An Introduction to Existential Coaching: How Philosophy Can Help Your Clients Live with Greater Awareness, Courage and Ownership - Softcover

Jacob, Yannick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0367139995 ISBN 13: 9780367139995

Publisher: Routledge, 2019

Synopsis

In An Introduction to Existential Coaching Yannick Jacob provides an accessible and practical overview of existential thought and its value for coaches and clients.

Jacob begins with an introduction to coaching as a powerful tool for change, growth, understanding and transformation before exploring existential philosophy and how it may be integrated into coaching practice. The book goes on to examine key themes in existentialism and how they show up in the coaching space, including practical models as well as their application to organisations and leadership. Jacob concludes by evaluating ethical dimensions of working existentially and offers guidance on how to establish an existential coaching practice, including how to gain clients and build relationships with strategic partners. With reflective questions, exercises, interventions and activities throughout, An Introduction to Existential Coaching will be invaluable for anyone wanting to live and work at greater depth or to succeed as an existential coach.

Accessibly written and with a wide selection of references and resources, An Introduction to Existential Coaching is a vital guide for coaches in training as well as an inspiring addition to the repertoir of experienced practitioners. It serves academics and students to understand existential philosophy and allows professionals with coaching responsibilities to access more meaningful conversations.

About this title

About the Author

Yannick Jacob is a coach, trainer, supervisor, mediator and change agent in private practice as well as the former Programme Leader of the MSc Coaching Psychology at the University of East London, UK. He works with coaches, leaders and anybody who considers themselves to be in a position of great responsibility. Yannick believes in balance, clarity, helping people think and developing the courage to live across the full spectrum of human experience as the pathway to happiness.

.

Review

"Coaching gains a great deal of depth when it pays attention to the paradoxes of human existence and learns to work with the trials and tribulations of human existence in a philosophical manner. In this clear and introductory book Yannick Jacob shows you how this can be done." - Professor Emmy van Deurzen PhD, MPsych, MPhil, FBPsS, CPsychol, FBACP, UKCPF, HCPCreg; author of 17 books including Existential Perspectives on Coaching and Principal at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, UK

"Trained by the best in existential therapy and influenced by the leaders in existential positive psychology or second wave positive psychology (PP2.0), Yannick Jacob’s book makes a unique contribution to the coaching profession by combining the depth of existential philosophy and the clarity and optimism of PP2.0. Personally, I firmly believe that all coaches, whether they are in life coaching or positive executive coaching, can benefit from Yannick’s book for its refreshing positive approach to an ancient existential problem. Therefore, I highly recommend this little gem to both novice and seasoned coaches." - Dr. Paul T. P. Wong, President, International Network on Personal Meaning; Originator of Existential Positive Psychology and Integrative Meaning Therapy

"Coaching unsurprisingly is often fixated with goal focused conversations. But growth can happen through insight, understanding and meaning. Existential approaches allow us the grace, space and time to be with clients as they journey through these aspects of their life towards meaning and purpose. This book provides an outstanding insight into existential coaching from one of coaching’s new rising stars." - Professor Jonathan Passmore, University of Evora, Portugal, and Henley Business School, UK

"Yannick Jacob is a true pioneer, intellectually and practically, in exploring the fertile ground at the intersection of positive psychology, existential philosophy, and coaching. This book is a wonderful distillation of his thinking and expertise, touching skilfully and insightfully upon many important topics, and will be an excellent and inspiring resource for both scholars and practitioners." - Dr. Tim Lomas, author of 8 books including The Positive Power of Negative Emotions, The Happiness Dictionary and Second Wave Positive Psychology: Embracing the Dark Side of Life

"Existential themes have always been at the heart of coaching - after all, we're all human and, coaching, whatever its focus, deals with the strangely cognitive, meaning-making, mortality-aware beast that is the human! Many coaches, though, shy away from looking at existential themes, often wrongly assuming, or even fearing, that deeper issues of meaning, purpose and our confrontation with being human, are best left to the therapist. Yannick is part of a rapidly growing movement of coaches who disagree with this dichotomy and recognise that coaching is always about being human and cannot escape the gravitational pull of the existential givens. In this book, Yannick brings to life the ideas and practices of existential coaching in a way that will allow any coach, new or seasoned, to begin feeling their way into fresh territory or to give language and theory to practices they have naturally been drawn to. A valuable and much needed book for the coaching world." - Nick Bolton, Founder & CEO, Animas Centre for Coaching

