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Coaching Interventions for Challenging Experiences and Post-traumatic Growth

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Positive Psychology Coaching in the Workplace

Abstract

Drawing on the conceptual roots of posttraumatic growth, we identify two coaching interventions that help sustain growth in workplace relationships. The first intervention is targeted at developing individual and group posttraumatic growth. In the intervention peers are asked to provide coaching to help build their peers’ growth in particularly stressful circumstances. The second intervention focuses on individual and leadership growth development. In this intervention participants are asked to reflect on their pivotal career moments and strategies for career growth based on discussion of their pivotal moments. We share how these practices apply across levels of experience and responsibility within organizations, from coaching front-line employees to hi-potentials to senior leaders. These practices not only build strength within individuals, but also create broader cultures of growth and agility when used at a larger scale. For each intervention, we provide case studies that contextualize the two practices. The first occurs in a military context and the second occurs in a fortune-500 corporate context. We share how these practices can work in other contexts such as government, higher education, and non-profit environments.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This vignette offers a composite view of a training unit in the US Navy (based on multiple ethnogrpahic visits and interviews) in which recruits face uncertainty or worry and where we introduced the peer-to-peer appreciative conversation.

  2. 2.

    This vignette represents one example of the posttraumatic growth intervention. The names, industries, and organizations and other identifiable evidence has been changed to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of the coachee and her organization.

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Acknowledgments

We express gratitude to David Sluss of Georgia Tech for his significant contributions of the peer-to-peer intervention.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA

    Edward H. Powley & Frank J. Barrett

  2. Heidrick & Struggles, New York, NY, USA

    Emily E. Amdurer

Authors
  1. Edward H. Powley
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  2. Emily E. Amdurer
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  3. Frank J. Barrett
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edward H. Powley .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Eclorev, Paris, France

    Wendy-Ann Smith

  2. École de Psychologues Praticiens, Paris, France

    Wendy-Ann Smith

  3. University of East London, London, UK

    Wendy-Ann Smith , Ilona Boniwell  & Suzy Green ,  & 

  4. Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK

    Wendy-Ann Smith  & Ilona Boniwell  & 

  5. Positran Ltd, Epone, France

    Ilona Boniwell

  6. The Positivity Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Suzy Green

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Powley, E.H., Amdurer, E.E., Barrett, F.J. (2021). Coaching Interventions for Challenging Experiences and Post-traumatic Growth. In: Smith, WA., Boniwell, I., Green, S. (eds) Positive Psychology Coaching in the Workplace. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79952-6_13

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