ABSTRACT
Psychologists enter into the coaching psychology arena from a number of different applied backgrounds. Regardless of their prior training, most coaching psychologists will at one time or another find themselves working with coachees who are currently coping with mental health issues. Several studies have already highlighted evidence of mental health problems in coaching populations. In 2005, Green et al. (2005) found that 25% of the 84 individuals participating in a life coaching programme experienced mental health issues. A year later another study published in the International coaching psychology review (ICPR) found that practitioners often worked with individuals experiencing problems with self-worth, loss distress and social isolation (Spence, Cavanagh, & Grant, 2006). This is not surprising as data from The Mental Health Foundation (2015) in the UK suggest that one in four people will experience a mental health problem in any one year. Also, statistics from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive in 2016/17 (HSE, 2017) recorded 12.5 million days lost to stress, depression and anxiety. While in Germany, results from a Gallup survey in 2016 published by Nink suggest that individuals who experienced depression, anxiety or stress missed 15.8 days of work per year due to mental health issues. Further afield in Australia, a national survey of stress and well-being conducted in 2015 found that 26% of individuals experienced anxiety and depression and 35% experienced high levels of stress (APA, 2015). Causes of stress included financial problems, health, relationship and workplace issues.
