ABSTRACT
This chapter lays out the birth of coaching and its self-conscious break from traditional psychotherapy. It covers the unique historical, cultural and political conditions out of which coaching arose and calls attention to certain disciplines that influenced both coaching and social therapeutics. It shows how coaching became a trusted and now widespread partner to business executives and the business community overall. Finally, a review of academic analysis of the coaching industry shows how it is open to innovation. The authors posit that the social therapeutic method, with its built-in similarities to coaching, could help advance the field of coaching both in method and mainstream reach, thereby offering a new toolkit for life and relationship coaching.
