journal, 51, 1, 24-30.

Whitmore, J. (1992). Coaching for performance. London: Nicholas Brealey.

Williams, D.I. & Irving, J.A. (2001). Coaching: Anunregulated, unstructured and (potentially)unethical process. The Occupational Psychologist,42, 3–7.

References

VACANCYTo be part of a dynamic team

Sub-Committee for Professional Practice andResearchSpecial Group in Coaching Psychology

Contact:

Alanna O’Broin, e-mail: [email protected]

including a recent CV/biography and short overview of the unique contribution

which you can make to SGCP.


SUPERFICIALLY, at least, positivepsychology and coaching psychologywould seem to have a lot in common.

They have both captured the popular psy-chological imagination, and are both con-cerned with the improvement ofperformance and well-being. In this shortarticle, we will try and identify what we see assome of the deeper convergences betweenpositive psychology and coachingpsychology, and briefly explore their impli-cations for coaching psychology practice.

Positive psychology was christened inMartin Seligman’s 1998 Presidential Addressto the American Psychological Association,and a seminal issue of the flagship AmericanPsychologist (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi,2000) swiftly followed. In the UK, a specialedition of The Psychologist (Linley, Joseph &Boniwell, 2003) was devoted to the topic, andthe First European Positive Psychology Con-ference was held in Winchester in June 2002.Positive psychology may be defined as the sci-entific study of optimal functioning, focusingon aspects of the human condition that leadto happiness, fulfilment, and flourishing,with core positive psychology research topicsincluding happiness, wisdom, creativity, andhuman strengths. More recently, interest hasbegun to emerge in what has become knownas applied positive psychology (‘the applica-tion of positive psychology research to thefacilitation of optimal functioning,’ Linley &Joseph, 2004a, p.4), and coaching is increas-ingly being understood from the positive psy-chological perspective (Kauffman & Scoular,2004; Linley, 2004). Why is it that these twoapproaches seem to have dovetailed soneatly? We suggest there are three primaryreasons for this powerful integration, whichwe elucidate below.

First, both positive psychology and coach-ing psychology are explicitly concerned withthe enhancement of performance and well-being , beginning at the level of the individ-ual. Arguably, one may suggest that thisdefinition applies to the whole ofpsychology. In practice, however, most psy-chologists may have traditionally consideredtheir job to be done when the ‘client’ wasfree of psychological problems and difficul-ties. To the positive psychologist and thecoaching psychologist, that is to stop at onlyhalf way. Psychology has as much, if notmore, to offer in facilitating people toachieve higher levels of performance andwell-being, and it sells itself short in focusingonly on the alleviation of psychopathology.Positive psychology and coaching psychologyrecognise this, and strive ‘to promote opti-mal functioning across the full range ofhuman functioning, from disorder and dis-tress to health and fulfilment’ (Linley &Joseph, 2004a, p.4).

Second, in focusing on the plus side ofhuman nature rather than only on its failingsand weaknesses, both positive psychologyand coaching psychology have implicitlychallenged practitioners to question the fun-damental assumptions which they holdabout human nature (Linley & Joseph,2004b). In a nutshell, there are three possi-ble assumptions: we may believe that peopleare by nature destructive, and thus need tobe controlled. Or we may believe that peoplehave the propensity for both good and evil,and thus we need to keep down the evil andpromote the good. Or we may believe thatpeople are motivated by socially constructivedirectional forces, and that we need there-fore to provide the right environmental con-ditions to allow them to flourish. It has been

Positive Psychology and CoachingPsychology: Perspectives on integrationP. Alex Linley & Susan Harrington


P. Alex Linley & Susan Harrington

argued elsewhere (Joseph & Linley, 2004)that positive psychology has implicitlyadopted this third fundamental assumptionabout human nature. Here, we would arguethat coaching psychology raises these samequestions, and that by considering their ownfundamental assumptions, coaching psychol-ogists may gain a greater insight on howthese assumptions impact on their practice.

Third, positive psychology has infused aninterest in the psychology of humanstrengths, and we argue that this is an areathat provides significant potential for devel-opment and benefit to coaching psycholo-gists Traditionally, psychological researchinto human strengths has been fragmentedand disparate: Psychologists have studiedindividual strengths (e.g. creativity, hope,optimism, gratitude), but have not devel-oped classification systems or taxonomies toprovide a framework for understanding thefamily of psychological strengths as a whole:Indeed, it is likely that not all psychologicalstrengths have yet been empirically identified.

However, a major enterprise within posi-tive psychology has been the development ofthe VIA Classification of Strengths (Peterson& Seligman, 2004), which attempts, for thefirst time, to provide a way of understandinghuman strengths at a meta-level of analysis.In our own work, we have proposed a more

integrative definition of a strength as ‘a nat-ural capacity for behaving, thinking, or feel-ing in a way that allows optimal functioningand performance in the pursuit of valuedoutcomes’ (Linley & Harrington, in press),and we are currently working to validate newmeasures of a range of psychologicalstrengths that our research has identified(see www.personalitystrengths.com). Whilestill in its infancy, these approaches repre-sent a major advance in the psychologicalunderstanding of strengths, and one that hasmany implications for the practice of coach-ing psychologists.

Overall, then, we argue that positivepsychology and coaching psychology are nat-ural partners in applied psychology. Both areconcerned with the facilitation and promo-tion of optimal human functioning, and bothchallenge traditional fundamental assump-tions about human nature. However, themost exciting potential for their further inte-gration may lie in the application of strengthswithin coaching psychology, and we look for-ward eagerly to what the future may hold.

Address for correspondenceP. Alex Linley, PhD, School of Psychology,Henry Wellcome Building, University ofLeicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE19HN. E-mail: [email protected]

Joseph, S. & Linley, P.A. (2004). Positive therapy: Apositive psychological theory of therapeuticpractice. In P. A. Linley & S. Joseph (Eds.) Posi-tive psychology in practice (pp.354-368). Hoboken,NJ: Wiley.

Kauffman, C. & Scoular, A. (2004). Toward a positivepsychology of executive coaching. In P. A. Linley& S. Joseph (Eds.) Positive psychology in practice(pp.287–302). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Linley, P.A. (2004, October). Coaching psychology: Thepositive psychological foundations. Paper presentedat the International Positive Psychology Summit,Washington, DC.

Linley, P.A. & Harrington, S. (in press). Strengthspsychology: Academic and applied perspectives.The Psychologist.

Linley, P.A. & Joseph, S. (2004a). Applied positivepsychology: A new perspective for professional

practice. In P.A. Linley & S. Joseph (Eds.) Posi-tive psychology in practice (pp.3–12). Hoboken,NJ: Wiley.

Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2004b). Toward atheoretical foundation for positive psychology inpractice. In P.A. Linley & S. Joseph (Eds.) Positivepsychology in practice (pp.713-731). Hoboken, NJ:Wiley.

Linley, P.A., Joseph, S. & Boniwell, I. (Eds.) (2003).In a positive light. [Special Issue on PositivePsychology]. The Psychologist, 16(3).

Peterson, C. & Seligman, M.E.P. (2004). Character strengthsand virtues: A handbook and classification. Washing-ton, DC: American Psychological Association.

Seligman, M.E.P. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (Eds.).(2000). Special issue on happiness, excellence,and optimal human functioning. American Psy-chologist,55 (1).

References


WORK-RELATED stress is a seriousproblem and the Health and SafetyExecutive’s (2003/04) survey of

self-reported work-related illness indicatedthat more than half a million individuals inBritain were experiencing work stress at alevel that was causing them ill-health. It wasalso found that, behind musculoskeletal dis-orders, stress related conditions were themost frequently reported group of work-related ill-health conditions. Stress has beendefined as ‘the adverse reaction people haveto excessive pressures or other types ofdemand placed on them’ (HSE, 2001). Therelationship between hazards, symptoms andoutcomes of stress is illustrated in ‘Model ofWork Stress’ (Palmer, Cooper & Thomas,2004).

Counselling and stress Workplace counselling services andEmployee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)are becoming increasingly common (Hill,2000), and it has been suggested that themain rationale for providing these services isto deal with work related stress (Briner,1997) even though counselling may notdirectly tackle hazards such as work overloador lack of control. There are mixed reportsregarding the effectiveness of counselling inreducing work-related stress. Briner (1997)claims that there is little sound evidence forthe effectiveness of stress management inter-ventions including counselling, whereas Hill

(2000) suggests that there is plenty of evi-dence supporting the value of counselling inreducing stress. However, research has foundthat certain organisations are reluctanttowards the use of counselling to tackle workstress due to the stigma and negative percep-tions associated with counselling (Gyllen-sten, Palmer & Farrants, 2005). Similarly,Peltier (2002) reports that counselling car-ries a stigma within the corporate world.Coaching on the other hand is viewed verydifferently and has positive connotationswithin the corporate arena (Gyllensten et al.,2005; Peltier, 2002).

Coaching and stress Grant (2001, p.8) defines workplace coach-ing as ‘…a solution-focused, result-orien-tated systematic process in which the coachfacilitates the enhancement of work per-formance and the self-directed learning andpersonal growth of the coachee.’ Accordingto Palmer, Tubbs and Whybrow (2003)coaching has become acceptable to organi-sations to manage stress, improve perform-ance and achieve goals. Likewise, Hearn(2001) suggests that coaching can be usefulin tackling stress as it can help individuals toidentify stressors, find permanent solutionsand maintain changes (also see Neenan &Palmer, 2001; Skiffington & Zeus, 2003).

