Do I really practice what I preach?

On Saturday afternoon, as the morning’s torrential rain subsided, my youngest son asked me if I could take him to the skate park. I figured I’d “kill two birds” and take my homework with me. Armed with a camping chair, pens, highlighters and a peppermint tea we made our way and I settled down to read Chapter 6 of The Handbook of Coaching Psychology.

In the same vein that standing at the top of the half pipe might do to me (but not my son), this question stopped me in my tracks.

“Where do you actually apply evidence in your practice?”

Honestly? I’m not sure. Well, not in this neat, text-book approved way anyway.

I have a Masters in psychology. As a teacher I trained and had to evidence practice in various different developmental and pedagogical ideals. I’ve studied NLP, ACT, took a year to train as a coach, read endless research papers, books. Hey, I take on board what those Instagram and TikTok gurus have to share. Lots of knowledge.

But, when I’m with a client, in that real human, real messy, real life interaction, could I tell you where my evidence is? My gut tells me to say, “I’m not sure” and maybe it takes a back-seat to intuition, experience and just “reading the room”. I hope that’s not unique to me.

The Wild West of Coaching

“Oh everyone’s a coach these days!” It’s that kind of sentence that’s put me off telling people what I do. Scroll Instagram for 30 seconds and you’ll find a reel telling you how to "“manifest your dream life in 4 easy steps”. Hey, I’m not too proud to admit that I’ve been sucked in by great claims when I’ve felt a bit lost. Wary that they never really exposed their credentials but also a little jealous if I’m honest. Because whilst I’ve buried myself in theory, research and qualifications, they just “went for it”. They seem to get results, maybe the same as me, but on the surface they just rely on what they felt worked and feedback from their echo chamber.

Reading this chapter reminded me that empirical evidence for coaching psychology is thin on the ground. So does that mean these Insta Coaches have a get-out clause? Who’s to say their results are less valid that mine if there’s not much evidence to prove or deny otherwise?

Research isn’t Gospel

I’ve spent the last 3 years fully immersed in research. My Psych masters dissertation and then 2 years of research in the wild - NHS studies and write ups. In that time two things stand have stood out to me:

1) the lag between research happening and the impact on the real world is extensive… on average it’s about 17 years, because “Moving knowledge to where it’s most useful” is a challenge in itself.

2) It’s “research suggests” not “this is the absolute truth”.

There are compounding factors as far as the eye can see. Mitigations. Human variables galore. With coaching in particular, you’re working with humans and their lived experiences, biases, unique cultures, neurodiversities; you can’t just plonk a study down and say “well, this is what the evidences says…deal with it”.

It’s messier than that, surely?

I am now asking myself if I’ve really embedded emerging research into my coaching. Have I really been tweaking my practice based on new data or stuck with what’s been working for me (and clients)?

Right now, I think it’s the latter.

What Even Counts as “Good Evidence”?

Another question posed in the chapter. I dove head first into this rabbit hole, I may be here for eternity and I definitely need to work on what this means to me.

On one hand, coaching in organisations for example makes it easier: I can measure ROIs, productivity, retention etc. Hard numbers.

But in one-to-one coaching? Most of my “evidence” is in clients telling me what they’ve done and how they feel. I have faith in those feelings, they’re real to me (and the client), but they’re not data in the traditional sense.

I’m a qualitative researcher at heart, I give a sh*t about people’s meaning making. I believe that’s the meaning of life. Your one shot at creating something of meaning TO YOU. In that respect, maybe I already have my answer. I open to suggestion however.

Untapped Questions

Something else surprised me: there isn’t much research into the coaching relationship. The dynamic. The trust. The “fit”.

But you ask any of my clients from the last 5 years and their feedback to me reports that a key factor in their success was, well, me.

“you just got me”

“you listened without judgement and challenged me like a friend”

“clone her”

“it was easy to build this relationship, Jen’s knowledgeable, trustworthy”

Slight cringe as I put my ego back in it’s box, but how can you numerically quantify all that? I have so many questions. Why isn’t there more research into this when it’s appears crucial to “success”? How will you know when coaches are using evidence in their practice? Do clients even care or do they just want someone who listens, sees them and can help them feel less stuck?

Big questions. No easy answers.

Does it actually matter?

I’m in a very privileged position to be able to access this world of higher education and academia. I understand how it can feel elitist, inaccessible and gate-kept. As much as I’m jealous of those who can just put themselves out there and “go for it” (because ultimately I have no evidence to prove that they aren’t self educating from the world of research), I fundamentally believe there’s something important about making coaching practice ethical and safe. Protecting the most vulnerable of clients, those who reach out at their lowest, most lost and stuck and need support.

I think it matters what evidence we collect. How we challenged it. How we support it. How we collaborate on it. I think it matters that as a practitioner we are prepared to be critical, pragmatic, agile and adaptive. Part of why I love coaching and basing it on evidence is that it’s an iterative process. There’s always something to learn, grow and be challenged by.

Forever a tool to hold my self accountable. I’m mindful not to lose myself in all that along the way.

So Where Does this Leave Me?

Honestly? Excited. And a little unsettled (in a good way, hey I can sit in this discomfort and grow).

Excited, because this journey to Dr Nicholls is a chance to interrogate my own practice. To stay curious about my blind spots. To not work in isolation. To contribute.

Unsettled, because it’s messy. I need to work on how I handle the feeling that I didn’t get it ‘right’ (a little ego work, perhaps?). Not feeling like you have a definitive answer can lead to feeling lost (oh the irony).

Coaching psychology is a baby in the research world. There’s so much to explore, nurture, debate, interrogate. As a practitioner it mean I get to be a part of shaping it and not just applying what’s already there.

For now, I’m here:

• Evidence isn’t about being perfect or having a study to back up every move but knowing when to be intentional is key.

• I love staying curious, I’m willing to keep learning (even when it’s uncomfortable).

• As someone straddling the space between researcher and practitioner, that’s the work. What an amazing space to be straddling.

Over to you.

If you’re a coach, psychologist or therapist, how do you decide what counts as good evidence to base your practice on? I’d love to hear how you navigate it and how it matters to you.