Positive Psychology Coaching: An Evidence-Based Approach to Personal & Professional Growth

In today's fast-paced world, achieving balance and wellbeing feels like a daily challenge. From the constant stream of information to the increasing demands of work and life, it is easy to feel stretched thin and overwhelmed. Many of us are caught in a cycle of rushing from one task to the next, rarely pausing to consider the toll it takes on our physical health, mental clarity, and emotional resilience. In this context, coaching should go beyond traditional focuses on performance or specific goal achievement—which often assumes we have the time and energy to consider our aims—and instead embrace wellbeing as a priority.

By centring wellbeing, coaching can help us reclaim the space to breathe, reflect, and foster a more sustainable, nourishing path that supports flourishing and optimal functioning. Positive psychology coaching can offer this transformative approach to personal and professional growth and help individuals, groups and organisations to thrive by emphasising strengths and nurturing positive mindsets.

What is Positive Psychology Coaching?

Positive Psychology Coaching can be defined as an evidence-based, strength-focused coaching approach rooted in the science of Positive Psychology. For trainee coaches and professionals seeking to expand their Continuous Professional Development (CPD), Positive Psychology Coaching offers a transformative approach to helping clients. This blog explores Positive Psychology Coaching's foundations, research, and practical tools, providing insights into its relevance and applications.

Foundations of Positive Psychology Coaching

Positive Psychology emerged in 1998, led by Martin Seligman and others, to complement traditional psychology's focus on mental illness with research on wellbeing, happiness, and strengths. Positive Psychology focuses on what makes life worth living—what helps people thrive rather than merely survive. Positive Psychology Coaching integrates these principles into the coaching process by fostering growth by identifying and enhancing clients' strengths, psychological wellbeing, and sense of meaning. 

Coaching for optimal functioning and wellbeing

Positive psychology coaching aims to support clients in living a genuine life aligned with their true selves, core values, and sense of purpose. It can serve as a powerful resource for personal growth in work, business, relationships, and other areas of life. 

Since the development of executive coaching in the 1980s, the primary focus of executive coaching was on achieving peak performance and meeting professional or organisational objectives rather than improving wellbeing or overall optimal functioning. However, in recent years, with the growing emphasis on work-life balance in executive and organisational settings and the recognition of wellbeing’s important role in driving performance, coaching has evolved to adopt a more holistic approach, prioritising the broader health and wellbeing of both executives and employees.

Why Positive Psychology Coaching Matters

Adopting Positive Psychology Coaching offers several advantages for coaches, particularly its grounding in evidence and holistic approach to wellbeing. These benefits include:

• Strengths-Based Approach: Positive Psychology Coaching emphasises strengths rather than weaknesses. Research indicates that people who regularly use their strengths are likelier to experience higher engagement, productivity, and satisfaction (Linley et al., 2009). For coaches, this means helping clients identify and build on their strengths, enhancing motivation and long-term change.
• Improved Wellbeing: Positive Psychology Coaching aims to enhance subjective wellbeing, backed by studies showing that optimism, positive emotions, and life satisfaction are linked to better mental and physical health outcomes (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005). Using a positive psychology coaching approach, coaches can help clients achieve meaningful goals and enhance their overall quality of life.
• Evidence-Based Practice: Positive Psychology Coaching’s strength lies in its empirical foundation. Research on goal setting, resilience, and the impact of positive emotions guides coaches to apply scientifically validated approaches and techniques in their practice (Kauffman, 2006), allowing them to offer more reliable and structured support to their clients.
• Broad Applicability: Positive Psychology Coaching can be adapted across various coaching domains, including life coaching, career development, leadership coaching, and health and wellness. Its versatility makes it a valuable framework for coaches working with diverse clients and goals.

Evidence-Based Benefits for Coaches and Clients

Positive Psychology Coaching offers practical and theoretical benefits:

• Enhances Coaching Effectiveness: Research demonstrates that clients coached with positive psychology techniques improve wellbeing, goal achievement, and overall satisfaction (Green & Spence, 2014). By integrating Positive Psychology Coaching into their practice, coaches can provide clients with scientifically supported tools that foster deeper, more sustainable growth.
• Improves Client Engagement: Research shows that strengths-based coaching increases client engagement and adherence to the coaching process (McQuaid et al., 2018). Clients are more motivated when they focus on their strengths rather than weaknesses, leading to higher levels of involvement in the coaching relationship.
• Fosters Long-Term Change: Studies suggest that focusing on strengths and cultivating positive emotions leads to more sustainable behavioural change (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005). Positive Psychology Coaching’s emphasis on building resilience, optimism, and gratitude helps clients improve their mental health and wellbeing by adopting long-term strategies. 
• Coache’s Personal and Professional Growth: Coaches also benefit from Positive Psychology principles by applying these techniques in their own lives. Practices like mindfulness, resilience training, gratitude, savouring or strengths development not only help clients but also enhance coaches’ personal wellbeing and professional satisfaction.

Why should coaches be interested in learning more about Positive Psychology Coaching?

Positive Psychology Coaching is a scientifically grounded, strength-based approach that empowers clients to achieve optimal functioning and wellbeing. It fosters sustainable growth and long-term improvements by focusing on strengths, positive emotions, and evidence-based strategies. For trainee coaches and those seeking to enhance their CPD, Positive Psychology Coaching provides a valuable framework for promoting flourishing in both clients and coaches.

If you're interested to learn more about Positive Psychology and wish to incorporate it into your coaching practice with an evidence-based approach, Andrea runs our CPD Positive Psychology Coaching live online training event, for more information and book your place, please visit our coach training programme calendar.

About Author:

Andrea Giraldez-Hayes, PhD, is a sought-after coaching psychologist, academic, supervisor and consultant. She is currently the Director of the Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology branch at the Wellbeing and Psychological Services Clinic at the University of East London. With a background in arts and creativity, Andrea has developed and delivered unique and successful coaching programmes in different countries.   

References:

• Green, S., & Spence, G. B. (2014). Evidence‐based coaching as a positive psychological intervention. The Wiley Blackwell handbook of positive psychological interventions, 273-285.
• Kauffman, C. (2006). Positive psychology: The science at the heart of coaching. Evidence-based coaching handbook: Putting best practices to work for your clients, 219, 253.
• Linley, P. A., Woolston, L., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2009). Strengths coaching with leaders. International Coaching Psychology Review, 4(1), 37-48.
• Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of general psychology, 9(2), 111-131.
• McQuaid, M., Niemiec, R., & Doman, F. (2018). A character strengths-based approach to positive psychology coaching. In Positive psychology coaching in practice (pp. 71-79). Routledge.