Interestingly, for all the hyperbole that isendemic in the field of coaching regardingits benefits, typified by advertisements and

Can coaching reduce workplace stress?Kristina Gyllensten & Stephen Palmer

Abstract Work related stress is causing concern and is having negative effects on individuals and organisations(HSE, 2001). Various interventions are used to reduce workplace stress but this paper proposes that coach-ing can be effective in tackling stress. Coaching is becoming increasingly popular and is viewed positivelywithin the corporate world (Peltier, 2002) yet there is a lack of relevant published research demonstratingthe link between coaching and stress reduction, management or prevention. This article highlights litera-ture that indicates coaching can be effective in reducing stress. Keywords: work related stress, coaching, coaching psychologists, research into effectiveness, counselling


Krusyina Gyllensten & Stephen Palmer

coaching service provider websites, there isstill a lack of research on the effectiveness ofcoaching (see Grant, 2001 for an in-depthreview of the existing research). However,the Association for Coaching (2004) con-ducted a web-based survey investigating thereturn on investment (ROI) from corporatecoaching with participants from various busi-ness sectors. Participants reported that bene-fits of coaching included improvedproductivity, job motivation, people manage-ment skills and work life balance.

As well as there being a lack of researchon coaching effectiveness in general thereappears to be a lack of research investigatingcoaching and stress. Nevertheless, the effectsof coaching on stress and burnout wereinvestigated in The Executive Coaching Pro-ject (CompassPoint Nonprofit Services,2003). Twenty-four executive directors par-ticipated in the study and received 40 hoursof coaching. Survey results showed no statis-tical differences between the baseline andthe final post-test regarding perceived levelsof work-related stress and burnout (positivechanges were found in other areas). How-ever, in interviews several participantsreported that coaching had helped them toreduce stress and burnout. Wales (2003)conducted a qualitative study exploring 16managers’ experiences of coaching, and twoof the themes that emerged were stress man-agement and work/life balance. Many of theparticipants reported that coaching hadhelped them to reduce their high stress lev-els and that they felt calmer and more ableto deal with pressure following coaching.Regarding work/life balance the managersreported that coaching had helped them tobe more proactive in the management of thedifferent roles in their lives. In addition, sev-eral case studies have reported that coachingwas effective in tacking work related stress(Ascentia, 2005; Richard, 1999).

Why would coaching reduce workrelated stress? Coaching may help to reduce stress directlyif an individual is seeking coaching in orderto deal with stress (Hearn, 2001) and anappropriate coaching intervention isfocused on tackling its causes, whether inter-nal (i.e. perceptions or unhelpful corebeliefs) or external (organisational). How-ever, coaching could also help to reducestress indirectly. In this scenario an individ-ual may seek coaching for a variety of rea-sons, for example to improve performance,increase efficiency, achieve work relatedgoals, or improve communication skills.When the coachee improves in the area tar-geted by coaching intervention, it is possiblethat they will become less stressed or pres-sured.

Coaching could be used at all three levelsof organisational intervention, i.e. primary,secondary and tertiary, although at the terti-ary level the practitioners may be coachingpsychologists also qualified in other areas ofpsychology such as counselling or clinicalpsychology or with the relevant continuingprofessional development and on-goingsupervision.

Further researchWe are conducting a research study investigat-ing whether or not coaching can reduce work-place stress. Two large organisations, withmore than 3,000 employees, are participatingin the study and both qualitative and quantita-tive methodologies are being used. We intendpublishing the results from the research in acoaching psychology and/or health-relatedjournal within the next 12 months.

Address for correspondence:Professor Stephen Palmer, City University,Dept of Psychology, Northampton Square,London EC1V 0HB. E-mail: [email protected]


Can coaching reduce workplace stress?

Ascentia (2005). Case studies. International Journalof Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 3(1).

Association for Coaching (2004). Research survey:Return on investment (ROI) from corporate coaching.Retrieved 3 February, 2005, from www.associa-tionforcoaching.com

Briner, R.B. (1997). Improving stress assessment:Toward an evidence-based approach to organiza-tional stress interventions. Journal of PsychosomaticResearch, 43, 61–71.

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services (2003). Executivecoaching project: Evaluation of findings. Retrieved28 January, 2005 from www.compasspoint.org.

Grant, A.M. (2001). Towards a psychology of coaching.Retrieved 12 May, 2003 from www.psych.usyd.edu.au.

Gyllensten, K., Palmer, S. & Farrants, J. (2005). Per-ception of stress & stress interventions in financeorganisations: Overcoming resistance towardscounselling. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 18,19–29.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (2001). Tacklingwork-related stress: A manger’s guide to improving andmaintaining employee health and well-being. Suffolk:HSE.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (2003/2004).Health and safety statistics highlights. Retrieved 10May, 2004, from www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/caus-dis/stress.htm

Hearn, W. (2001). The role of coaching in stressmanagement. Stress News, 13, 15–17.

Hill, C. (2000). Does workplace counselling have anorganisational function? Counselling PsychologyReview, 15, 13–23.

Neenan, M. & Palmer, S. (2001). Cognitive behav-ioural coaching. Stress News, 13, 3, 15–18.

Richard, J.T. (1999). Multimodal therapy: A usefulmodel for the executive coach. ConsultingPsychology Journal: Practice and Research, 51, 24–30.

Palmer, S., Cooper, C. & Thomas, K. (2004). A modelof work stress to underpin the Health and SafetyExecutive advice for tackling work-related stressand stress risk assessments. Counselling at Work,Winter, 2–-5.

Palmer, S., Tubbs, I. & Whybrow, A. (2003). Healthcoaching to facilitate the promotion of healthybehaviour and achievement of health-relatedgoals. International Journal of Health Promotion andEducation, 41, 91-93.

Peltier, B. (2001). The psychology of executive coaching:Theory and application. New York: Brunner Rout-ledge.

Skiffington, S. & Zeus, P. (2003). Behavioural coaching:How to build sustainable personal and organzationalstrength. North Ryde: McGraw Hill.

Wales, S. (2003). Why coaching? Journal of ChangeManagement, 3, 275–282.

References

Executive Coaching Psychology ResearchThe BPS Special Group in Coaching Psychology is supporting research into coachingpsychology practice. One of the major projects underway is a research project led byJonathan Passmore. Jonathan, who was active in the Coaching Psychology Forum at itsformative period during 2003, is researching coaches’ and coaches’ perceptions of theexecutive coaching experience. Jonathan has already completed the first phase of theresearch involving interviews with a sample of senior executives who have used coaching.The second part of the project is a major survey of some 3000 executive/business coaches,which is due to be launched in September. As a member of the SGCP e-mail discussion list forum you will receive an e-mail invitation to participate. You can check out further details about the survey on the survey web page:http://www.opm.co.uk/survey/coaching/coach.htm. Save this as one of your favouritesand you can link to the survey when it opens on 1 Sepember. If you are interested in theresults we will be carrying a piece later in the year and Jonathan is hoping to presentfindings at the BPS Occupational Psychology Conference in January 2006.If you would like to e-mail Jonathan he can be reached [email protected] Passmore

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27 SEPTEMBER 2005


Iwould like to take this opportunity in thefirst issue of The Coaching Psychologist tointroduce myself as your founding com-

mittee member with a strategic responsibilityin all ethical aspects of our Special Group.

I am a Chartered Occupational Psycholo-gist with 20 years’ experience in central gov-ernment and private practice. I wasinstrumental in helping Professor StephenPalmer to set up the former CoachingPsychology Forum by communicating thedevelopment to the Division of Occupa-tional Psychology. I also contributed to thespecial edition on coaching psychology inThe Occupational Psychologist (Law, 2003), andwas the former Head of the ProfessionalForum for the Association for Coaching.

Being a member of the Association of Busi-ness Psychologists, Divisions of CounsellingPsychology and Sport and ExercisePsychology, I advocate diversity in coaching. Ihave long been engaged in championingdiversity and embedding ethical thinking inour profession. I was one of the first equalityadvisors to the Assistant Permanent UnderSecretary of State in the Home Office, and theDeputy chair of the BPS Standing Committeefor Promotion of Equal Opportunities. So myspecific contribution to the Special Group is todevelop ethical principles and its relationshipbetween coaching and psychology. I regardthese disciplines as two central pillars in coach-ing psychology as a discipline and a profes-sion. Within this context, the development ofethical principles would have an importantimplication for the way we define and practisecoaching psychology. Within this context thisarticle aims to address two key questions:● What forms should ethical thinking take?● What is the impact of ethical principles

on the practice of coaching psychology?

Ethical thinking and its principles are usuallyembedded in many professional bodies inthe form of self-regulation. Members arerequired to commit to ethical standards anda code of practice. The main aim is to pro-tect clients and the public from dangerouspractice with the objectives to:● benefit clients;● ensure safety;● protect clients;● manage boundaries; and ● manage conflict.Translating the above into a code of practicerequires us as coaching psychologists to:1. Do no harm.2. Act in the best interest of our clients and

their organisation. 3. Observe confidentiality. 4. Respect differences in culture. 5. Apply effectively the best practice in

everything we do.6. Help our clients make informed choices

and take responsibility to improve theirperformance and well-being.

