I love how you tied the carriage metaphor back to your personal interpretation of supportive conversational support. The metaphor really helps me see what you mean, and the historical context is the cherry on top :)
It brings up the metaphor from Motivational Interviewing that Prof Stephen Rollnick uses. A client is in their boat with their hand on the tiller, and the coach has their hand on their client's hand. The client sets the direction. The coach is there to help guide the client through choppy waters.
The other aspect that came up was one that even though it's a conversation, as you know, coaching can cause harm. One of the most striking examples is about gratitude.
"Have you thought about identify three things you're grateful for each day?" might sound like an innocent question to offer.
It is in reality Positive Psychology intervention that the research shows - for a client who always sees the negative, rather than the positive - could cause anxiety and lower their self-esteem.
agree 100%, Eric! Coaches are also not "cheerleaders" - and I see many who are "positivity bullies". This is dismissing half (or more) of the client's experience, which is not very client-led. Thanks for directing me to this post, great read. :)
I love how you tied the carriage metaphor back to your personal interpretation of supportive conversational support. The metaphor really helps me see what you mean, and the historical context is the cherry on top :)
Neat metaphor, Rik!
It brings up the metaphor from Motivational Interviewing that Prof Stephen Rollnick uses. A client is in their boat with their hand on the tiller, and the coach has their hand on their client's hand. The client sets the direction. The coach is there to help guide the client through choppy waters.
The other aspect that came up was one that even though it's a conversation, as you know, coaching can cause harm. One of the most striking examples is about gratitude.
"Have you thought about identify three things you're grateful for each day?" might sound like an innocent question to offer.
It is in reality Positive Psychology intervention that the research shows - for a client who always sees the negative, rather than the positive - could cause anxiety and lower their self-esteem.
agree 100%, Eric! Coaches are also not "cheerleaders" - and I see many who are "positivity bullies". This is dismissing half (or more) of the client's experience, which is not very client-led. Thanks for directing me to this post, great read. :)
Oh yes 💯.
Positivity bullies. What a great phrase! That's toxic positivity applied in real life!
Rik's a great writer on topics that I think will really interest you