Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching: Assessment, Activities, and Strategies for Success

Citation

Bonebright, D.A. (2012), "Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching: Assessment, Activities, and Strategies for Success", European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 481-483. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591211220375

Book synopsis

In 2007 Robert Biswas‐Diener and co‐author Ben Dean published Positive Psychology Coaching, an introduction to the field of positive psychology for the coaching profession. This book is a companion text, with an emphasis on practical application of the theories presented in the earlier volume. The author views coaching as the “applied arm of positive psychology” (p. 5) and uses this book to provide practical tools for working with clients. In addition to discussing positive psychology concepts and their application for coaching practice, it provides ready‐to‐use assessment tools and activities.

Defining the target audience for this book is both simple and complicated. It is meant for professional coaches who wish to use a positive psychology approach. But, as the author points out, the definition of “positive psychology coaches” is problematic (p. 6). He spends much of the first chapter discussing six core areas that could help create a professional identity for the field: credentialing, keeping up‐to‐date with science of positive psychology, assessing one's own personal strengths, using established assessments, helping clients understand the positive approach, and making a personal paradigm shift. Chapter two focuses on a key concept in positive psychology: identifying and harnessing one's strengths. It describes the concept, presents application activities for the reader, and applies it to sample coaching situations. Chapter three analyzes the concept of positivity in a similar manner, and chapter four discusses motivation, goals, and optimism. The author uses personal stories and sample coaching scenarios to help the reader understand the importance of each concept.

The next section of the book provides a detailed discussion of coaching practice from a positive viewpoint. Chapter five addresses diagnosis. It suggests a “positive diagnostic system” (p. 82) that can be used with clients. While acknowledging that positive diagnosis is still a new concept, the author claims that it “offers a chance to normalize success, measure potential, and create a shared vocabulary for discussing basic human capacities” (p. 97). Chapter six continues the discussion by addressing the use of formal psychological assessments in coaching. Several assessments are provided that can be used to help establish a coaching agenda, identify strengths, and set development goals. The next chapter addresses specific issues that arise when coaching mid‐life clients. The book ends with a discussion of what it means to practice the profession of positive psychology coaching.

Evaluation

Reading this book is a bit like having a conversation with a knowledgeable mentor. It is filled with powerful personal stories, advice from one coach to another, and suggestions for tools that could improve one's practice. The author's passion for enhancing the professionalism and competence of positive psychology coaching comes through clearly. Practicing coaches will find it to be a useful reference.

Researchers who are interested in exploring positive psychology might also find value in this book. The chapter on assessments is especially useful in presenting a discussion of “how, when, and if we should be using formal assessments of psychological constructs in coaching” (p. 101). It includes ten short assessments that meet the author's criteria including validation, wide usage, relevance for coaching, ease of interpretation, and low cost. The book presents an overview of each assessment, but details about how they were created and validated would need to be found from articles in the reference lists since that information is not included.

An aspect of positive psychology coaching that is not specifically addressed is the similarities and differences that might be present when practicing in different cultures. This could have been an interesting addition, because Biswas‐Diener has a reputation for conducting research in a wide variety of cultural settings. He participated in a 2005 study that compared happiness measures among the Inughuit, the Amish, and the Maasai (Biswas‐Diener et al., 2005). More recent research has been done in Denmark, Thailand, and with homeless populations in India and the USA (Positive Acorn, n.d.). In chapter three we learn something about his research in India. Several other chapters mention various trips and international workshops, but I would have liked to learn more. For example, the chapter on middle age is presented from a Western viewpoint. It might have been informative to acknowledge that the situation could be different when working with clients or in settings that have a different cultural perspective.

Positive psychology is a relatively new academic discipline. Coaching as a profession, and positive psychology coaching in particular, is still developing its identity. As the author acknowledges, “there is, as yet, no coherent or consistent methodology for delivering positive psychology services” (p. 5). Books such as this one make a significant contribution to the advancement of the field.

In the author's own words

“Positive psychology coaching looks like other forms of coaching in a great many ways. Both are co‐created relationships. Both assume that clients are functional and resourceful. Both are professional relationships that require attention to contracts, fees, and ethical behavior. And both draw heavily from the same toolbox […] without question coaches of all orientations focus on personal assets, talents, and other sources of success. But positive psychology offers a specific and sophisticated means for doing so that includes empirically validated assessments, theory about the origins and benefits of strengths use, and stratagems and language for identifying, developing, and employing strengths” (pp. 145‐6).

About the reviewer

Denise A. Bonebright is Director of Systemwide Training, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Prior to that she was a human resources development consultant for the University of Minnesota, where she coordinated several professional and leadership development programs as well as providing consulting services at the departmental and organizational levels. She is in the process of completing her PhD in the University's Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Her research interests include leadership development and building successful mentorship programs. Denise A. Bonebright can be contacted at: d‐bone@umn.edu