7. Recognise our role as a coachingpsychologist.

There are many common aspects in theabove objectives and code of practice acrossa wide range of professions such as coun-selling and psychotherapy (for example, seeBarnes & Mudin, 2001; Hill & Jones 2003;and the BPS Code of Conduct, Ethical Principlesand Guidelines). However, there are alsomany aspects that are unique in coachingpsychology that distinguish it from manyother disciplines. For example, a coachingpsychologist is asked by a director (thebudget holder) to coach a team of seniormanagers (the job holders) with an objectiveto improve their performance (see Law,2003). In this case, the term ‘client’ within

The role of ethical principles in CoachingPsychologyHo Law


Ho Law

such an organisational context is very differ-ent from those of counselling and psy-chotherapy. A number of questions wouldarise from such a coaching process:● Who are the clients? ● Whose benefit has priority?● Whose interests is the coaching

psychologist serving?● What is the coaching psychologist’s

ethical duty?● What is the responsibility of the coaching

psychologist to manage different valuesand interests between all thestakeholders?

● How the differences are managed?● Is there potential for abuse of power?● What are the issues of confidentiality?● What are the implications of vicarious

liability?Managing the multiple boundaries, relation-ships and conflicts are particularly importantin the above situation and in coachingpsychology in general. Coaching psychologyis a different practice from counselling andtherapy. It requires us to have different atti-tudes, knowledge, skills and ethical thinkingas part of our professional competence.

There is not enough space for me toanswer all of the above questions here. Tounpack the complexity in this area wouldrequire further research and development.

The aims of this article are to introduce myrole and open up this space for reflectionand discussion about ethical principle in ourprofession. Clare Huffington and I arepreparing a strategy for the working rela-tionship with other organisations. I hope tohave the opportunity in future issues to con-tinue reporting on the development of theethical aspects of coaching psychology.Future work may include:1. Developing ethical principles in

coaching psychology.2. Identifying the ethical implications for

supervision of coaching psychologists.3. Developing quality control procedures.4. Promoting diversity in coaching

psychology.5. Developing training in coaching

psychology.6. Embedding ethical principles as part of

the core competence and continualdevelopment in our profession.

I would welcome any comments and contri-bution on these topics.

Address for correspondence [email protected] (www.empsy.com)

Barnes, F.P. & L. Mudin (2001 Ed.) Values and Ethicsin the Practice of Psychotherapy and Counselling.Buckingham: Open University Press.

Hill, D. & Jones, C. (2003) (Ed.) Forms of EthicalThinking in Therapeutic Practice. Buckingham:Open University Press.

Law, H.C. (2002) Coaching Psychology InterestGroup – an introduction. The Occupational Psychologist, 47, 31–32.

Law, H.C. (2003) Applying Psychology in ExecutiveCoaching Programmes for organisations. The Occupational Psychologist, 49, 12–19.

References

Visit the Society’s Website

�www.bps.org.uk


MOST of my coaching time is spenttripping over myself. I can hardlywait to explore the coachee’s issues

before I am rushing in to get them ready toset goals, or to analyse their lifestyle imbal-ance, do a cognitive checklist or evaluatetheir own self-care strategies. I am learningto slowdown.

Was that good for you?One of the things that has slowed me downis to ask at the beginning of the secondsession: ‘What did you get from our firstsession together?’

This is a humbling experience. Thosewonderful gems and precious insights that Ithought I was sharing are so rarely men-tioned. On the other hand a session that Ithought was simply me listening and writingdown a thorough summary has so oftenhelped the person to hear themselves moredeeply and to identify their own themes.

Are you in balance?It has been well over two decades since Eganwrote that wonderful book The Skilled Helper.He argued cogently that effective helpingrequires a mix of empathy and action. Isometimes wonder if coaching is a responseto this perceived imbalance. None of uswants to be entirely and purely understand-ing: it is too tiring. To be totally surroundedby tea and sympathy sounds lovely but we allstrive for a challenge. Coaching psychologyis, and should be, ultimately present andfuture orientated and measured by itsresults. The main criticism that I hear ofcoaches, coaching psychologists and coach-ing programmes, however, is that they aretoo task oriented and superficial. In otherword we have not listened effectively enoughbefore moving into the action stage.

If you need a friendI am arguing here for a fuller, deeper kind oflistening. My own Australian mentor of manyyears’ experience summarised for me justbefore his retirement his own changes.Nowadays I follow more and lead less.

The emphasis on change can blind us tothe obvious needs. Maybe the coachee justwants to be listened to and is not yet ready tochange. Maybe in their hectic life this is theonly place for them to be and to be held.Maybe they lack a sense of sanctuary, arelonely or feel that there is no one there forthem.

It is possible to sense all of these needsand to respond to them without going backinto counselling.

If it don’t fitTo go all the way back to Egan again, he sug-gested that we listen for a person’s leveragepoint. This is a key motivator, theme or con-cern that is brought into the sessions. WhenI ask what people got from our first session Iam really fishing for this leverage point. Imight think that what I am hearing is a seri-ous lifestyle imbalance, for example. Thecoachee’s only concern, however, is losingtheir spouse, as they are so grumpy whenthey get home. I might be hearing fromsomeone who is driven and in my mindneeds to chill out. This leverage point, how-ever, is how to enjoy their work more. I sometimes think that effective coachingpsychology is like one of the gentler form ofthe martial arts. We never stand against orpush the other person. If they rush at thingswe simply point out where they might fallover. In the end it is about them standingfirmly in the world.

This type of coaching can benefit fromthe addiction literature on motivationalinterviewing.

Effective listeningJohn Groom


John Groom

It’s up to you.Effective coaching does need to draw onknown bodies of research and proven skills.I am simply making a plea that our focus onskills and knowledge does not stop us fromrecognising the other person’s deepestneeds. Before I shifted over to coaching Iused to do a lot of work with men having sex-ual performance problems. In one way it wasvery satisfying and important work. It is anarea where there has been plenty of researchand hence a client can easily be slotted intoa programme. It was the programme thatbecame my downfall in that it became amechanistic exercise lacking spontaneityand relationship. These qualities – spontane-ity and relationship – were of course proba-bly the same things that the clients hadmissing in their lives!

The answer is 42It is important in coaching that we bring

ourselves fully into the relationship; that weare free to be natural and creative includinga child-like ignorance. Eric Berne once

exclaimed that we are on earth to explorethe three big questions: Who am I? What amI doing here? Who the heck are these otherpeople? Coaching psychology is a great wayto explore these issues. As a coach when Imove away from a coaching formula andwalk alongside the other person I gain asense of wonder. Rather than being over-whelmed by their struggles, I admire theirresilience. Rather than attempting topigeon-hole them, I become genuinely curi-ous about what their next step will be.

Take a bowBeing fully present to a coachee is no easytask. It requires a high degree of self- aware-ness, lifestyle balance, self-care and effectivesupervision. The rewards are great.

The two bits of feedback that I treasurethe most as a coach are: You are like a hikingguide and I didn’t drive all this way to be ina room by myself.

Contactwww.johngroom.co.nz

BPS Book Award 2006: The Research Boardinvites nominationsAward – £500 annual award. The cheque and commemorative certificate will normally be presented atthe Annual Conference at which the winner(s) will be invited to deliver a lecture.

Eligibility – Books published after 1 January 2003 that make a significant contribution to theadvancement of psychology may be nominated, and the author or at least one co-author should beresident in the UK. Edited collections of papers are not eligible, nor are books published by the Society.

Nominations – Nominations should include:● a letter giving the title of the book, name(s) of the author(s), publisher and date of publication;

● a short statement (not more than one side of A4) explaining why the author(s) should receive the

award;● copies of at least two published reviews of the book;

● supporting statements by up to three additional referees with expertise in that field;

● a copy of the book, whenever possible.

Nominators may be individuals, authors, publishers or their agents. Nominations should be sent to theChair of the Research Board at the Society’s office, to arrive no later than Friday 30 September 2005.

Further details from – Lisa Morrison Coulthard at the Society’s Leicester office: [email protected]


SINCE the Executive Committee was putin place at the Inaugural Meeting on 15December 2004, the Special Group in

Coaching Psychology (SGCP) Committeehas expanded, with the appointment of fourordinary members, an ex-officio memberand a co-opted member to active posts. Fur-ther new arrivals have included our regionalrepresentative for Scotland, conferencereporter, e-mail co-administrator and an edi-torial board member. Two sub-committeeshave been convened to further many of theaction points outlined in our Strategic Plan2005–2006, a copy of which is included inthis issue. The Plan will provide an impor-tant yardstick against which to measure ourprogress in the coming year.

A short report such as this cannot hopeto describe all the activities undertaken bythe Committee since election, but here arethe highlights:● A full and varied events programme for

2005 has been announced includingeight London and regional events and a

national conference with conferenceworkshops in December (see elsewherein this newsletter).

● We have launched The CoachingPsychologist, our in-house publication.

● We are finalising talks to set up aninternational publication.

● Both an e-mail discussion list and e-mailannouncement list have been imple-mented within the family of BPS lists forthe use of SGCP members.

During the six months since the InauguralMeeting, SGCP membership has continuedto climb rapidly, from 1572 at inception to1862 as at 12 May 2005, an increase of 290(+18.4 per cent) over the period. Foundermembership was available until 31 March2005; those joining after that would becomeeither Full (GBR) or Affiliate (Foreign Affil-iates, Student Subscribers and Affiliates)Members of the Special Group.

Contact [email protected].

Honorary Secretary’s reportAlanna O’Broin

THINKING about the role of the treas-urer on a Society committee, you wouldbe forgiven for assuming this is about

signing a few cheques and making sure thatthe end of year accounts balance to somefashion before you send them off to theAccounts Office within the BPS.

I was under a similar illusion myself whenit was suggested that I take up this role.

However, the Special Group is run prettymuch like a business, and the role of treas-

urer is key. One of our main goals is toensure that any subscriptions that we raisefrom our members are kept to a minimum.Rather than taking member subscriptionsfor granted, we want a range of revenue gen-erating strategies in place that ensure we areable to reduce our reliance on our members’pockets. We started with a bank balance of acouple of thousand to finance a very busyand packed agenda over the next 12 to 24months.

Honorary Treasurer’s reportAlison Whybrow


Alison Whybrow

A financial strategy and some thoughtfulbudget planning is clearly required, plan-ning a budget for the future when you haveno ‘past’ to base it on and very limited finan-cial experience is a bit of a challenge.

So far our costs are very low – this is inpart due to the BPS office providing us withtheir substantial support for free over thefirst 12 months of our existence. Similarly,committee members have spent an awful lotof their time and energy to deliver theactions outlined in our strategic plan. Someof this will in time need to be outsourced asvolunteers cannot be expected to continueto take on this work in the longer term. Allthis will increase the costs that we need tocover as we develop over the next few years.

Our one clear opportunity to raise somefunds to deliver our strategic aims and meetmember’s interests is through our events

programme. So far, we’ve managed to balance the need to raise funds and the needto make our events as accessible as possibleto members and non-members alike. Theevents that we’ve run to date have been amarked success as reports in other parts ofthis newsletter will confirm.

If this continues to be the case, we can beoptimistic about keeping member fees to aminimum – Stephen Palmer and I are cur-rently working on the budget and it seemsthat a membership fee of £3.50 per annummay be the final figure for 2006 – no morethan a glass of wine! We hope to maintainthe lowest subs for any BPS subsystem in theforeseeable future based on good financialbudgeting.

[email protected]

Society Award for Promoting

Equality of Opportunity 2005

Call for Nominations

Do you know a member of the Society who has made a significant contribution tochallenging social inequalities in the UK in relation to gender, race, ethnic origin,nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability or age?

Someone who has made:

● a personal commitment to equality issues;

● an impact on the psychology profession;

● an impact on other professionals or service providers;

● a positive difference to the lives of people from marginalised and oppressed socialgroups.

If so, could they be the next winner?

Contact the Secretary to the Standing Committee for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities(SCPEO) for further details about the award and how to nominate someone([email protected], Tel: 0116 252 9507). Closing date for receipt of nominations is

1 August 2005.


MANY years ago, after completing myPhD on generalisation in learning, Iembarked on a career in organisa-

tion development. Over the past two decadesI have worked with a range of private andpublic sector organisations in Europe andthe USA.

Most of my work involves running leader-ship programmes and building coachingcapability in organisations. In addition, Ihave designed and launched an internet-based coaching support tool which is nowbeing used by a number of clients to informtheir performance development processes.

In almost every assignment I have beenengaged in, whether about organisationchange, performance management or lead-ership development, coaching has emergedas the key variable which unlocks the talent/capability of the organisation.

I have always been struck by the fact that,regardless of the clarity and appropriatenessof the strategy, no matter how well engi-neered may be the processes within anorganisation, and irrespective of the qualityof the systems, without managers and execu-tives who both value and practice effectivecoaching, organisations fail to deliver effec-tively. Coaching is the key.

Over the years, perhaps like many mem-bers of the BPS, I have not really engaged inthe activities of the Society, sitting on thefringes and being satisfied with a regularread of the The Psychologist. Then I discov-ered the Special Group in Coaching

Psychology. It hasn’t quite changed my life,but it’s relevance engaged me in a way(refreshed the parts?) that other initia-tives/journals had failed to achieve.

When the inaugural meeting in Londonwas announced I decided to make the effortto attend. Being based in Scotland there issome effort involved – two flights and anovernight stay. I had expected a small bandof like-minded coaches/psychologists toturn up at the event. I had not anticipated avery large auditorium filled to capacity withpeople from a very broad range of coachinginterests and backgrounds. The level ofattendance made it clear that coachingpsychology had arrived and there is nodoubt that psychology has a major role toplay.

Being based in Scotland, I am always conscious that we live in a country which isoften dominated by interest groups in SEEngland and under-represented elsewhere.Consequently, I was delighted to be asked tobecome Scottish Representative for the Special Group.

I would like to ask you to get in touch andhave your say about what you want from theSGCP and how you might like to contributeto that vision. For example, would membersin Scotland like to set up networking groups,to share ideas, contact details and practicalexperiences?

[email protected]

SGCP Regional Representative forScotland Douglas Young


7 JULYDiagnostics in coaching – A Leadership and Performance AuditBPS London Office, John Street

This experiential workshop will introduceparticipants to SHL’s Leadership tool(LPPA) which measures and differentiatesbetween Performance and Potential, at botha transformational and transactional level – aunique proposition in the market. Theworkshop will provide brief details on thedevelopment of the tool, and how it hasbeen used in business. Participants will thenhave the opportunity to work with the resultsto see how it is used in a coaching context.Workshop facilitator: Shauna McVeigh hasworked for SHL for five years in a number ofroles, and currently heads the ManagementDevelopment Practice within the UK. Shaunais a Chartered Occupational Psychologist andshe has been coaching for three years.

7 SEPTEMBER 2005Coaching for Strengths: Embracing aPositive Coaching Psychology AgendaBPS London Office, John Street

This workshop provides an introductorygrounding in positive psychology, presentingparticipants with opportunities to considertheir fundamental assumptions about humannature and explore how this impacts on theirprofessional practice as coaches. It intro-duces state-of-the-science research on thetheory, measurement and application of psy-chological strengths, particularly in coachingsettings. Participants will be invited toexplore different ways of identifying theirown strengths, as well as the strengths of theirclients, and will consider how a positive psy-chological strengths approach may enhanceand develop their coaching practice.

Workshop facilitator: Alex Linley completed hisPhD at the University of Warwick, where heedited the international volume PositivePsychology in Practice, edited a special issue of ThePsychologist on positive psychology, and chairedthe European Network for Positive Psychology.He is now a psychology lecturer at the Univer-sity of Leicester, and is an Associate Editor forthe Journal of Positive Psychology and The Psycholo-gist.

20 OCTOBER 2005Stress Management in CoachingPsychology (workshop title and furtherdetails pending)

Workshop co-facilitator: Peter Kelly, Occupa-tional Health Psychologist.

2 NOVEMBER 2005Coaching Supervision – Luxury or NecessityBPS London Office, John Street

This workshop will present supervision as aforum for learning from practice and viewthe supervisor as one who facilitates aprocess of experiential learning. Coachingitself will be viewed as one of the tasks ofsupervision and coaching supervision will beconsidered as coaching for coaching psychologists. The time will be spent on anumber of themes:● What is coaching supervision and what is

it trying to achieve?● How to balance the paradoxes of

supervision, e.g. development andlearning versus accountability.

● How do supervisors set up supervisionand help supervisees (coaches) make thebest use of it?

● How to justify having supervision (orrequiring it) as part of the professional

Events programme Siobhain O’Riordan


Events

practice of coaching psychology.Workshop facilitator: Michael Carroll, PhD is aChartered Counselling Psychologist. Heworks as a counsellor, supervisor, trainer,coach and consultant to individuals, teamsand organisations in both the public and pri-vate sectors, specialising in the area ofemployee wellbeing. Michael is an accred-ited Executive Coach and Executive CoachSupervisor with APECS.

6 September 2005Getting Emotional about Goal-Setting BPS London Office, John Street

This experiential workshop will illustrate theuse of core psychological principles underthe popular brand of ‘Emotional Intelli-gence’ to facilitate significant business andpersonal outcomes for clients in organisa-tional settings. The workshop will demon-strate, using theory and practical exercises,how to help clients understand the impor-tant linkage between emotional inputs andeffective goal setting and attainment.Workshop facilitator: Bruce Grimley has beencoaching since 1995. The key focus of hiswork is the need to understand and addressthe underlying emotional issues that influ-ence the attainment of successful outcomesboth in terms of working relationships andbusiness performance. Bruce is a CharteredOccupational Psychologist and is committedto finding ways to make psychological princi-ples accessible so people can be more effec-tive at work.

14 October 2005Personal Construct Psychology as aResource for Coaching Psychologists BPS London Office, John Street

This event will include brief sketches of theevolution of applications of PCP to coachingin the UK and Ireland. Participants will beintroduced to applications of selected PCPconcepts and techniques and will explorequestions critical to coaching psychologistsconsidering PCP as a resource:● How to go about designing ‘coaching’

congruent with the phenomenologicalmethodology of PCP and with needs of‘healthy’ coaching clients.

