Coaches Deserve the Care and Attention They Are Nurturing in Others: exploring co-active life coaches' perspectives on professional practise and self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Helping professionals promote self-care amongst their clients: a proactive practise that enhances personal well-being. Yet, many struggle to engage in self-care personally which can lead to adverse health consequences and burnout. To date, little is known about helping professionals' views on self-care as it relates to personal and professional practise: especially during a worldwide pandemic where the demand for health-oriented services is amplified. Certified Professional Co-Active Coaches (CPCCs) are poised to offer unique insights into this phenomenon given their inherent focus on enriching client well-being. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore CPCCs' experiences related to coaching practise and self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were used, and data were analysed using an inductive approach. Twelve CPCCs (10 = female) participated. Four main themes emerged: a shift in practise;changes in clients;personal self-care practises;and professional self-care practises. Therapeutic empathy and setting emotional boundaries were identified as valuable coaching strategies. Participants also highlighted the need for intentional self-care routines to care effectively for themselves and others. Taken together, these findings may be transferable to other helping professionals, training bodies, and clients through an enhanced understanding of self-care during times of crises. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research & Practice is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Using Social Media to Build Perceived Mattering of Physical Educators

Social media has become an essential tool in social networking and content sharing. Our professional and personal lives have become inundated with social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Educators are using these platforms increasingly as a way to remain current with developments in their respective fields. Social media can also support teachers in gaining knowledge, and receiving feedback and building relationships with educators around the world. Despite the prevalence of use within physical education, little research exists to understand how social media might enhance the work of physical educators. Given that physical educators experience marginality in their working environments, we propose that social media may provide a tool that can assist PE teachers in overcoming marginality and potentially increase their levels of perceived mattering. The purpose of this article is to discuss how physical educators can use social media to navigate marginality and increase perceptions of mattering.

Existentialism in pandemic times: Implications for psychotherapists, coaches and organisations

This timely volume considers the benefits of bringing an existential approach to psychotherapy, coaching, supervision and leadership, particularly in times of crisis. The book uses an existential lens to examine the impact Covid-19 has had on our mental health and ways of being, making connections between situations that challenge our mental resources and the unique ways existential ideas can address those challenges. Featuring contributions from renowned existential thinkers and practitioners, the book connects personal experiences with clinical examples and philosophic ideas to explore concepts like anxiety, relatedness and uncertainty as they relate to key existential themes, helping to inform coaches and therapists in their work with clients. In Part one, individuals offer their self-reflection on their 'lived experience' during the pandemic, all using an existential-phenomenological framework as a baseline for their reflections and referring to some of the main existential themes such as, Anxiety, Authenticity, Emotions, Freedom and Responsibility, Meaning, Relatedness, Time and Temporality, Uncertainty, Values and Beliefs. The authors seeks to draw and share learning and meaning from their own personal journey during the pandemic. Part two changes the focus from reflecting on our own experiences, to looking at those of our clients. It draws from work in the fields of coaching and psychotherapy, sharing some reoccurring existential themes and considering the overall existential relevance of these approaches. It includes consideration of the required changes to therapeutic boundaries, including moving sessions online. The final part of the book focus outside of the therapeutic setting itself to the community and business world. It considers the relevance of existential coaching, and existentially informed organizational and leadership training, while seeking to identify some of the future challenges to business models post-Covid-19. It is important reading for coaches, therapists, psychologists and business leaders, as well for scholars and researchers interested in applied philosophy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Covid-19 and the Sports Coach: between adversity and psychological empowerment

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic tested the mental health of young athletes and their coaches, involving everyone in permanent and global uncertainty, forcing them to face adversity, manage emotions and relationships and check health guidelines and new solutions. Objectives: To identify the perceived main changes in sports coaches' social role and psychological functioning produced by the prolonged pandemic. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with four coaches specialized in training young athletes from different sports, aged between 34 and 63 years (M=48.0). Results: Priority actions, personal and social resources mobilized, lessons learned, and difficulties experienced while dealing with the various emerging constraints were identified. Conclusion: Considering the adversity experienced, which is recognized as decisive for psychological empowerment, there are some implications: the need to update educational programmes for coaches and psychological intervention with this population.

