At this moment, I have almost completed the recertification process to maintain my International Coaching Federation (ICF) credential. Along with much time spent, and some costs, I have met new coaches and learned a lot. For some reason, this new learning surprised me, happily so.
What have I learned? How other coaches handle certain situations, steps to handle challenging ethical dilemmas, and other new approaches to coach particular issues for example. And I have gained more insight into the profession of coaching itself.
Coaching evolved in the 80’s in the United States. Several people were instrumental in its inception. Werner Erhard, involved in est Training introduced self-improvement training. Thomas Leonard, interested in the same ideas as Erhard, is considered the founding father of life coaching. He founded the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in 1994.
The founding principles of coaching come from many sources. Here are some,
- Carl Rogers’ concept of self-actualization
- C.R. Snyder’s Hope Theory (considering hope as a positive motivating factor)
- Barbara Fredrickson’s contribution that love is a motivation for self-improvement
- Carl Jung’s life-stage awareness
- Eric Berne’s transactional analysis: how we interact and with others, the roles we play in life
- Carol Gilligan’s women’s ethics of care
- Robert Kegan’s stages of development
This quote by Patrick Williams captures the purpose of professional coaching, “for people who seek help with life transitions in finding a guide to partner with them in designing their desired future.” (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255641768) I have benefited from coaching! And I love offering this service to others. Coaching now takes its place among other helping professions with its own niche and potent tools for assisting people to find their best answers.