● How well have the writings of the inventorof PCP, George Kelly, contributed tocoaching congruent with PCP?

● Does any important part of his model ofthe psychology of personal constructs actmore as a barrier than as a facilitator forapplying PCP to coaching in the ‘realworld’?

● What psychological research has emergedsince Kelly’s death in 1966 that throwslight on the question ‘why draw on PCP?’

Workshop facilitator Kieran Duignan coachesfor psychological fitness in challenging organ-isational and personal situations. A CharteredOccupational Psychologist, registeredergonomist and registered safety practitioner,Kieran has a diploma in counselling from theLondon Centre for Personal ConstructPsychology and diplomas in managementconsultancy, career guidance and distanceeducation and an MSc in ergonomics.

The fee to attend each workshop will be £45 for SGCP members/Association for Coachingmembers/DOP members, and £70 for non-members.* Fees include refreshments, a work-shop attendance certificate for CPD Logbooks or Practitioner-in-Training Logbooks and anyworkshop materials provided by the facilitator.

For further details and to book any workshop contact the BPS Subsystems Departmenton 0116 252 9517, e-mail [email protected] or see www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk.All workshops will run from 1.30–5pm. Registration from 1pm.

* Please note that non-members who submit a completed SGCP application form with their registrationform (and who are eligible for SGCP membership) will be charged at the SGCP member rate.


1. Respectful and courteous exchanges tobe undertaken.

2. Not to be used for advertising purposes,which includes the promotion oftraining courses and workshops.

3. Not to be used for self promotion or thepromotion of goods and services.

4. Copyright material is not to be sharedover the e-mail discussion list withoutpermission of the publisher.

5. E-mail addresses should be provided ifdirect contact is invited on any topic,which includes requests by members forservices such as supervision.

6. Don’t use for personal messages – e-mailthe person at their own e-mail address.

7. E-mail list messages should include theperson’s full name, i.e. not anonymousmessages.

8. If responding to another member’s e-mail, delete previous e-mails to avoidstrings of messages overloading thesystem.

9. The subject heading line of e-mailsshould represent the topic and contentof the message.

10. The content of messages should staywithin the topic or a new thread shouldbe started.

11. It is useful to provide some context inreply to a message to assist new readerswith interpreting a response.

12. Information deemed as private shouldnot be provided. The privacy rights ofothers must also be respected. Thisincludes both organisational andindividual clients.

13. Case studies should have the client’spermission and protect their anonymity(i.e. identities should be disguised).

14. Members are considered to berepresenting their own views and theviews of others should not berepresented.

15. If an employer or organisation suppliesan e-mail service then conditions of usefor private e-mail should be determined.

16. No placing of unlawful information, useof abusive or objectionable language orsending of ‘chain letters’ and ‘broadcast’messages.

17. Sentences or words should not be typedin upper case.

18. The use of sarcasm and humour shouldbe carefully considered in relation tohow it will be interpreted by the reader.

19. Delivery receipts should not be used.20. The original subscription message

should be saved as this containsinformation on how to unsubscribe fromthe list.

21. All members should observe the BPSCode of Conduct, which is applicable tothe SGCP E-mail Discussion List.

We continue to welcome your input andfeedback. However, to ensure that the systemis not overloaded please contact me directlyat [email protected] with yourcomments.

Siobhain O’RiordanCo-administrator of the E-mail Discussion List

Netiquette guidelinesSiobhain O’Riordan

The SGCP e-mail discussion list was created in January 2005 to allow SGCP members to be part of anonline community of coaching psychologists and contribute to the development of coaching psychology. Thelist also helps members to keep up to date with current issues, events and workshops in coaching psychology.It is important that members are familiar with guidelines for using the discussion list before posting mes-sages on the system or responding to e-mails. Here is the latest version of the Netiquette Guidelines.


What is Coaching Psychology?A working definition:‘Coaching Psychology is for enhancing well-being and performance in personal life andwork domains, underpinned by models ofcoaching grounded in established adultlearning or psychological approaches.’(adapted from Grant & Palmer, 2002).

How can SGCP members communicateby e-mail?There are now two e-mail services availableto SGCP members. 1. The new E-mail Announcement List

provides an information-service keepingyou up to date with SGCP and othercoaching psychology-relevant events,sending you information and documentsof interest to SGCP members.

2. The existing E-mail Discussion Forumprovides both the information-service ofthe E-mail Announcement List and thefacility for you to participate in andreceive e-mails from other SGCPmembers, in real-time discussions oncoaching psychology issues.

It is suggested that you join either the E-mailAnnouncement List or the E-mail Discussion List.

E-MAIL ANNOUNCEMENT LIST1. How do I join the new SGCP E-mailAnnouncement list?Once you are a member of SGCP, you canjoin our e-mail Announcement list andreceive information about the SpecialGroup, events and Coaching Psychology-specific issues. To join, see the SGCP websiteJoin page (www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk) and submit your details via theonline subscription form.

2. Can I post a message on the SGCP E-mail Announcement List?

The list is a one-way information communi-cation medium to inform you about the Spe-cial Group and Coaching Psychology-relatedissues. If you wish to post messages, you mayfind it more appropriate to join the SGCP E-mail Discussion Forum.

E-MAIL DISCUSSION FORUM1. How do I join the SGCP E-mailDiscussion Forum?Once you are a member of SGCP, you canalso join our e-mail discussion forum and bepart of an online community of coachingpsychologists. To join, see the SGCP websiteJoin page, on www.coachingpsychologyfo-rum.org.uk and submit your details via theonline subscription form.

2. How do I post a message on SGCP E-mail Discussion Forum?To post a message on a new discussion topicthis is most easily achieved by posting mes-sages on the web interface. The list address ishttp://lists.bps.org.uk/read/?forum=sgcp-discuss

3. How do I view attachments on thesystem?You can view attachments by visiting theSGCP discussion forum. The address list ishttp://lists.bps.org.uk/read/?forum=sgcp-discuss. If you click on the message you wishto view you will then find at the bottom righthand side of the message a blue link, whichwill take you to an attachment.

4. Why am I having problems viewingattachments in Digest Mode?The introductory e-mail from the Lyris ListManager provides the following message‘Please note, some e-mail systems do not renderattachments correctly in Digest Mode, if this is thecase try setting your account to MimeDigest mode’,which may explain the problem. To change

Frequently asked questionsSiobhain O’Riordan and Alanna O’Broin


your settings log onto the Lists Web Inter-face and click on the ‘My Account’ button'.

The attachment you wish to view shouldappear correctly on the web interface. Thelist address is http://lists.bps.org.uk/read/?forum=sgcp-discuss

5. How do I reply to the sender directlyon the forum?It is possible to reply to the sender of the e-mail by visiting the web interface of the dis-cussion list (the list address ishttp://lists.bps.org.uk/read/?forum=sgcp-dis-cuss). On the web interface, click on the nameof the author of the message and you will thengo to a page that shows a box that allows youto e-mail the author directly. You will find yourpassword and logon information in the intro-ductory e-mail sent by the Lyris Manager.

6. If I unsubscribe from the discussionforum how can I remain up to date withSGCP activities?As a member of the SGCP who is not sub-scribed to the e-mail discussion list you willstill be able to view details of forthcomingevents and SGCP activities by visiting theSGCP website. We also send out literatureabout important information.

7. How do I adjust my settings?The introductory e-mail sent to you by LyrisList Manager includes instructions on how toadjust your settings. You can select MIMEformat, which will provide you with a sum-mary of the e-mails posted on the forumeach day (includes non textual informa-tion), digest mode (one daily e-mail with allmessages posted for that day), or index (onedaily e-mail with all the subject lines mes-sages posted for that day). You can also postmessages directly onto the system by visitingthe list address and log on with your e-mailaddress and password http://lists.bps.org.uk/read/?forum=sgcp-discuss

Joining1. Can I join the SGCP if I am not aBPS member?To join the SGCP, you need to be a memberof the British Psychological Society (BPS), aseither a Graduate Member, a Student Sub-scriber, an Affiliate or Foreign Affiliate (seeBPS website for eligibility details and down-loadable application form). Once you are aBPS member, you can then apply for mem-bership of SGCP. Alternatively, you can go toSGCP website on www.coachingpsychology-forum.org.uk Join page and join both theSGCP and then the SGCP e-mail discussionforum.

Please note that Membership of SGCPdoes not automatically confer SGCP e-mailforum membership. Once you are a memberof SGCP you need to additionally join the e-mail forum.

2. How do I join the SGCP?To join the SGCP you can download anapplication form from the BPS website onwww.bps.org.uk (follow the path to the SGCPwebsite by clicking on The Society, Networkfor Members, Special Groups and thenSGCP), or contact BPS subsystems depart-ment on [email protected] or phone0116 254 9568.

MembershipThere are two classes of membership of theSGCP. Full Members: This class of membership isopen to all members of the BPS who possessthe Graduate Basis for Registration.Affiliate Members: This class of membership isopen to all contributors to the BPS (ForeignAffiliates, Student Subscribers and Affili-ates). Founder Membership of SGCP was availableuntil 31st March 2005. Any new members ofSGCP joining after this date will be Full orAffiliate members.

