What is coaching psychology? According to the International Society for Coaching Psychology, coaching psychology is:
The practice of coaching psychology may be described as a process for enhancing well-being and performance in personal life and work domains underpinned by models of coaching grounded in established adult and child learning or psychological theories and approaches.

After reading that, do you now know what coaching psychology is? If not, let’s explore its meaning and how you can use it in your coaching practice.
What is Coaching Psychology?
Psychologists are usually viewed as experts, as doctors who know what’s best for their clients. However, coaches don’t take this tact when dealing with their clients. They don’t impose, judge, tell, or assume that they are experts in anyone’s life. They don’t give instructions on how to reach a goal or to live a life. They guide instead of instruct.
So, what is coaching psychology? Is it really something that coaches can use in their practices? In fact, most coaches are already using it to help clients move forward and reach for their goals.
Coaching psychology is the art and science of uncovering and bringing to the surface various unconscious psychological processes. It is also making the client aware, through questioning and revelation, the hidden defense mechanisms that stand in the way of goal achievement.
Coaching psychology takes some ideas and techniques from psychological therapy and applies them in a coaching venue. It is basically the application of behavioral science, in the past used with individuals who have recognized mental health issues, when working with clients who have no clinically significant mental health problems. Instead of being used to correct problems, it is being used to help people enhance their life experience, their careers, and their well being.
Coaching psychology is also the collection of data on the success (or failure) of clients in goal achievement, and using the data to evaluate techniques and methodology. Evaluations and assessments are then used to modify sessions to better serve the clients.
What is Coaching Psychology and How You Can Use it in Your Practice?
Coaching psychology helps to identify:
- The client’s feelings about a situation
- Steps the client can take to achieve goals
- What is going well and can be used as leverage in other areas of their lives.
- Individual traits or characteristics that can either help of hinder motivation, values, perceptions, beliefs, and actions.
Applying coaching psychology in your practice will focus on:
- The identification of goals.
- The attainment of goals.
- The development of positive traits and values.
- The resolution of undesirable situations.
- The identification of specific areas for action.
Coaching psychology is for individuals who don’t need therapy or counseling or help with mental problems. That makes it perfect for people who use life coaches, executive coaches, career coaches, and wellness coaches – these people merely want to better than life, career, or health.
What is psychological coaching? It is the art and science of using behavior therapy with healthy, well-adjusted people who want something more out of their lives, and are hiring you, the coach, to help guide them to a new place in life.
Hope you took some great value out of this post today! I’d love to hear your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment with your thoughts or questions. And also, you can click on the Twitter button below to retweet this article…Thank you!
Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community



I believe coaching psychology is a great method for helping your clients discover certain aspects of himself that can help him improve so that he can have a clearer view on his goals and how he can achieve it.
Great post on coaching psychology and how we can apply it to our day to day sessions to help our clients discover more of themselves, their strong and weak qualities and at the same time help us coaches know how we can guide them to help them reach their goals.