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What should a coach do when a client shows signs of psychological distress? While the coaching profession agrees that we do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions, we are increasingly being called upon to recognise and respond to possible signs—particularly when many clients come to coaching because of their reluctance to engage in therapy.  This means coaches often encounter emotionally complex situations, especially with clients who are more open to coaching than to clinical support. These moments require us to reflect deeply: Where is the line between helping and harming? Between ethical coaching and inappropriate clinical overreach?  This issue of Coaching Research in Practice explores recent research that provides a thoughtful and practical model for navigating that line. It sheds light on how experienced coaches move from recognising signs of distress in their clients to making ethically grounded decisions about how to respond—without overstepping professional boundaries or missing opportunities to support those in need.  Read full article here: https://reciprocoach.com/coaching-research#!#189    Written by Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC and Global ReciproCoach Coordinator  

Coaching thrives on trust and safety. Yet, even the most experienced coaches can unintentionally undermine this by steering their clients into certain reflective paths, unaware that they’re doing so.   ICF Core Competency 4.2 reminds us to respect the client’s identity, perceptions, style, and language, and this includes adapting our questioning to them. But if you listen in on any group mentoring session, you'll hear ACCs to MCCs defaulting to their own preferred way of reflecting and communicating, resulting in a subtle kind of directing rather than truly partnering.   Visual reflectors often ask what their clients see. Somatic reflectors typically ask what their clients feel. Logical reflectors tend to ask their clients what they think. Each of these approaches can unintentionally narrow the client’s options, forcing them to reflect through a channel that is not natural for them, rather than inviting them into an expansive reflective space that serves them best — an open channel.   For a second year running, ReciproCoach, together with MCC Melanie Parish, is offering a group mentoring session dedicated to developing the awareness and skill of Open Channel Questioning. In this interactive, small-group session, you’ll gain hands-on experience, live coaching, and stop-and-start guidance from Melanie to sharpen your open-channel questioning skills, ensuring you expand your clients' reflection rather than limit it.   Live session with MCC Melanie Parish (observer-only session also available if you can't attend live) Limited to 10 participants for hands-on learning Qualifies for 1.5 MCC (or lower) group mentoring hours or ICF CCEUs   Register for round here.   This is your chance to disrupt your default questioning patterns and deepen client trust by truly respecting your client’s perceptions, style, and language. What’s more, you’ll laugh while you learn, because with Melanie, you always do!  Looking forward to learning and laughing together,  Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC Global ReciproCoach Coordinator

As humans, we all have some degree of duty of care. For some, it is an inherent moral responsibility, an inner compass for personal decisions and behaviour. For others, it is a legal obligation enforced by external professional or regulatory standards.   Within the field of coaching, there are Codes of Ethics that provide guidelines for our professional duty of care. Yet these do not fully address the intricate and systemic nature of our duty of care, and few coaches are adequately trained to navigate the complexity.   This issue of Coaching Research in Practice explores recent research on the topic. It explains the triangular, hierarchical levels of duty of care that can arise in coaching, how duty of care thereby extends beyond the client and how coaching practitioners can equip themselves accordingly.   Read full article here: https://reciprocoach.com/coaching-research#!#187   Written by Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC and Global ReciproCoach Coordinator Not yet a member? Already a member?

You know that moment. You're nearing the end of a coaching session, and suddenly, it dawns on you that you've been circling the real issue for most of the session. And the worst thing? You have run out of time to coach on what really matters.    Even experienced coaches face this challenge more often than they'd like. But what if you could consistently uncover the real issue at the beginning of a session—rather than the end? That's exactly what Marion Franklin, MCC, teaches in her book The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching. If you haven't read it yet, don't miss it. And if you have read it, this is your chance to go beyond reading—to truly integrate and apply it in your coaching.   For the fifth year, we're partnering with Marion to bring you Laser-Focused Peer Coaching, a combined book peer coaching round, that will teach you to:   know exactly what to listen for in every session quickly identify what's really going on avoid getting seduced by the story ask questions that get right to the heart of the matter have the client do all of the summary know how to create the shift and what to do afterwards recognize the client's underlying pattern and know how to address it   You can find out more about our Laser-Focused Peer Coaching opportunity here, including testimonials from the last four years' participants. Or, if you already know you need to laser-focus your coaching, you can register right away.    There are also a limited number of places to join a separate Laser-Focused Coaching group mentoring session with Marion herself (not included in the peer coaching round, but available for separate registration). If you miss out on or can't attend the live session, join the observer session to get discounted access to the session recording.    If you participated in a past Laser-Focused Peer Coaching Round and want to refine your skills even further, you're welcome to join either the peer coaching round, the group mentoring session—or both!   Each time I revisit Laser-Focused Coaching, my coaching goes deeper and I get there faster. If you, like me, prefer doing a book rather than just reading it—this is your opportunity to put these powerful techniques into action.  Your future clients will thank you! Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC Global ReciproCoach Coordinator