Frequently asked questions


Should I be having Supervision?If you are in coaching or coachingpsychology training and have coachingclients, it is important that you obtain regu-lar supervision. We would recommend thatthis is obtained from Chartered Psycholo-gists who have relevant experience and train-ing.

Experienced coaching psychologists maystill benefit from regular supervision of theircoaching work.

TrainingPlease note that the newly founded SpecialGroup in Coaching Psychology does notrecognise any specific training courses andcannot at this time make recommendationsregarding individual training requirements.

However, in the UK, there are a widerange of courses, mostly involved with coach-ing and a few with coaching psychology. It isour understanding that some DPsychcourses are BPS approved and permitresearch into a number of areas includingcoaching psychology.

If you are considering enrolling on acourse, we suggest the questions you mightask are:Is the course university accredited?Are Chartered Psychologists actively involvedin running and teaching on the course?

Over the coming months as the SGCPCommittee focuses on these issues, theseguidelines, as well as those regarding whocan call themselves coaching psychologistsmay change. Our website will keep youupdated on the details.

WebsiteFor more information about the SpecialGroup in Coaching Psychology and its activi-ties, see our website on www.coachingpsy-chologyforum.org.uk.

Also see the BPS home page onwww.bps.org.uk and click on Special Groups,or e-mail the BPS Subsystems Department([email protected]).

Who can call themselves coachingpsychologists?This guidance is specifically for SGCP mem-bers. The term coaching psychologist is nota restricted or specialist title and at the pres-ent time there is no intention for this title tobe subject to statutory regulation. As such,the use of this descriptive term is left to thediscretion of individual members.

In deciding whether to use this title or layclaim to specialist expertise in CoachingPsychology it is, therefore, important to bearin mind the general guidelines on compe-tence as set out in the BPS Charter, Statutesand Code of Conduct.

In particular we would like to draw yourattention to the following:http://www.bps.org.uk/the-society/ethics-rules-charter-code-of-conduct/code-of-con-duct/descriptions.cfm

As well as a psychology degree recognisedby the BPS to confer Graduate Basis for Reg-istration, relevant training and supervisedexperience, a coaching psychologist will beexpected to have knowledge and relevantcompetencies that relate to our current defi-nition of coaching psychology.


Grant, A.M. & Palmer, S. (2002). CoachingPsychology. Meeting held at the Annual Confer-ence of the Division of Counselling Psychology,British Psychological Society, Torquay, 18 May.

References


Events planned for 2005 are asfollows:Half-day Workshop ProgrammeLondon7th July 2005Diagnostics in Coaching – A Leadershipand Performance Audit.Facilitated by Shauna McVeigh, C.Psychol.

7th September 2005Coaching for Strengths: Embracing aPositive Coaching Psychology Agenda.Facilitated by Dr Alex Linley, C.Psychol.

20th October 2005 Stress Management in CoachingPsychology (workshop title and furtherdetails pending).Co-facilitated by Peter Kelly, OccupationalHealth Psychologist.

2nd November 2005Coaching Supervision – Luxury ornecessity.Facilitated by Dr Michael Carroll, C.Psychol.

Half-day Workshop Programme,Leicester6th September 2005 Getting emotional about goal setting.Experiential workshopFacilitated by Bruce Grimley, C. Psychol

14th October 2005Personal Construct Psychology as aresource for coaching psychologists. Facilitated by Kieran Duignan, C.Psychol.

National Conference – London19th & 20th December 2005 With workshopsNote: the Conference schedule will be outsoon on the SGCP website.Fees or subscription for membership ofSGCP.No fee or subscription will be charged forthe Special Group’s inaugural year(2004/2005).


What is on the Events programme for 2005? Details of our Events programme for 2005 can be found on the SGCP website on www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk/News and the SGCP e-mail discussion forum will alsobe publicising forthcoming events. Bookings queries can be answered by the BPS Sub-systems Department by e-mail ([email protected]) or by telephone (0116 252 9517).


Strategic aimsA. To promote the development of

coaching psychology.B. To encourage the research and study of

coaching psychology in a variety ofpersonal, organisational and trainingcontexts.

C. To promote the application ofappropriate ethical standards andguidelines for the practice of coachingpsychology.

D. To encourage the development ofcoaching psychology by facilitatingworkshops, symposia, conferences andpublications.

E. To develop public awareness of thenature, aims and practical applications ofcoaching psychology.

F. To work closely with Sections, SpecialGroup and Divisions of the Society inpursuit of these aims and to collaborateappropriately with external agencies andorganisations.

G. To promote the interests of the membersof the Special Group in their activities incoaching psychology

H. To carry on all such activities as may beconducive to the foregoing aims.

ACTIONS1. To revise/update the Rules of the Special

Group as appropriate.2. To facilitate the creation of

Faculties/Special Interest Groups withinthe Special Group.

3. To appoint an Officer/Committeeresponsible for Ethical standards todevelop guidelines on appropriateethical standards for the practice ofcoaching psychology.

4. To set up an Events function to organisecoaching psychology workshops andseminars. Appoint SGCP CommitteeMembers as Events Co-ordinator andNational Conference Organiser.

5. To plan for an International Coaching

Psychology Conference for 2006.6. To provide workshops and supervisor

training courses as CPD activities.7. To set up two publications: an in-house

newsletter to communicate with ourmembership and provide up-to-dateinformation on SGCP news and events;and an international publication, incollaboration with the AustralianPsychological Society Interest Group inCoaching Psychology, for the publicationof high-quality theoretical research andpractice articles on coaching psychologyareas of interest.

8. To develop a SGCP website, available tothe general public and to SGCPmembers.

9. To build communications with, anddevelop a transparent policy for, ourrelationship with external coaching,government and other salientprofessional bodies, including CIPD,Association for Coaching, APECS, EMCCand ENTO.

10. To develop high and consistent coachingpsychology competencies.

11. To promote discussion and debate in thedevelopment of coaching psychologythrough the use of SGCP internet e-maildiscussion groups.

12. To promote the representation ofcoaching psychology within the BPS, inthe first instance by contributing to theBPS quinquennial conference in 2005.

13. To develop a regional representativenetwork to promote and developcoaching psychology within the relevantgeographical area

Progress towards our strategic aims will be detailedin the annual report.

Draft Strategic Plan for 2005–2006


SGCP Committee structure

Professional Training.

Development and

Events Management

Training

CPD

Events

Newsletter

Professional Practice

and Research

Competencies

Standards

Ethics

Research

SGCPM Committee

The National Executive

Representatives


Getting Emotional about Goal SettingPresented by Bruce Grimley, Chartered Occupa-tional Psychologist and Director of AchievingLives LtdAimTo examine the coaching issue of goal set-ting and why it is essential to engage our‘emotional brain’ when we set our goals.

Bruce began the workshop by envisag-ing the main outcome would be ‘asense of personal responsibility’ and

the hope, ultimately, for ‘the ability to con-trol your emotional response in any situa-tion, so as to provide the appropriateframework for cognition, speech and behav-iour which will take you toward your goals’.

Theoretical rootsBruce defined emotion as: ‘an unconsciousvisceral message mediated via our limbic sys-tem: painful messages passing via the thala-mus-amygdala route, pleasant ones via thethalamus-nucleus accumbens route’. Thismessage is ‘a response to the equally uncon-scious patterning that helps create our mapsthrough which we experience our lives.’ Pre-sumably this definition is most apt forinstances of what Daniel Goleman called an‘amygdala hijacking’ where neural messagesbypass the cortical areas en route to andfrom the amygdala (Goleman, 1995).

Bruce Grimley then drew attention to thework of neuroscientist Benjamin Libet andothers originating in the 1950s (Libet,1990). This indicates that our sense organsdetecting something in the world produce aspike of neuronal activity in the cortex, ofwhich we are not ‘consciously’ aware. A halfsecond later, if the stimulus was big or impor-tant enough to keep the relevant corticalneurons active, the stimulus reaches so-called neuronal adequacy and the conscious

mind becomes aware of it, cleverly also regis-tering that it occurred at the time of the ini-tial spike (half a second earlier). So,although we may eventually become con-scious of the sensory stimulus we cannot usewhat we might term our conscious will torespond to it in anything less than half a sec-ond. This appears to leave our unconsciousminds responsible for initiating any rapidreactions to the world.

Drawing together these ideas about theliterally unconscious nature of our emo-tional responses to our own maps of theworld, Bruce proposed we consider the valueof the APET model of Joe Griffin and IvanTyrrell (2003). Griffin and Tyrrell compareAPET with the more established rational-emotive-behavioural (REBT) model ofAlbert Ellis (e.g. Ellis, 1998). In Ellis’ ABCmodel an Activating event triggers a Belief inthe person which leads to Consequences,usually in the shape of an undesirable emo-tion, behaviour or thoughts. The therapeuticsolution is: dispute and modify the Belief,and you change the outcome. Griffin andTyrrell claim this model does not takeaccount of the findings of neuro-physiologyshowing humans process data much morequickly emotionally than cognitively. It isposited that the unproductive emotionalstates are not so much the product of irra-tional thinking as their cause. Their pre-ferred sequence is: Activating agent, Patternmatching, Emotional Arousal, Thinkingprocess (distortion leading to inappropriatebehaviour).