Process assessment of fencing coaches and referees within the scope of the COVID-19 normalization steps

The objective of this study is to measure and construe the opinions of the coaches and referees who are actively participating in fencing competitions in our country and who are licensed by the Turkish Fencing Federation (TFF) for the year of 2020, regarding the organizations to be planned and the issues to be paid attention, within the scope of the Covid-19 normalization steps. An online data collection form was used as a data collection tool in this study, which was structured through the qualitative research method. In the analysis process of the data obtained, the data analysis program called MAXQDA was used. While closed-ended questions were summarized by indicating percentages, the content analysis method was used in the process of analyzing open-ended question and answer reports. The data obtained were visualized with the help of frequency tables and code maps. Finally, some of the opinions of the participants, which were coded, were directly conveyed by interpreting the findings obtained through the tables and code maps. It was determined as a result of the study that the Covid-19 pandemic that poses impacts on the entire world affects the attitudes of fencing coaches and referees to participate in organizations. In the activities planned to be organized, the sub-codes like attending without an audience, open-air competitions, provision of spaciousness and ventilation means in the selection of a competition hall, and risk approval notification are classified.

Elite-level coaches' coping: stress appraisal and COVID-19

The current study investigated 97 Norwegian elite-level coaches' appraisal of working as a coach during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the predictive outcomes of these cognitive processes. The participants were part of a Norwegian coach education program carried out by the Norwegian Olympic Sport Center (NOSC). The results in the current study show that the coaches appraised their work during the pandemic as controllable-by-self, as a challenge, as controllable-by-others, and stressful. The regression analysis showed that challenge and controllable-by-self were unique and positive significant predictors of the coaches' subjective performance, and that controllable-by-self was the strongest predictor of the two. Appraising the situation as uncontrollable-by-anyone was also a significant positive predictor of coaches' subjective performance in the step 2 of the regression analysis, and not coaches' exhaustion level as hypothesized. Threat appraisals were found to significant predict coaches' exhaustion level at the first step of the regression analysis, whereas controllable-by-self was the strongest negative significant predictor for coaches' exhaustion. The results indicate that controllable-by-self appraisals play a particular role in preventing burnout and inducing performance in elite coaches when they face stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leadership dimensions preferred amongst Brazilian coaches in different sports from amateur to Olympic championships

The general purpose of this research is to discuss the profile of Brazilian coaches in different modalities and competitive contexts, and highlight the settings of data collection in a virtual and distant way during the pandemic of COVID. © Peter Lang GmbH. All rights reserved.

Facilitating professional learning for technology coaches through cross-district collaboration

Purpose This two-year study illuminates the experiences of technology coaches (digital learning coaches [DL] and science technology engineering and mathematics/literacy coaches [STEM/L]) as they engaged in their own professional learning (PL) facilitated by a faculty researcher.Design/methodology/approach Technology coaches from different school districts and their respective colleagues participated in book studies as part of their PL. They reflected and debriefed individually and collaboratively with a researcher facilitator. Data were collected through interviews, field notes at meetings, observations, researchers' reflections and artefacts. Qualitative data analysis methods were employed.Findings The findings offer a glimpse into (1) benefits of cross-district collaboration, (2) challenges finding resources for coaching, (3) career-long desire to learn and (4) time to build and sustain cross-collaborations.Practical implications Conclusions suggest that DL and STEM/L coaches benefit from their own dedicated, differentiated programme of PL supported by each other (as from other districts) and a researcher facilitator. Educational implications are offered for researchers and other school district stakeholders for consideration for them to foster coaches' collaborative PL.Originality/value Importantly, this project is an exemplar of how to support coaches' PL and growth through researcher facilitation of cross-district collaborative learning.

Controlling the controllables in sport organizations during the time of pandemic: leadership actions for sport psychology practitioners

The time of pandemic has been a challenging one for most people in sport organizations. These individuals include athletes, coaches, support staff members, and administrators, as well as sport psychology practitioners. A range of human and systemic factors have coalesced to create volatility, ambiguity, and stress for all these stakeholders, affecting how they work, relate to one another, and make decisions. Within this context, this paper centers attention on why and how practitioners of sport psychology in professional sport organizations can manifest leadership by taking actions in support of athletes and coaches, actions that are under practitioner control and influence. The leadership actions considered include promoting an interdisciplinary perspective on providing mental health support to athletes;communicating and collaborating with other professionals;emphasizing acceptance;embracing routines;manifesting humility;and engaging in the process of professional practice. This article concludes with reflections about how these leadership actions can transfer from professional sport organizations to collegiate settings and scholastic school environments.

