Positive Psychology Coaching: Applying science to coaching
The term “positive psychology coaching” (PPC) was first coined by Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean in 2007. It has been defined as “the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to the flourishing (wellbeing) or optimal functioning of people, groups, and institutions” (Gable & Haidt, 2005).
The origins of Executive Coaching
In the late 80s, there was a growing need for employee development and performance enhancement. Its focus remained at first on achieving peak performance connected to the company and organisational goals rather than in the individual needs or their wellbeing.
Throughout the upcoming years, a shift towards a work-life balance started to become more visible. Work-life balance surged as a common goal in executive and organisational settings. Thus, there was an increasing recognition of wellbeing as a vital element in engagement and performance (Witters & Agrawal, 2015). Coaching went through a re-design process, stepping away from only performance enhancement towards a more holistic approach that acknowledged the individual as a whole. The wellbeing became a core element in the programme.
The Positive Psychology Coaching approach
Positive psychology is a subfield of psychology. It is evidence-based and follows the scientific method of evaluating theories based on the evidence.
“…positive psychology is not to be confused with untested self-help, footless affirmation, or secular religion — no matter how good these may make us feel. Positive psychology is neither a recycled version of the power of positive thinking nor a sequel to The Secret,” (Peterson, 2008); it is in fact a science.
Biswas-Diener remarks that PPC does not differ from coaching but rather is an approach to it. Key-elements remain as pillars during this approach: agenda-setting, powerful questions, and accountability.
What differs from regular coaching is how positive psychology overlays on top of it with a series of interventions that are grounded in positive psychological science:
- Harnessing positive emotion.
- Developing strengths.
- Increasing hope.
- Build up resiliency.
- Enhancing positive states and traits.
While this approach might have a number of features and traits common in regular coaching, the frameworks used are built around the PPC principles.
The RAW Model of Flourishing
The RAW Model consists of three essential interactive components:
- Resilience.
- Achievement
- Wellbeing.
Research from these three areas (coaching psychology, clinical psychology and positive psychology) emphasise how they can contribute to the positive psychology concept of flourishing.
Mindfulness: the foundation of flourishing
Buzzword nowadays, there are plenty of definitions, implementations and feelings around this word. Different concepts arise out of these. What we can agree with is that “mindfulness” contributes directly to the wellbeing. The importance of mindfulness to coaching has been reflected in a wide range of articles (e.g.: Cavanagh & Spence, 2013; Passmore & Marianetti, 2007).
Using the RAW model, the coach can apply a number of techniques, interventions and strategies that can lead to flourishing drawn from resilience, achievement and wellbeing (Palmer & Whybrow, 2018).
How to use the RAW model
This framework can be used on 1–2–1, on a group level or during a training session. The practitioner can introduce this model and discuss the three essential pillars in relationship to the coachee’s current situation and desired goal.
The main goal is to reflect and visualise how these three core areas of flourishing are related to each other in the coachee’ situation. By doing it so, it becomes more apparent how these areas can support or undermine each other towards the desired outcome.
An important observation during my years as an executive and academic coach is how a number of individuals reach their proposed goals in an unsustainable way. What does it mean? It means that, for example, a coachee would take steps towards the achievement of their goals by the detriment of their resiliency or wellbeing.
The purpose of the RAW model is to highlight how each one of these pillars supports each other and a goal can be achieved in a sustainable and balanced way.
What to do if there is a predominant lack of balance?
Every coachee is different.
Either they have a very different starting point or have a different development curve.
Whether the case, if your coachee goes through a rough patch and fails to see the possibility of gaining balance or has a remarkable negative view of their own situation, an alternative model can be used.
The WAR Model of Withering has three component that can help you identify roadblocks:
- Wellbeing sabotaging (e.g.: poor diet, underexercise, unhealthy sleep patterns, among others.)
- Achievement blocking (e.g.: procrastination, little-to-no prioritisation, avoidance, among others.)
- Resilience undermining (e.g.: the unrealistic expectation of life, highly idealised mindset, rigid perfectionistic beliefs, lack of self-acceptance.)
Who can benefit the most from Positive Psychology Coaching?
Are you a certified psychologist? Then PPC can be used with “clinical” and “non-clinical” individuals. If you are not a certified psychologist, you should only use this model with people without diagnosable clinical disorders.
Green & Palmer (2017) explore the concern that actively pushing somebody towards a stretch goal may be detrimental to someone experiencing clinical depression or anxiety for example.
A thing to remember
As a coach, always ensure that the sessions are consensual and there is a mutual agreement to work together. Enforcing coaching sessions to someone who does not welcome them and might have underlying mental issues could worsen the situation rather than help.
Bibliography
Green, S., & Palmer, S. (2014). Positive psychology coaching: Enhancing resilience, achievement & well-being. Workshop presented on 15 November 2014, at the 4th International Congress of Coaching Psychology, Melbourne, Australia.
Green, Suzy & Palmer, Stephen. (2018). Positive Psychology Coaching in Practice.
Palmer & Whybrow. (2018). Handbook of Coaching Psychology
A Guide for Practitioners.