CPF seeks support for the formation of a Special Group in Coaching Psychology

The British Psychological Society's (BPS) Board of Trustees has approved a proposal that marks the first step towards the formation of a Special Group in Coaching Psychology.

This is a significant achievement for the Coaching Psychology Forum, which has lobbied BPS for three years to establish a Special Group to formally recognise the important role that qualified psychologists perform in the coaching marketplace.

Coaching psychology is not a new area of psychology, rather an integrated approach to personal development, drawing on ideas, theories and models, from across the diverse profession of psychology and includes input from the counselling, health, organisational and sporting domains of psychological practice.

Past Chair of Coaching Psychology Forum and co-proposer of the Special Group in Coaching Psychology, Professor Stephen Palmer, said: "The development of coaching psychology in the United Kingdom is bringing together psychologists from across psychology's different disciplines. This will encourage integrative coaching practice and provide benefits both for psychologists seeking professional development as coaches and clients seeking highly-qualified coaches that are able to apply psychological tools and methods in their practice."

Pauline Willis, Chair of the Coaching Psychology Forum (CPF), said: "Over the past three years CPF has run workshops and other events providing continued professional development and networking opportunities for psychologists that coach, in addition to its work lobbying BPS to form the Special Group in Coaching Psychology."

"CPF has provided an eclectic and dynamic professional forum for BPS members that take an integrative approach to coaching. With a formal sub-system within BPS to perform this role it will be possible to provide more services both for psychologists and the wider community."

On the importance for the coaching industry to recognise the value of psychology within coaching practice, Pauline Willis explained: "Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has identified an increasing market demand for coaches that are appropriately trained, qualified and accredited."

"A psychologist is an expert in human behaviour and most psychologists help mentally healthy people to find ways of functioning better, which is why psychological theories and methods form the foundation of coaching practice."

"Whether a practitioner is a fully qualified 'coaching psychologist' or non-psychologist coach, all coaching practice is underpinned by a number of core psychological principles. A professional coach should be able to
articulate, for example, how they believe adults learn, the process of change and how they believe that coaching supports adult development."

As coaching in the United Kingdom achieves professional status BPS' Special Group in Coaching Psychology aims to be a powerful force in raising ethical standards in coaching by promoting appropriate application of psychological theory and methods of coaching practice.

The Special Group in Coaching Psychology will demystify the services offered by psychologists so that buyers understand the services they are purchasing. This has important and far reaching implications for purchasers of coaching services and consumers of coach training programmes, many of which now contain psychological elements.

CPF is achieving its aims by hosting workshops and conferences, publishing an e-journal 'The Coaching Psychologist' and hosting web-based debate as well as working with sub-groups of BPS and other coaching organisations including European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) and Association for Coaching (AC). This important work will continue through BPS' Special Group in Coaching Psychology once it is formed.

For information about the formation of BPS' Special Group in Coaching Psychology please visit the CPF Web site.