"I see so many people who are struggling with problems around meaning and purpose nowadays, it's almost epidemic. That's why great coaching can't shy away from addressing existential concerns and has to deal with them in a hands-on and down-to-earth manner. This is exactly what Yannick is doing with his existential coaching and I'm so glad he finally got to put all of his knowledge and experience together into this work. Bravo!" - Seph Fontane Pennock, co-founder, Positive Psychology Program

"This is an insightful and enlightening introduction to the emerging discipline of existential coaching thoughtfully presented by a passionate and courageous practitioner." - Professor Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Executive Director of Growth Coaching International; Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology, University of East London, UK

"As long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the idea that the world would be so much better if people truly and deeply contemplated what their lives are really all about. When I started researching meaning, purpose, and existential matters, I found out that, actually, people often freak out if you ask them what their lives are all about! To confront people with such a huge, boundless question can create uncertainty, doubt, even fear. People want to have some sense of safety when diving into these most deep of questions. An Introduction to Existential Coaching squarely provides a beautiful solution to this conundrum. By showing how the action-oriented structure of coaching can be used to help people celebrate, rather than fear, uncertainty, this wonderful book shows coaches and other practitioners how to cultivate the inspiration and safety people need to explore and give birth to the best their lives can be about." - Michael F. Steger, PhD; founding director, Center for Meaning and Purpose, Colorado State University, USA

"Yannick does more than give a deep, new meaning to coaching, he also provides a challenging and refreshing way to view our own existence and purpose. Reading this challenged the way I think and behave, and though uncomfortable, will likely change how I coach. This book will be recommended to everyone on our team." - Bill Eckstrom, speaker, author and President, EcSell Institute

"I love the existential approach. It takes you deeper into your personal meaning in life and the experience of authenticity. Combine it with a strong foundation of coaching and you get an inspiring marriage. This book is a wonderful reflection of that marriage, providing you with a clear understanding of both theory and practice within existential coaching. Whether you seek personal transformation, or the coaching of others, this book would be an essential tool in your tool-box." - Itai Ivtzan PhD, Associate Professor, Naropa University, USA; author of Awareness is Freedom: The Adventure of Psychology and Spirituality

"Yannick Jacob's book delivers on its promise to introduce his understanding of existential coaching to a wider readership. The writing is clear and accessible and Jacob's enthusiasm for the subject is evident throughout." - Professor Ernesto Spinelli, ES Associates, UK

"This is a must-read for any coach, new or experienced, who wants to begin to learn more about the existential approach to their craft. Yannick’s experience, expertise and passion for the topic shine through, as he presents the fundamentals of existential coaching, whilst also giving his insights into the industry as a whole." - Sasha van Deurzen-Smith, Existential Coach and Programme Leader of the MA Existential Coaching at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, UK

"This book is a valuable resource to coaches seeking to go deeper with their clients. The book not only identifies the complex web of existential concerns experienced by clients, but also provides practical coaching approaches that help clients to meaningfully examine the underlying drivers of their behaviours. The book has a secondary goal of helping the reader to identify existential themes in their own life, thus refining their coaching offering." - Richard Thorby, ACC, MBA(IMD) leadership coach

"In his book, An Introduction to Existential Coaching, Yannick Jacob gives us an excellent insight into and positioning of this important philosophical yet incredibly relevant approach. Existential questions are at the core of many presenting issues in coaching and this book will greatly deepen how you support psychological wellbeing in your client. The existential inquiry questions throughout the book create a rich toolkit for self-reflection and for working with others. The book prompted me to reflect on what I do and how I do it and reading it was an excellent way to reflect on my current boundaries of practice. I highly recommend this book for seasoned and new coaches alike and I will be adding it to my practitioner's library. Thank you for writing this important introductory volume." - Dr Magdalena Bak-Maier, High Performance Coach and Heart & Mind Integration Method Pioneer

"Coaching is often seen as a way to support clients in achieving their goals. In today’s complex and uncertain world, there’s an urgent need for coaching to help clients open up, and explore, the bigger questions of life and existence, and to find ways to live with the uncertainty of life. This book is an important contribution to our profession as it seeks to address the deeper concerns of the world in which we live and work." - Aboodi Shabi, leadership coach