Stress and Coping Experiences of U.K. Professional Football Managers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Guided by transactional stress theory, this study aimed to explore elite U.K. soccer coaches' perceived stressors, the situational properties, appraisals, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also aimed to explore any variation in stress experiences across football league standards A total of 13 professional first-team male U.K. association football coaches between 38 and 59 years of age (M = 43.00, SD = 6.94) participated in telephone (n = 5) or online (n = 8) semistructured interviews. Informed by the philosophical position of critical realism, Braun et al.'s six-phase approach to thematic analysis was used to generate competitive, organizational, and personal stressor themes. Deductive thematic analysis generated themes reflective of all situational properties of stressors identified by Lazarus and Folkman and an array of appraisal and coping strategies. Future research and recommendations for supporting coach performance and well-being post-COVID-19 pandemic are offered. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Sport Psychologist is the property of Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Coaching to accelerate the development of learning agility

Learning agility is a metacompetency important to leadership success, particularly in turbulent times. The global coronavirus pandemic catapulted individuals, organizations, and societies into the harsh reality of our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. Coaches can play an important role in accelerating the development of learning agility, thereby expanding the leadership pipeline within organizations. The purpose of this article is to help coaches and consultants (a) understand the behaviors and strategies that undergird learning agility;(b) better assess coaching clients' level of learning agility as well as the organizational context;and (c) become more intentional about incorporating the development of learning agile behavior into their coaching practice. The article reviews the literature regarding what we know about the construct of learning agility and the role coaches can play in intentionally developing it. Suggestions are provided for assessing a leader's level of learning agility as well as the organizational context. Recommendations for practical coaching application are organized around the heuristic "Agile Learning Process and Behaviors Model." Although many coaches may already be helping clients develop learning agility, this article describes how coaches may do it more deliberately. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement What's It Mean? Implications for Consulting Psychology-Facilitating the development of learning agility may create a "double bottom line" for coaching by both increased leadership effectiveness and learning agility. Coaching for learning agility (a) supports the development of a greater capacity to deal with rapid, ongoing change;(b) builds independence and self-efficacy in learning;and (c) holds the promise of empowering more leaders to achieve success in leadership roles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The perception of coaches of the impact of the COVID-19-related shutdown of sports in the spring 2020 on the academic performance and mental health of high school student-athletes in Bergen County, New Jersey

The purpose of this study was to examine how coaches perceived the shutdown of sports, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020, impacted the academic performance and mental health of high school student-athletes in north New Jersey. To conduct this study, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews asking open-ended questions of 11 coaches from Bergen County who were employed during the 2020 Spring season as coaches and teachers in the high schools they represented. At the base grounding this study was Self-Determination Theory (SDT), as proposed by Ryan and Deci (2000). Through the examination of interview responses, the researcher determined that the shutdown of sports had a negative impact on the academic performance, academic motivation, and mental health of student-athletes. While the impact on the academic performance of student-athletes was perceived to be comparable by some to others in the building, evidence indicated that the shutdown of sports hurt student-athletes because of factors that included social isolation, a lack of physical activity, and the perceived loss of a reason to attend school. The coaches also perceived that the mental health of student-athletes, both male and female, was impacted by the shutdown of high school sports in 2020. Especially impacted by the lockdowns were senior athletes who were hurt because of the loss of opportunities to achieve certain goals in their last year of high school and interference with college opportunities that arose as a result of the shutdown of sports during the pandemic. Lastly, it was found the coaches shared varying recollections in terms of the impact of the shutdown of sports on male athletes compared to female athletes, with the belief that male athletes were more negatively affected, both academically and from a mental health standpoint. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Developing and supporting athlete wellbeing: Person first, athlete second

This pioneering book in elite athlete wellbeing brings together the narratives of athletes and wellbeing practitioners in high-performance sport with cutting-edge theorizing from world-leading academics to explore pertinent mental wellbeing matters that present for elite athletes both during and after their careers. The journey of the elite athlete is considered from entering the high-performance system as a youth performer through to retirement, with contributions illuminating the ways in which mental wellbeing can be impacted-both negatively and positively-through common place experiences. Methods of creating holistic high-performance sports cultures along with common mental wellbeing influencers, such as parents, education, faith, injury and (de)selection are explored, as well as the ramifications of uncommon events on mental wellbeing, such as whistle blowing, legal disputes, psychological disorders and COVID-19. Drawing on this analysis, the book then proffers thought-provoking strategies for how the mental wellbeing of both athletes and staff can be understood, developed and supported, ultimately driving elite sport cultural transformation to put the person first and the athlete second. Each chapter presents the wellbeing experience from the vantage of the athlete or the wellbeing practitioner, followed by an academic unpacking of the situation. This makes the book a must read for students and researchers working in sport coaching, sport psychology, applied sport science or sport management, as well as practitioners interested in facilitating a duty of care for high-performing athletes, and working in coaching, sport science support, athlete development programs, NGB policy and administration or welfare services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Encouraging togetherness during a national lockdown: the influence of relationship-oriented personal-disclosure mutual-sharing on team functioning in academy soccer coaches