Being "in flow" or "in the zone" is a highly desired state. Whether in coaching, work, the arts or sports, flow represents a state of effortless engagement, heightened awareness, and seamless performance.   The idea of flow in coaching has long existed. Concepts introduced by coaching pioneer Timothy Gallwey in The Inner Game of Tennis, widely considered a foundational book in sports coaching, closely align with more formal flow theory like that of Csikszentmihalyi. Yet, while most flow theory refers to an individual’s state, flow arises in coaching sessions relationally, between the coach and the client.   This issue of Coaching Research in Practice explores recent research into relational flow in coaching. It sheds light on how flow manifests in coaching relationships, explains a deeper level of connection and engagement between coach and client, and offers recommendations for increasing flow in your coaching sessions.   Read full article here: https://reciprocoach.com/coaching-research#!#187   Written by Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC and Global ReciproCoach Coordinator Not yet a member? Already a member?

Every successful business knows how to win clients. Every lasting business knows how to keep them.   If you're not consistently winning coaching clients—or if they aren't staying long enough to see results and refer others—you're missing the foundation of a thriving coaching business.   That's exactly why the International Authority for Professional Coaching & Mentoring (IAPC&M) published How to Win and Keep Clients: 7 Proven Success Strategies to Grow Your Business. And at ReciproCoach, we know that reading about strategies isn't enough—you need to apply them.   How to Win and Keep Clients Peer Coaching Round   We've partnered with IAPC&M to offer another dedicated How to Win and Keep Clients Peer Coaching Round. Over 14 sessions (7 as a coach, 7 as a client), you'll actively refine your client acquisition and retention strategies. With each session structured around a chapter of the book, this round offers a practical, hands-on way to integrate these strategies into your business.     Who is this for?   ✅ Coaches struggling to gain new clients✅ Coaches who want to retain clients until they are fully complete✅ Coaches looking to replace completing clients with referrals   Find out more about what's included in this round and how it's impacted other coaches, then register before March 16. Registration closes on Sunday, March 16.   Most coaches don't struggle because they lack coaching skills—they struggle because they haven't mastered the business of winning and keeping clients. Take this opportunity to turn this around.    Supporting coaches in thriving in business,   Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC Global ReciproCoach Coordinator

It's a widely cited statistic: over 80% of coaching businesses ultimately fail.   While this might sound discouraging, ignoring the truth won't help. As coaches, we know that recognising the reality of a situation—the "R" in the GROW model—is the first step toward achieving the outcomes we desire.    Once we've accepted that most coaching businesses fail, we can begin to understand why. The most commonly cited reasons include a lack of business knowledge, marketing focus, and professional support. But here's the catch: even when you have the knowledge, focus, and support, fear can still be your biggest roadblock.   Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of judgment. You name it—fear can sabotage your knowledge, derail your focus, and give you endless excuses to play it safe.   That's why ReciproCoach has teamed up with Dermot Butterly for the third year running to bring you Overcoming Fears in Business Peer Coaching. After years of teaching the Art and Science of Business Building for Coaches, Dermot recognized that fear was often the hidden factor holding coaches back. This inspired him to create Club Fearless for Coaches and identify the 6 biggest fears that stop coaches in their tracks. To address these, Dermot developed a Mini Business Building Course specifically for coaches.   To kick off the New Year, Overcoming Fears in Business (2025/1) combines Dermot's video course with a powerful reciprocal peer coaching process. Through this program, you'll:   Be coached to overcome your fears. Coach another coach to overcome theirs. Stretch yourself in ways that could be a game-changer for your business success.     Thanks to this combined video and peer coaching approach, this program has proven valuable for both new and experienced coaches alike.       You can find more information here about what the video course covers and read testimonials from past participants. Or, if you're ready to make 2025 the year you move past your fears and step into success, register here before Sunday, January 19.   (Registrations close Sunday, January 19)   As someone who's worked with countless coaches over several decades, it breaks my heart to see good coaches give up—not for lack of coaching skills, but because the challenges of building a coaching business feel insurmountable.   Don't let your fears you back. This world needs good coaches.       Supporting coaches to survive and thrive in business,   Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC Global ReciproCoach Coordinator

