We are delighted to introduce fourteen papers following a packed itinerary at our 19th annual Coaching and Mentoring research conference in January 2023. As ever this special issue covers a wide range of topics appropriate for coaching, mentoring, supervision and the development of helping professions.
We begin with Christine Vitzthum’s article on contracting in coaching for gender sensitivity. This paper comes from Christine’s doctoral study of gender-sensitivty coaching in Germany and highlights the importance of contracting as part of accommodating individuals’ diverse and intersection identity categories linked to the socio-cultural contexts and organisational features. The second paper by Benita Mayhead, is also based on doctoral level studies and examines the complications of duty of care in coaching. The article extends our understanding beyond the codes of ethics which guide coaches and coaching practice and highlights the systemic nature of duty of care in the coaching relationship.
The third paper by Siobhan Lynam presents an action research study which optimises and prioritises rapport as a feature of cross-ethnicity coaching dyads. It revisits the challenges of coaching as a ‘white space’ and the value of understanding power dynamics and developing cross-ethnicity skills amongst the coaching profession. Our fourth article in this special issue is by Eike Brazier, and again uses an action research approach, this time participatory in nature, to identify how experiential mindfulness can support coaches and their practice. The study arrives at a mindfulness programme for coaches and highlights how this raises coaches awarenes, enhances their knowledge and skills and supports self care. In our fifth paper, Carsten Henning uses an autoethnographic methodological approach to investigate the development of professional attitude [Haltung] of nascent supervisors during their participation in a supervisor training program. His study highlights the value of reflectively working with the self to develop as supervisor. Our sixth and seventh articles engage with some of the key contemporary issues of our time, online coaching and burnout and compassion fatigue. Hilary Meyer’s paper focuses on best practice in online coaching and what this means for coaches and their coaching practice. She arrives at three main insights, the value of self care for the coach, the importance of addressing contracting and how communication is shaped by online coaching. Marian Rosefield’s work involves a constructivist grounded theory approach to explore coaches’ experiences of compassion fatigue and burnout. This insightful study highlights that coach care is invaluable and emphasises implications for a variety of coaching stakeholders.
In the second half of this special issue, we begin with Pamela Nemeck’s article on how coaches recognise mental health issues in distressed physicians they work with. Pamela develops a model called the Decision bridge based upon her study of coaches working with medical practitioners in North America. The next paper comes from Mat Daniel, and focuses on how coaching can support gay men with aspects of their professional and personal lives. This paper highlights the importance of building a strong coaching relationship when working with professional men with gay identity. We then have an article from Michelle Parrsons on how nurses as line managers find coaching training valuable. This paper also explores perceived barriers to the use of coaching amongst nurse managers despite evidence that it can lighten their workload. The eleventh paper is from Jo-Ann Compton who uses narrative analysis to examine coaching for new graduates in the contemporary, post-Covid pandemic work environment. The study highlights the importance of the guide role for those supporting new graduates in the workplace, in particular around their needs for belonging, acceptance and inclusion.
Our twelfth paper comes from Jessica Bray explores the benefits of coaching for Church of England clergy. The constructivist grounded theory approach used arrives at a Benefit Matrix of coaching addressing the intersecting aspects of the spiritual, personal and and professional dimensions of clergy life. Phoebe Simmons’ investigation of coachees experiences of strengths-based coaching, specifically the use of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS). Three key themes emerge from Phoebe’s study including working with strengths blind spots and raising coachees’ awareness. Our final paper in this special issue also focuses upon values, exploring how working with clients to identify their personal values is beneficial in coaching amidst the values we adopt through other organisations and communities. Gavin Wells uses constructivist grounded theory to propose a theory explaining how coaching can enable a coachee to identify their personal values as part of clients’ search for meaning.
We hope you enjoy this special issue and that you value the insightful research that emerges from these articles as much as we have.
With best wishes,
Dr Judie M. Gannon and Dr Ioanna Iordanou on behalf of the Editorial team, May 2023
International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring
