Chair's update

Stephen Palmer

Coaching psychology officially exists. Thank you for your support.

Welcome to the first hardcopy issue of The Coaching Psychologist (TCP). The forerunner of the Society’s Special Group in Coaching Psychology (SGCP), the Coaching Psychology Forum (CPF) had an online version which we formally took over on 15 December 2004. We still intend making each issue of TCP available online, which I hope will help to promote coaching psychology.

Although our journey from 2002 as an internet forum to the formation of a BPS Special Group had its moments, we exist today due to the hard work and on-going support of hundreds of psychologists and that all-important vote last year when over 4000 Society members ticked the ‘Yes’ box! The Society staff were always helpful and supportive of our quest. I realise that it may be against convention, but I would like to dedicate this first issue of The Coaching Psychologist to everybody who has contributed to the UK coaching psychology movement both within and outside of the BPS - and that includes your membership.

The SGCP inaugural meeting and conference held on 15 December 2004 had 360 SGCP members in attendance, with almost 100 more on the waiting list. Dr Tony Grant, the originator of coaching psychology, gave an enlightening and entertaining keynote paper. The round table discussion was a very lively affair and there were numerous issues and questions from our membership.

Our membership, which is fast approaching 1900, highlights the growing interest in coaching psychology. To support this interest we are running workshops throughout the year and are arranging a combined two-day national conference and workshops event on 19-20 December 2005. For those of you who may be down on your CPD hours for 2005, this event could provide the hours you need.

A lot of time has been spent working on suitable publications to support the interest in coaching psychology. The Coaching Psychologist is our in-house publication which will include news items, details about our SGCP events, your views, book reviews, letters, reports from SGCP Officers, and short articles up to approximately 1500 words. Full members can advertise in this too, subject to acceptance by the editor.

However, to develop the theory, practice and research of coaching psychology through published papers, my idea has always been to have an international publication dedicated to coaching psychology and not just coaching. For many months we have been working closely on this project with the Interest Group Coaching Psychology (IGCP) of the Australian Psychology Society. The IGCP convenor, Michael Cavanagh, and his colleague Tony Grant have been key players in supporting this project. We are about to sign a Memorandum of Agreement to jointly publish The International Coaching Psychology Review (ICPR). The Society office has been very supportive of this project, too, and has given us guidance regarding the Memorandum of Understanding.

The ICPR will be peer reviewed and have UK and Australian co-editors and an international editorial board. We are still developing submission guidelines, so if you have an academic paper on the theory, practice or research of any aspect of coaching psychology you wish to submit, please contact me directly by e-mail (dr.palmer@btinternet.com). Articles should be 3000-6000 words although extended papers may be accepted with prior agreement. In-depth book reviews will also be included. Advertisements will not generally be accepted unless they are BPS or APS events. Of course, until we have tied up all the loose ends, the ICPR may still be a pipedream but I remain very optimistic.

It is hoped that TCP will be published two or three times a year and the ICPR will come out twice a year. This will mean that we will receive coaching psychology publications on a regular basis once they are both up and running.

Currently, we still have draft rules for the Special Group. We submitted revised rules to the Society’s Board of Trustees but they were not approved. The trustees decided that the Special Group should consider submitting changes to its rules that were more appropriate to its Special Group status or to apply for Divisional status in the usual manner.

Their comments need careful consideration. Your thoughts are welcome, too. Certainly, our immediate issue is having more committee members to support our work and the existing draft rules do set a lower limit on members.

Finally, on a personal note, it is a privilege to be the first Chair of the Special Group in Coaching Psychology. I recall back in 2001 hoping to set up a Special Interest Group within the Division of Counselling Psychology (DCoP), but it was not possible then because of the Division’s rules. I never imagined that we would end up being a large Special Group. Thank you for making it possible.