By Liv Hök in Sweden
Coaching psychologists need to collaborate more, put themselves forward more and become more entrepreneurial- these were among the key messages from a conference held in Stockholm this month.
The conference was the latest in a series held all over the world as part of the 1st international Congress of Coaching Psychology. Lars Ahlin from the Swedish Psychological Association (SPA), P.O. Eriksson from Coachande Psykologer (Coaching Psychologists) and Stephen Palmer, honorary professor of psychology at the UK’s City University, kicked off the conference by saying it was important that psychology take an offensive stance, reports Liv Hök, executive committee member of Coachande Psykologer. Reinhard Stelter, professor of Sport and Coaching Psychology at the University of Copenhagen and head of the Coaching Psychology Unit, Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, said at the end of the conference that coaching psychologists need to get better at selling themselves.
Hundreds flocked to the event on 16 September 2011 hosted by Sweden’s Coaching Psychologists’ Network with the Swedish Psychological Association (SPA). He offered delegates an overview of how coaching has developed since Socrates’ day. Psychologists bring an “understanding of the importance of theory” to coaching, said Palmer. Psychologists who apply their knowledge and experience to coaching can make a difference and contribute to change in their client in as little as two to three sessions. Greater international cooperation among psychologists is therefore called for, he said.
The series of congresses was launched first in the UK in December 2010. Through the Coaching Psychologists network, Sweden joins the long list of countries with groups aiming to bring together the coaching psychology community. Other countries include South Africa, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Netherlands, Israel, New Zealand, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland. Jens Boris Larsen highlighted the importance of hope, lighting a candle on the stage. As a coach informed by positive psychology, behavioural and cognitive behavioural models with a focus on solutions, the chair of the Society of Evidence-based Practice, a society within the Danish Psychological Association, meets clients in situations of overwhelming complexity. He shared that his basic premise in addressing such cases is to be aware of context. He concluded by quoting Peter Senge on how to continue “leading from the future” by “facing the facts” as we are coaching in complexity.
Magnus Larsson, senior lecturer at the Institute for Organization Copenhagen Business School expanded upon complexity during his presentation, “Navigating the Complexity: A Systems Psychodynamic Perspective on Coaching.” He gave a brief introduction to role analysis based upon psychoanalysis and system theory. Within a system’s psychodynamic perspective where no client is isolated but always part of a system or an organization and the main task in this type of coaching is to identify the system, clarify its primary task, observe the boundaries and examine how roles relate to each other. The experiences as the person in role and feelings are attended to as information. This method helps clients develop organizational skills, clarity and self-awareness, and the ability to structurally reflect upon their own behaviour.
UK-based Julie Allan, psychologist, organizational consultant and coach, is currently researching corporate wisdom. Expertise in the important but uncertain matters of life, said Allan, emerge as a result of our active attention to things such as life planning, life management and life review. Wisdom is a developmental process. What stops wisdom is a lack of reflection and what promotes it is integration of thoughts, feelings, motivation, respect and relationships. We can coach for wisdom by drawing on basic psychology of cognition, emotion, motivation and life – span development and by attending to what is emerging in psychology and other systemic disciplines, said Allan.
Stelter talked about narrative, collaborative coaching based on societal challenges, new forms of knowledge production, and new challenges in leadership.
At the end of the conference, the presenters were asked what were the challenges that coaching psychology faced. Palmer predicted new achievements through interest from the academic community. Magnus Larson stressed the continued importance of organizational theory. Julie Allan voiced her concern over the International Coach Federation being limited to clients searching for certified coaches with business experience rather than valuing coaches as psychologists. Larsen underlined the importance of context and meaning and Stelter made his comments about psychologists learning how to sell themselves.