This served Bruce as a spur to suggest weattempt to modify our emotional stance toour goals at an unconscious level, drawingon techniques from Neuro-Linguistic Pro-gramming (e.g. Bandler & Grinder, 1982)

SGCP Workshop reportJennifer Liston-Smith


Jennifer Liston-Smith

Practical applications in our coachingworkOur clients can define all the SMART (orSMARTER) goals they like and still not movetoward them unless they have the desire to doso. Bruce suggests that ‘people develop behav-ioural flexibility in an organisational context asthe rewards are high, and we take on appro-priate cognitions to back up the behaviours soas not to seem “fake”; however we don’t usuallygo the extra emotional mile.’ It is proposed inthis workshop that we might apply techniqueswhich directly address the emotions, takingaccount of research in neuropsychology indi-cating the speed of emotional processing rela-tive to more ‘conscious’ thought.

Experiential Elements of the Workshop:an exampleTo drive personal responsibility into our viscera and emotions, not simply our heads: Processa) Think of a goalb) Think of something that’s MINE: I’d

never give it away (e.g. toothbrush,home, partner!)

c) Mime the posture that goes with MINEand register it

d) Position the goal spatially in front of youin your imagination: look at it andconsider each and every emotion itarouses for you. Imagine squashing thoseemotions together (in a visual/kinaesthetic sense) into the experienceof MINE. Do the same with the thoughtsit arouses: those thoughts are MINE.Recognise that your behaviour in relationto the goal is all MINE too.

e) Whenever you consider the goal,remember your private powers ofthought and emotion, your publicpowers of behaviour and speech andremember that you are the author ofyour own destiny.

One practical tool or idea you couldtake forwardTo identify the goal, build emotion and take thefirst step

Processa) Name one goal for this year and rate your

sense of it on scale of 1–10.b) Saturate the Goal: build the detail.

Position the goal in one (or more) of thefollowing eight dimensions (Grimley, inprint). Eight Dimensions:1. Relationship with self2. Relationship with intimate others3. Relationship with work colleagues4. General interpersonal skills5. Money6. Career7. Health8. Relaxation, chilling out and enjoy-ment.

c) Vitalise the Goal: imagine yourselfachieving it and assess how it will benefityou along the chosen dimension(s).

d) Associate into the person of the futurewho has achieved that goal. Describe,using your five senses, what is going onwhen it’s a 10/10 success, who else isthere, what type of interaction you arehaving, what behaviour is present, whatactivity will be taken forward, what areyour beliefs about yourself now you’veachieved it?

e) Look back at yourself now: what is theone critical piece of behaviour thatperson in the chair needs to do right nowto facilitate better achievement of thegoal?

f) Dissociate if necessary a third time intocoach position and mediate betweenfuture, successful you and you in thechair to help communicate that.

g) Reassess the strength and clarity of yourgoal against your original measure.

Whatever our position on the theoreticalbasis of this workshop might have been, myworking partner and I both found this andsimilar exercises enabled us to make notableshifts in relation to our respective goals.

Where next?The workshop handout began: ‘Bruce isaware NLP in the psychology world is


regarded as Californian hype, generated inexpressive days of the 1970s without a strongtheoretical base or empirical evidence toback it up … Bruce is hoping he can con-vince you that NLP is a useful constructivist/behaviourist framework within which towork for any psychologist interested in creat-ing change through coaching.’ Discuss!

It might also be worth questioning thetheoretical supremacy of the APET modelover the ABC on the basis that the ‘thoughts’

and ‘core beliefs’ unearthed by the Socraticquestioning of REBT may be more like Grif-fin and Tyrrell’s unconscious patterns thanthey are like higher cognitions. This couldoffer a topic for debate on the SGCP Forum.

SGCP events will be reported regularly adopting asimilar format, enabling readers to pick up onsome of the essential elements conveyed. Feedbackwould be welcome to: [email protected]

Conference DiaryStarting with the next issue, I will be compiling a diary of conferences of interest to Coach-ing Psychologists. I plan to list events that bring together a range of expert opinion andknowledge on a particular topic, rather than training seminars hosted by a single tutor orcompany.

Please help to make this a useful listing: send details of all appropriate conferences, wellin advance, to me:BY POST: People in Progress Ltd, 5 Rochester Mansions, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2HABY FAX: +44 (0)8707 050 895BY E-MAIL: [email protected]

I look forward to hearing from you.Jennifer Liston-SmithSGCP Conference & Events Correspondent

Bandler, R. & Grinder, J. (1982). Reframing: Neurolin-guistic Programming and the Transformation ofMeaning. Moab, Utah: Real People Press

Benjamin, L. (1990) Time delays in conscious processes.Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 13.

Ellis, A. & & Blau, S. (Ed.) (1998). The Albert EllisReader. Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York:Bantam Books.

Griffin, J. & Tyrell, I. (2003). The APET model: Patternsin the brain organising ideas monograph series. Chalv-ington, E. Sussex: Human Givens Publishing Ltd

Grimley, B. Sailing the 7 C’s of Courage (in press).Libet, B. (1990). Time delays in conscious processes.

Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 13, 672.

References

Workshop report


We are responding to your letter of 10 March2005 seeking a single response from each ofthe subsystems that directly addresses thequestions asked in the Department of Healthpublic consultation document AppliedPsychology. Enhancing public protection: Propos-als for the statutory regulation of applied psychol-ogists. We also note that you have requestedthat any other points or issues raised shouldbe included as an appendix, which we havedone (see Appendix 1).

IntroductionAs a new subsystem within the BPS, theSGCP welcomes this opportunity to con-tribute to the consultation on the regulationof the profession of applied psychology.With a large cross-subsystem membership,we are concerned both about protection ofthe public regarding those psychologists whopractise as coaching psychologists and of reg-ulation of all applied psychologists.

We are disappointed that the timetable ofthe consultation process has not given us suf-ficient time to consult with our membershipin depth about this important issue.

We wish to confirm that we are support-ive of the principle of statutory regulation ofapplied psychologists. However, we also har-bour serious concerns about a number ofthe HPC proposals.

Q1: Do you agree that applied psychologists cur-rently registered with the BPS should transfer to theHPC register if they wish to continue to practise?We are particularly concerned by the funda-mental premise in the HPC proposal that itshould assume both public protection andprofessional requirements roles in theapplied psychology profession. Instead, webelieve that the BPS should be allowed to

remain responsible for setting and maintain-ing standards for its own profession (i.e. pro-fessional requirements), whilst a separatebody becomes responsible for regulation(i.e. public protection). Our difficulty withthis basic premise of the HPC proposals over-shadows our response to more specific diffi-culties with the proposals.

With the HPC proposals as stated, it is dif-ficult to envisage where the boundaries willin practice lie between the BPS, which willcontinue to recognise chartered psycholo-gists and accredit courses, and the HPC. Weare concerned that the value of BPS mem-bership will be eroded over time, as peoplewill not need to remain BPS members.

Given these serious concerns about thepremise upon which the proposal for HPCStatutory Registration in its current form isbased, the SGCP cannot agree that appliedpsychologists currently registered with theBPS should transfer to the HPC register ifthey wish to practise. If the concerns notedin our response were resolved, the SGCPwould support the HPC proposal.

Q2: Do you agree that the titles protected in lawshould be: clinical psychologist; counselling psy-chologist; educational psychologist; forensic psy-chologist; health psychologist; occupationalpsychologist; and sport and exercise psychologist?We believe that protection of the title of ‘psy-chologist’ would more effectively protect thepublic, as the HPC is aiming to do, than pro-tection of the seven adjectival titles. We areconcerned that there is a real risk of misuseof the title ‘psychologist’ if it remains unpro-tected. Other professions, such as counsel-lors and psychotherapists, intend to keepthese titles, rather than specialist ones, andother countries, such as Australia, New

Statutory Regulation – SGCP response tothe Public Consultation DocumentTo Emeritus Professor Ken Brown, CPsychol, FBPsS, President, British Psychological Society, 29 April 2005


Statutory Regulation

Zealand and the US, protect the title ‘psy-chologist’. We also think that members ofthe public will become confused ifpsychology does not take the same straight-forward approach and protect the title ‘psy-chologist’.

If the key issue is public protection frommisuse or malpractice of psychology thenacademics and teachers of psychology whoare not applied psychologists in the sensethat they are not delivering psychologicalservices to the public, should not suffer fromnot being able to use this title.

HR professionals and others who useundergraduate psychology training to sup-port other professional domains would, sim-ilarly, not be affected. This is for us a keydifference between a coaching psychologistand a coach, with the latter being interestedin applying psychological ideas and modelsin their coaching practice. If the proposedregulatory framework goes ahead then inthe interest of public protection, we feel thatit would be necessary to lobby for the title‘coaching psychologist’ to be regulated as well.

Q3: Do you agree with the proposals for the stan-dards of proficiency for applied psychology?Our concern with the premise of HPCassuming both public protection and profes-sional requirement rules impacts upon ourresponse to this question. Setting standardsof proficiency is a professional requirementsfunction that we believe should remain withthe BPS. We therefore cannot agree with thisproposal for this reason.

More specifically, with representation ofonly a single registrant applied psychologistmember on the Health Professions Council,we find it impossible to see how the HPC willbe able to achieve standards of proficiencyfor seven different psychology professionseffectively, given that the BPS’s current post-graduate accrediting board (MPTB) oper-ates with a large Board, as well as examiningand training committees to achieve this. Thistask is made even more difficult by two fac-tors – the fact that the seven different

applied psychology professions are disparateand not all directly connected with health,and that other professions regulated by HPCare rarely trained to the Doctoral level.

