Coaching: Complementary Training for Psychologists

Being a fairly young science, Psychology is in the process of expansion and diversification. What a few decades ago was seen as a profession for people who dedicated themselves to "fixing" what apparently does not work in the behavior of others, today it is seen in a much richer way in shades; It is a psychologist who offers therapy to patients suffering from psychopathologies, yes, but so is the psychologist sportsman who works for a football club or the psychologist who is dedicated to the design of workspaces in companies.

In this sense, It is not surprising that more and more psychologists are deciding to specialize in the field of coaching.; This has become complementary training that offers many tools to intervene beyond the clinical context and health: leadership processes, personal development, assistance to people preparing for oppositions, oratory training, etc

What makes coaching interesting in the eyes of a psychologist?

Although, as we have anticipated, psychology is in the process of diversification, this has not starting from a situation in which psychologists initially engaged in work on "a bit of all". At the birth of this discipline, almost all efforts were applied to two areas: psychotherapeutic intervention, on the one hand, and the study of individual differences, on the other. The first was aimed at developing strategies to improve the quality of life of patients with problems generated by psychopathologies, and the second, it was applied above all to detect problematic cases of learning disabilities, very low level of intelligence, personality traits anti social etc

As we can see, this way of understanding Psychology was biased towards the negative; From a somewhat pessimistic perspective, it was assumed that the psychologist's work has as its raison d'être to help people who suffer “deficits” in various aspects of life.

In recent years, however, a more global conception of psychology has been gaining strength, and that is why nowadays it is increasingly taken into account to what extent psychologists can help to improve what that in principle is already functional and is not fundamentally damaged by psychological disorders, neurological alterations, etc This implies that the knowledge arising from the behavioral sciences can be applied to a wide variety of situations and needs, and the concept of coaching helps to encompass many of these intervention processes towards the positive, towards the optimization of skills and talents that already exist in latent.

• Related article: "12 professional opportunities in Psychology"

Main areas of training in coaching

These are some of the areas of specialization in coaching that are currently most in demand among psychologists who decide to train in this field:

1. Leadership

The training in leadership skillsIt is among the most important functions of psychologists working for companies or for CEOs and senior executives. specifically; It must not be forgotten that the simple fact of holding a position does not imply knowing how to lead, since the latter It means having the skills to inspire and mobilize entire teams, and coordinated.

2. self knowledge

Although the processes of self-knowledge are of great importance in areas of psychology such as psychotherapy, in the world of coaching it is usually associated with analysis of the values ​​and ideals that guide people when proposing significant life projects for themselves, such as a certain professional trajectory different from the present one, the creation of a family based on a certain model of upbringing and coexistence, the search for their own style when creating art, etc This is a function closely linked to personal coaching, highly focused on personal development.

• You may be interested in: "Self-knowledge: definition and 8 tips to improve it"

3. Discipline, motivation and self-motivation

The process of knowing oneself allows finding the right keys of motivation and self-motivation, since there are no universal incentive systems that work effectively in 100% of cases; it is necessary to know the particularities of people, their values ​​and their expectations.

But that's not enough; it is also necessary to know the routines and models of time management that are effective to constantly face objectives that make up a long-term project: training for entrance exams, writing a novel, creating a company, etc For example, there are those who know perfectly well what they want, but are unable to move from desires to actions and procrastinate for days or weeks.

4. Team management

Here are grouped processes such as teambuilding or training in communication skills and management of conflicts, necessary elements to prevent the appearance of communication and interpersonal problems within the organizations.

5. sports coaching

Supporting athletes through coaching services groups several of the functions that we have seen so far, but due to the particularities of the problems and specific needs of athletes, you are usually classified as a category apart.

6. family coaching

In the context of the family, it is of particular interest not to focus so much on the individual problems of the family members, but to have a global perspective of the relationships between them. This makes it possible to help resolve conflicts that have been perpetuating for months or years, improve the ability to family coexistence, strengthen existing ties, avoid the tendency to constantly fall into misunderstandings etc

Do you want to train in coaching?

Mediterranean School of Psychology is a 100% online training center for and by psychologists, with more than 60 courses, postgraduates and master's degrees that cover all facets of behavioral science.

Here you will find options to train in the world of coaching with the level of depth that you want; Some of the most interesting proposals are the Master in Professional Coaching from EMP, the Postgraduate in Coaching Family Course, the Higher Course in Coaching and Mentoring, or the Higher Course in Leadership and Motivation in the Company, among others. To find out everything that the Mediterranean School of Psychology has to offer, visit his page.