The present study examined the influence of an online relationship-oriented personal-disclosure mutual-sharing (ROPDMS) intervention upon diverse measures of group functioning during a national lockdown. Twelve soccer coaches and one senior member of staff from a professional female soccer academy participated by openly disclosing and sharing unknown personal stories with one another. Social identity dimensions (in-group ties, cognitive centrality, and in-group affect), friendship identity content, social support, self-esteem, and a nonequivalent dependent variable were measured across four time points, while social validation was obtained immediately and 4 weeks after ROPDMS. Quantitative data revealed significant increases for in-group ties, cognitive centrality, and friendship identity content after ROPDMS, while the nonequivalent dependent variable did not significantly change. Qualitative data revealed that the coaching staff felt the session was worthwhile and enhanced aspects of team functioning. Online ROPDMS therefore appears to be a viable team-building method for practitioners seeking to strengthen social identity dimensions and friendship identity content during a national lockdown.

Training in Rhythmic Gymnastics During the Pandemic.

The pandemic caused by the COVID 19 Virus creates an unprecedented situation of global confinement altering the development of competition and sports training at all levels of participation and in all sports, including rhythmic gymnastics (RG). To avoid possible effects of physical, technical and psychological detraining, coaches looked for home training alternatives. The objectives of the study were to know how rhythmic gymnastics training developed during the lockdown period (the conditions, type of training, performance monitoring means, and determinants of gymnasts' participation) and to provide recommendations for a possible future lockdown. Three hundred and two RG coaches from twenty-six different countries throughout the five continents and four professional levels took part in the study: national team (28), international (26), national (172) and regional (75). The data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of 39 closed questions structured in three dimensions: identification data of the coaches, training data during confinement and gymnast participation data. The independent variable was the gymnasts' performance levels and the dependent variables organized in four categories: the technical media used to conduct and monitor the training sessions, the type of training done, the mechanisms for monitoring training performance and the aspects that determined participation. Most coaches kept their gymnasts training during confinement, although 76.5% confirm abandonment of any of their gymnasts. The main means used were real-time video conferencing, although at the lower practice levels the media stand out in deferred time. The contents of the training were mainly body technique, physical preparation and body difficulties. For performance monitoring, challenges, physical, and technical tests were predominant. The determinants for the development of training in the confinement vary depending on the level of the gymnasts, connectivity and electronic resources at the highest level, and the availability of spaces and social distancing at lower levels. For future lockdowns, it is necessary to review the content of the trainings, as well as the performance evaluation and the means necessary for it.

Perceptions of a caring and task-involving climate with athletes' perceived social support and optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic

In the Spring of 2020, the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) was officially declared a global pandemic which prompted an unprecedented number of changes to societal functioning. Amongst those who experienced signific life alterations were that of collegiate athletes within the United States. The following two studies provide an in-depth examination of athlete experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 1 investigates the relationship between athletes' perceptions of their team motivational climate with their perceived support from coaches and teammates as well as their optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results revealed significant and positive associations between a caring and task-involving (CTI) team climate with athletes' perceptions of support from coaches and teammates as well as their optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic, while an ego-involving (EI) team climate was significantly and negatively associated with perceptions of support from coaches and teammates as well as optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the final mediation model suggests that perceived support from coaches and teammates act as an indirect effect between perceptions of a CTI climate and athletes' optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results also suggest athletes' gender may influence outcomes, with men athletes reporting significantly more optimistic thoughts during the COVID-19 pandemic than women athletes. Further, results revealed a significant difference between women and men in the relationships between perceptions of a CTI climate with EI climate and EI climate with support from teammates. Study 2 uses the findings of Study 1 to provide applicable strategies coaches and administrators can use to create a CTI climate for their athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Specifically, four recommendations are suggested including: support athletes in sport and life;make athletes' health a priority;sustain motivation and encourage optimism;and help teammates stay connected to each other. Each recommendation is accompanied with specific strategies coaches can use to support the recommendation. The goal of the combined studies is to provide empirical evidence of the impact a CTI climate can have during high-stress times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as key information on how coaches can help create a CTI climate for their teams to help athletes cope with such stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Elementary principal coach perceptions regarding the needs and strengths of first-year principals