"Existential writers are not known for their brevity. In contrast, Yannick Jacob has managed to distil an enormous amount of existential philosophy and coaching practice into this short volume. This is the book I wish I had when I first began working as a coach many years ago. It opens the door to the world of existential coaching and maps out a landscape that any coach, whether experienced or new to the world of coaching, can explore. The author’s own authenticity is there on every page, sharing personal insights and questions to reflect upon. Overall, a wonderful introduction to existential coaching, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading - it reminded me why I coach." - Billy Byrne, executive coach and leadership development specialist

"I suspect that the concept of existential coaching is still, by and large, met with bewilderment in the coaching community. Yet, this approach has much to offer, especially at this time of great uncertainties, so a primer on existential coaching is timely indeed. Jacob's book is easy to read and well structured, offering a step by step introduction to this field that even those without previous knowledge and experience may find useful and may be encouraged to incorporate some of its elements into their practice." - Dr Nash Popovic, co-author of Personal Consultancy: A Model for Integrating Coaching and Counselling; founder of the first postgraduate programme in Integrative Counselling and Coaching

"Existential questions and yearnings are as old as humanity itself, and it seems that the fast-paced, digital, and global twenty-first century presents its own unique set of challenges. In the face of the uncertainty and instability of our times, mental health professionals are in need to address pressing existential concerns in an accessible yet profound manner. In this inspiring book, Yannick Jacob takes us through a journey of self-discovery and offers a blueprint for living a full and meaningful life. The book weaves together key principles, insightful reflections and hands-on interventions into a comprehensive, integrative and approachable framework. Direct, clear and well-researched, this book presents valuable ideas and engaging practical tools for coaches, therapists, educators, students, and essentially any human being striving to reach increased self-understanding and growth." - Dr Pninit Russo-Netzer, Diplomate Clinician in Logotherapy; co-editor of Meaning in Positive and Existential Psychology and Clinical Perspectives on Meaning: Positive and Existential Psychotherapy

"Yannick’s book fills a significant gap in the existential coaching literature in that it can be readily applied in the organisational space and is accessible to everyone including those just beginning to explore what existential and/or coaching means. Knowing Yannick’s commitment and passion to existentialism and coaching I can truly say that we are fortunate he has given his energy and time to creating a work that will hopefully widen the understanding and practice of existential thinking in the coaching space. It will be an excellent resource for any coaching training programmes of the future as well as to those experienced coaches (in house or independent) who have often wondered what existential coaching is and how to practically apply it to their client work." - Angela Jopling, leadership coach and coaching supervisor, BrightStar Executive Coaching

"Having been described as a quiet mover and shaker in the field of coaching psychology in the UK, I am perhaps well-placed as a witness to the innovations (or lack of them) in this field. However, just occasionally one’s belief in human potential is revived through encountering an inspirational and life affirming read. Yannick’s new text does just that. I enjoyed reading about his own journey and how this has translated into his practice and teaching. He models the existential commitment in every word and does not shy away from engaging with the big questions. It is a book that is destined to become a ‘go to’ title for any practitioner wanting their minds opened, not only to the essentials of existential coaching, but to how to live and work with courage, passion and authentically in tough times. I have reviewed many books and articles in this field, yet none has given me so much pleasure as this. Writing this endorsement has been a gift and I am reminded throughout of the words of the poet Rumi, who said: ‘Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do.’ Yannick’s contribution exemplifies this and more." - Margaret Chapman-Clarke, positive psychologist, existential coach; editor, Mindfulness in the Workplace: An evidence-based approach to improving wellbeing and maximising performance

"Yannick’s book, An Introduction to Existential Coaching, brought me back to the excitement I felt when I first discovered the existential approach. Thank you! I’ve always appreciated anyone who can wrangle the words of something as seemingly illusive as existential coaching. Not only did Yannick make these concepts accessible, but enjoyable. I smiled almost the entire time reading the book. The only time I didn’t have a wide grin on my face was when I got to the marketing chapter. During that chapter I was nodding my head in agreement. I think any coach who is serious about growing their business will understand that reaction. Yannick’s style brings to the surface, in an authentic way, brain tingling questions, valuable ideas, and important challenges. He successfully integrates complex philosophical underpinnings with practical implications for coaching, which makes the book accessible to new and experienced coaches alike." - Linda DeLuca, author, An Exploration of the Existential Orientation to Coaching

"Reframing existentialism from its dark associations to something that is profoundly empowering -...

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0367139995
• ISBN 13: 9780367139995
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 131