Number ten in the ICF Code of Ethics states that professional coaches must be “sensitive to the implications of having multiple contracts and relationships with the same Client(s) and Sponsor(s) at the same time in order to avoid conflict of interest situations.”   While all ICF coaches accept and agree to this principle, few fully grasp the implications. As a result, they run the risk of falling into the trap of coaching people with whom they share another relationship, such as a family member, friend or colleague, without knowing how to effectively manage multiple relationships.   Indeed, when coaches encounter the complexity of managing multiple relationships, many prefer to keep their coaching relationships simple by keeping them single. Unfortunately, this motto also means that giving the gift of coaching to a loved one, something which helping professions tend to do, also becomes a no-go.   To overcome this dilemma, twice a year ReciproCoach offers coaches the opportunity to give coaching to a loved one, without having to bear the responsibility and risk of managing multiple relationships by coaching them ourselves. By joining one of our Gift Coaching rounds, you may give your assigned peer coach to a loved one, and coach a fellow ReciproCoach’s loved one in return. That means your loved one can receive the gift of coaching from you, without having to run the risk of being coached by you!   Our next gift rounds are happening in December and April. Registrations for Special Gift Coaching (2024/12) close on Sunday December 15, just in time for matching to be completed before Christmas, giving your loved one a coach to start the New Year with.   (Registration closes Sunday, December 15)   If you’re still tempted to coach your loved ones yourself, and run the gauntlet of managing multiple relationships, we recommend you read our full article first, Managing multiple relationships with coaching clients – what are the implications?   Supporting ethically aligned coaching practice,   Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC Global ReciproCoach Coordinator

Continuing on from Part 1 of Coaching Research in Practice devoted to coaching supervision research, this second article sheds light on the mindset of coaching supervisors. It distinguishes the coaching mindset from the supervision mindset and makes recommendations that we hope will compel coaches to make coaching supervision a consistent component of their professional development practices.   Read full article here: https://reciprocoach.com/coaching-research#!#186   Written by Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC and Global ReciproCoach Coordinator Not yet a member? Already a member?

The recent release of the ICF's new Coaching Supervision Competencies marks a significant milestone in the field of coaching. While coaching supervision itself is not new—and other professional associations, such as the EMCC with its Supervision Competence Framework and the AC with its Coaching Supervision Competency Framework have already established standards—the ICF’s formal recognition of this process underscores the essential role that coaching supervision plays in supporting coaches.   Despite this, there are still some coaches who have never experienced coaching supervision and even more who have yet to make it a regular part of their continuing professional development.   To address this shortfall, this month, we have a double issue of Coaching Research in Practice devoted to two coaching supervision research papers. We are releasing October and November issues simultaneously in the hope that this double feature will give coaches the motivation they need to make coaching supervision a consistent component of their professional development practices. After all, as coaches, surely we know that intrinsic motivation means so much more than external mandatory requirements.   This first article focuses on what coaching supervisors actually do. It describes the coaching supervision space, the roles the supervisor assumes and the processes they engage the supervisee in. Finally, it reflects on current minimum requirements for coaching supervision and makes some recommendations for practice for coaches who aspire to be well-resourced, high-quality professionals.   Read full article here: https://reciprocoach.com/coaching-research#!#185   Written by Kerryn Griffiths, PhD, PCC and Global ReciproCoach Coordinator Not yet a member? Already a member?