To support first-year principals as they transition into their new leadership role, more and more school districts are enlisting principal coaches to help principals through this period in order to help them achieve greater success in their first year and beyond. The purpose of this study is to understand the perspectives of current principal coaches on the diverse needs of first-year principals. The overarching research question used to frame this study was: What are the perceptions of principal coaches about supporting the diverse needs of first-year principals? Research sub-questions were: How do principal coaches support first-year principals as they transition into their principalship? How do principal coaches describe the emerging needs of first-year principals? How do principal coaches determine the processes and tools needed to develop first-year principals as they acclimate to their new responsibilities and grow in principal proficiency? A qualitative multiple case study approach with cross-case analysis was used as the research method. Social constructivist theory of adult learning was used as the theoretical framework to sort, analyze, and interpret collected data. Research data was obtained through multiple sources, including participant interviews, and collected documents and audiovisual materials. Participants included three principal coaches and three first-year principals. Each coach was working with one of the principal participants during the time of this study. This study was conducted in a large south-central geographic metropolitan area of Texas. The findings produced four themes: complexity of principal coaching;diverse needs of first-year principals;progression of work with first-year principals;and coaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings show that first-year principals truly have unique needs, and coaching greatly impacts the development of first-year principals based on their individual leadership circumstances. Additionally, coaching is a complex process with various layers involved in how principal coaches determine the processes and tools needed to develop first-year principals. Findings from this study can offer school districts and principal supervisors' insight into other possible supports that might be necessary to help develop first-year principal capacity. Additionally, various stakeholders can utilize this study's findings in thinking through developing novice principal coaching programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Examining the Attitudes and Usage Levels of Coaches towards Technology in Terms of Athlete Education

Today, science and technological developments play a role in the field of sports, as in all domains of life. For this reason, coaches may use technology to improve the technical, tactical, condition, and psychological performance of their athletes. Besides, pandemic conditions such as COVID-19 bring about this obligation. The aim of the present study was to examine the attitudes and levels of use of technology by coaches working in individual and team sports in terms of athlete education. The study group consisted of 205 people accessed by convenience sampling method. The data collection tool, "Teacher Technology Acceptance Measure: T-TAM," which consists of 38 items and 11 sub-dimensions and has a reliability coefficient of [alpha]=0.94 for this study, developed by Ursavas et al. was used by participants using an online questionnaire. The data showed normal distribution, analyses were made using parametric tests. According to the results, it can be suggested that 3rd level coaches use technology more widely in training and competitions than their 1st and 2nd level colleagues. Additionally, there is a statistical difference in the sub-dimensions of compatibility and subjective norms in favor of male coaches compared to female colleagues. Consequently, it can be claim that the coaches have a positive attitude towards using technology and try to use it at the highest level.

Highlights from Sound Practice - Celebrating 100 Episodes

Inthe 100th episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos spoke widi luminaries who shed light on die need to provide physicians witii business training and leadership skills for die betterment of healdicare delivery. Mike Sacopulos: Welcome to SoundPractice, die American Association for Physician Leadership's podcast for physicians and healdicare leaders. The White House did not really feel it important to come out and use die bully pulpit to get people aware of die danger of this emerging outbreak, at the time, among young gay men. Dr. Fauci's advice to physician leaders on the concepts of humility and courage was an intimate and useful perspective from a man with years of experience in physician leadership.

Tears from stone: relational being and doing in instructional coaching work

Instructional coaching in schools has historically operated as both a professional role and as a strategy used to support teachers. While the work of instructional coaching was already shifting in response to educational trends and political pressures, the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges and opportunities. The purpose of this self-study of teacher education practice (S-STEP) was to learn about the relational work of two instructional coaches and a university supervisor of those coaches' graduate work. The findings of this study emerged from our collaborative learning where we used the Greek myth of Niobe to think about the relational work of serving individual teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We end this paper with implications for preparing instructional coaches to support teachers and suggestions for future research.