Michael Cavanagh & Stephen Palmer

Welcome to our first issue for 2008. This edition of the International Coaching Psychology Review (ICPR) is the second special edition of the ICPR and the sixth edition since our beginning in 2006. As you will see in this special issue, drawn together by Dr Anthony Grant as special editor, coaching psychology in particular continues to grow in both theoretical breadth and sophistication and practical application. This edition brings together theoretical perspectives from sports psychology, appreciative inquiry, and cognitive behavioural approaches.

This reflects the diversity of work that is continuing across the coaching world. Our understanding of coaching and the dynamics within and without the coaching relationship continues to develop at pace. In our networks we are seeing an increase in the level and sophistication of the research being undertaken in coaching. This will no doubt result in more articles and other publications further building the foundation of coaching psychology.

The range of coaching conferences, symposia and other gatherings also echo this aliveness. In the UK, our own BPS Special Group in Coaching Psychology National Conference in December was again a great success. We hope to be publishing some of the important papers in the ICPR. This year we are sponsoring the 1^st European Coaching Psychology Conference. We are inviting coaching psychology researchers and practitioners to submit papers, posters and symposiums to the Conference Academic Board for consideration. For further details please see the full page announcement in this publication.

In Australia, the third APS Interest Group in Coaching Psychology Symposium is being prepared for August this year. More imminently the First Australian Positive Psychology and Well-being Conference will be getting underway soon after this edition goes to press. This conference is significant in that it has been sponsored by 11 Australian Universities and will contain a significant coaching contribution. It would seem that, as a methodology for behaviour change and for enhancing well-being, coaching continues to cement a place in psychology.

There has been some good news for the ICPR. It is now abstracted and indexed in psycINFO and google scholar. This means that our published articles will receive a greater international readership. ICPR will also be included in the 9th Edition of
Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Educational Psychology and
Administration and Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in
Educational Curriculum and Methods.

We would like to welcome Professor Reinhard Stelter, PhD to the ICPR International Editorial Board. He is Director of the newly established Coaching Psychology Unit at the University of Copenhagen. The unit intends to undertake research and run courses in the field of coaching psychology. This certainly is an exciting time for the field of coaching psychology as more research and training units are set up in universities around the world.

We commend this edition to you, and would like to register our thanks to Dr Anthony Grant who has done a excellent job as special editor for this issue. Happy reading!