If HPC standards became the criteria fortraining courses, we have concerns as to howthe HPC would guarantee profession-specific standards within psychology. If BPSapproval is sought for verification of stan-dards, where would chartering fit withregard to the HPC standards, and wouldsome universities seek standards that requireHPC registration, rather than those of theBPS. This could create a dual-standard system.

Q4: Do you agree to these grand-parenting agree-ments?As a matter of professional requirements, weconsider that this function should remainwith the BPS. We therefore do not agree thatthe HPC should set the standards for grand-parenting.

Q5: Do you agree with these proposals for thetransfer of responsibility for fitness to practisecases?As a regulatory function, we agree that fit-ness to practise should be a role assumed bya separate organisation from that concernedwith professional practice. However, becausethe HPC proposal intends transferral of bothstandards of proficiency (professionalpractice function) and fitness to practise, wecannot support this HPC proposal for thetransfer of responsibility for fitness to prac-tise.

Q6: Do you agree that the branches of applied psy-chologists should adopt the HPC Code of Conduct,Performance and Ethics?The BPS states in the consultation documentthat it sees no conflict between its Code ofConduct and the HPC Standards of Con-duct, Performance and Ethics. We wouldsupport the adoption of the HPC Code iftheir differences, such as the BPS Code’sgreater focus on applied psychology and themore generic nature of the HPC Code,



could be reconciled, and if ongoing consul-tation with BPS is maintained in the Code’sfuture composition.

Q7: Do you agree with the proposed legislativechanges, including the opening of a new part ofthe HPC register for applied psychologists and theresultant increase in membership of the HPC?We cannot support the proposal in its cur-rent form to open a new part of the HPC reg-ister for applied psychologists, unless theregister was opened to register the title ofpsychologist alone.

Q8: Do you agree with the provisions of the draftOrder?On the understanding that the seven adjecti-val titles remain, we do not agree with theprovisions of the Draft Order.

ConclusionsAlthough we are very keen on protection ofthe title ‘psychologist’, as we see it as impor-tant in protection of the public, we do notbelieve that protection of the adjectival titlesserves any purpose other than to confusemembers of the public. We believe that thepublic will believe that the term ‘psycholo-gist’ has become protected, when in fact ithas not.

We reiterate our support for the conceptof Statutory Regulation; however, our prefer-ence would be to retain the existing self-reg-ulatory, voluntary arrangements in place forthe profession of applied psychology ratherthan accept the HPC proposals in their cur-rent form.

Professor Stephen PalmerChair, Special Group in Coaching Psychology

Appendix 1Issues raised by the Special Group in Coaching Psychology relating to the proposed Statutory Regulationof Applied Psychologists.

1. Additional rule changes on CPDWe do not agree that the HPC is the appropriate organisation to set the standards of CPD forapplied psychologists, as we believe this is a function of professional requirements whichshould be undertaken by the body setting such standards, the BPS.More specifically, the DOH Applied Psychology: Enhancing public protection: Proposals for the statu-tory regulation of applied psychologists document states only that ‘The BPS system will need tomerge with the HPC’s system in due course.’ As the CPD area is currently subject to a broaderconsultation by the HPC on standard-setting for CPD across the professions it regulates, wewould require further information on how this would translate into the specific profession ofpsychology, particularly with regard to the assessment process, and standards required, beforewe could consider whether we agree with these rule changes.

2. Clarification sought on registration fees for psychologists registered with the BPSunder more than one adjectival titleThe DOH document states in point 108 regarding the transfer of names from the BPS to theHPC register, that this arrangement will include financial arrangements to ensure that regis-trants who transfer from BPS to the HPC are not required to pay registration fees in respect ofprofessional regulation twice for the same registration period. We would additionally welcomeconfirmation regarding payment of registration fees for those psychologists who are currentlyregistered with the BPS under more than one of the seven adjectival titles concurrently andwould expect that registration fees would be payable once, or on the first registration only.


To Dr Graham Powell, President of the British Psychological Society, 2 June 2005

Statutory Regulation – Furthercomments on Draft Response to theDepartment of Health ConsultationDocumentWe are providing further comments on thedraft response to the Department of HealthDocument, as requested in your letterposted to the BPS website on 27 May 2005.

IntroductionWe have read the draft response and wouldfirst thank the Working Party for theirachievement in drawing together the variousinputs from within the BPS into a tangible,representative document for presentation tothe Department of Health.

Rather than comment specifically oneach individual point raised, we would con-firm that SGCP are in full agreement withthe overall position of the BPS draftresponse regarding commitment to the prin-ciple of statutory regulation, concerns aboutthe means of proposed regulation by theHPC, as well as concerns about the proposeduse of adjectival titles rather than protectionof the title ‘psychologist’.

We also welcome the consideration of dif-ferent models, other than the HPC, for reg-ulation. The Council for HealthcareRegulatory Excellence, for example, maywell offer an alternative means for achievingregulation that can accommodate the diver-sity and complexity of practice of appliedpsychologists. Indeed, Sandy Forrest, in hisDirector’s Report in the CHRE’s AnnualReport 2003–4 comments that ‘regulation istoo complex an activity to impose a one-size-fits-all approach’. Further discussion regard-ing this possibility of a super-ordinateregulator would seem appropriate

ConclusionAs concluded in the draft response, weagree that serious concerns about the pro-posal of statutory regulation by HPC requirefurther discussions with the DH about howstatutory regulation is implemented, in away that encompasses the breadth ofapplied psychology.

Professor Stephen PalmerChair, Special Group in Coaching Psychology

3. SGCP close to the HPC criteria for admissionAnnex B of the DOH Applied Psychology: Enhancing public protection: Proposals for the statutory regula-tion of applied psychologists document outlines 10 criteria which any group applying to it for consid-eration for statutory regulation should have in place or otherwise meet.An additional issue arising from our review of the consultation document is that we would wel-come further details of the HPC criteria for admission as applied psychologists, as we arepleased to note that the Special Group in Coaching Psychology appears to be close to meetingthese criteria for HPC registration status.



VACANCY

Co-Chair of Sub-Committee for Professional Training,

Development and Events Management

Special Group in Coaching Psychology

Contact:

Alanna O’Broin, e-mail: [email protected]

and include a recent CV/biographyP.

Notes for Contributors The Coaching PsychologistContributions on all aspects of research, theory, practice and case studies in the arena of coaching psychology are welcome.Manuscripts of approximately 1500 words excluding references, which may be extended with the permission of the Editor,should be typewritten and include the author’s name, address and contact details. Included should be a statement stipulatingthat the paper is not under consideration elsewhere. All submissions, including book reviews should be sent directly to theEditor, [email protected] or to The Centre for Coaching, 156 Westcombe Hill, London SE3 7DH.

● Authors of all submissions should follow the Society’s guidelines for the use of non-sexist language and all referencesmust be presented in APA style (see the Code of Conduct, Ethical Principles and Guidelines, and the Style Guide, both available from the British Psychological Society).

● Graphs, diagrams, etc., should be in camera-ready form and must have titles. Written permission should be obtained bythe author for the reproduction of tables, diagrams, etc., taken from other sources.

● Three hard copies of papers subject to refereeing should be supplied, together with a large s.a.e. and a copy of thesubmission on disk or CD-ROM (if possible save the document both in its original word-processing format and as anASCII file, with diagrams in their original format and as a TIFF or an EPS). Two hard copies of other submissions should besupplied. Subject to prior agreement with the Editor, however, items may be submitted as e-mail attachments.

● Proofs of papers will be sent to authors for correction of typesetting errors, and will need to be returned promptly.

Contents1 Chair’s update

Stephen Palmer

3 EditorialKasia Szymanska

5 The proposal to establish a Special Group in Coaching Psychology of the British Psychological Society: Introduction and proposalStephen Palmer & Alison Whybrow

13 Positive psychology and coaching psychology: Perspectives on integrationAlex Linley & Susan Harrington

15 Can coaching reduce workplace stress?Kristina Gyllensten & Stephen Palmer

19 The role of ethical principles in coaching psychologyHo Law

21 Effective listeningJohn Groom

23 Honorary Secretary’s reportAlanna O’Broin

23 Honorary Treasurer’s reportAlison Whybrow

25 SGCP Regional Representative for Scotland reportDouglas Young

26 Events programmeSiobhain O’Riordan

28 Netiquette guidelinesSiobhain O’Riordan

29 Frequently asked questionsSiobhain O’Riordan & Alanna O’Broin

33 Draft Strategic Plan for 2005–2006Stephen Palmer & Alison Whybrow

35 SGCP workshop reportJennifer Liston-Smith

38 Statutory Regulation – SGCP response to the Public consultation document

St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR, UKTel 0116 254 9568 Fax 0116 247 0787 E-mail [email protected] www.bps.org.uk

© The British Psychological Society 2005Incorporated by Royal Charter Registered Charity No 229642

Documents

The Coaching Psychologist - Beck Forsland · ing Psychologist.So if you know of any events that would be of interest to coaching psy-chologists please e-mail Jennifer directly at