ABSTRACT
Coaching has taken center stage in the world of personal change and development. In glowing media reports, high profile CEOs and celebrities in the sports and entertainment world attribute much of their success to their coaches. Recently, a weekly news magazine called coaching the second hottest consulting field behind management consulting. Many see coaching as a panacea for all manner of personal, professional, and corporate problems, while some top executives view coaching as a quick and inexpensive alternative to psychotherapy. Interestingly, a recent study examining media perceptions of executive coaches and their effectiveness as compared to psychologists found that the public had much more favorable views of coaches than psychologists with regard to competence and helpfulness (Garman, Whiston, & Zlatoper, 2000).
