SECTION 1 The relational turn and coaching
1 Setting the scene for an integrative relational approach to coaching in challenging times – uncertainty, paradox and complexity
2 Who is it who is in a coaching relationship?
3 Relational coaching and change – two distinct and interrelated approaches to change
4 Selves in context – navigating and negotiating organisational life
SECTION 2 Practice perspectives
5 Coming together – unpacking the coach-coachee-context constellation
6 Intersubjectivity 1 – understanding relationship dynamics from a developmental perspective
7 Intersubjectivity 2 – the co-creation of the coaching relationship, meaning and change
8 Relational integration – implications for practice
SECTION 3 Applications
9 Shame and vulnerability – the experiences that dare not speak their name
10 Perspectives on contracting from a relational perspective
11 Coaching in organisations – culture, norms and novelty
12 Feedback and assessment
Concluding thoughts: Relational perspectives on the development of coaches, ethics and supervision
Simon Cavicchia is an executive coach, a UKCP registered Gestalt
psychotherapist, consultant and supervisor. He was Joint Programme
Leader of the MSc in Coaching Psychology at the Metanoia Institute
in London for eight years. He divides his time between executive
coaching, consulting and teaching on postgraduate programmes in
coaching and organisational development. He is currently on the
faculty of the Ashridge Masters in Executive Coaching.
Maria Gilbert is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, a UKCP
registered Integrative psychotherapist, BACP accredited supervisor
and coach. For many years, she was the Joint Head of the
Integrative Department, the Supervision Training and the MSc in
Coaching Psychology at the Metanoia Institute in London, and a
Visiting Professor at Middlesex University.
"This is the most rigorous introduction to relational coaching to
date. The entire field is placed in a historical and psychological
perspective, with sound referencing to all the relevant sources.
Not only is this the best handbook you will find, reading the
philosophy and case studies will allow you to pick up and implement
in your own practice the subtle differences between traditional and
relational approaches. This book is all about attending to
coaching, the relationship and your client as they appear in the
moment, rather than attending to some pre-set idea about what
coaching should be. In this sense there is a freshness and depth
permeating from every page. Mostly, this relational turn towards
your own fresh lived experience will be a priceless reward that you
reap from reading this exceptional book. Underpinning all this you
are invited into a series of wonderfully crafted case examples,
from which I personally learned huge amounts." - Erik de Haan,
Director of Ashridge Centre for Coaching, UK and Professor of
Organisation Development, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
"This book offers an overdue corrective to the cause-and-effect
assumptions that govern many organisations with respect to what it
means to lead and the support that managers need. Instead of tools
and processes, Simon Cavicchia and Maria Gilbert offer a rich
description – supported by rigorous intellectual foundations – of
the dynamics of an effective coaching relationship. This is not a
manual for the coach doing the coaching to the coachee. It’s a
manifesto for coach and coachee co-creating the meaning of their
work, taking into account the complex and often contradictory
influences that bear on them. It is a book that brings into the
conversation the dynamics of power and politics that shape working
life, challenging the notion that these can be bracketed out in the
name of neutrality. It helps coaches navigate the tricky path
between serving the organisation that pays the bill and the needs
of an individual coachee. The relational approach is not simply
about establishing a close and mutually respectful relationship.
It’s an acknowledgement that what the coach and coachee have to do
only ever emerges from the specificities of the relationship
between them and the context in which they work. Put aside
pre-conceived recipes, the authors say, and connect with the person
before you." - Martin Vogel, co-founder, The
Counter-Consultancy"The Theory and Practice of Relational Coaching:
Complexity, Paradox and Integration is nothing less than a tour de
force. Simon Cavicchia’s unique blend of eloquence, erudition and
warmth combines with Maria Gilbert’s decades of experience as a
consummate educator to create an exceptional book. It takes the
reader on a rich journey, starting with scene setting and
philosophy. It covers the main theories which underpin an
integrative relational approach and describes in detail all aspects
of a here and now relational encounter. After a deep dive into ‘the
micro dynamics of relational interaction’ the authors then gently
move outwards to the subtleties and forces of the organisational
context. Quite simply, this book says everything about relational
coaching, its theories and practice. The authors critique and
integrate an extraordinary depth and breadth of theories from all
the psychological traditions. This alone makes the book an
education in itself! I recommend it not only for coaches, but for
psychotherapists and counselling psychologists who have made ‘the
relational turn’."- Charlotte Sills, Professor of Coaching,
Ashridge Business School, UK"Simon Cavicchia and Maria Gilbert draw
on their substantial depth of experience and expertise in the
fields of executive coaching and psychotherapy to show that these
are not separate but essential counter-parts enabling us to strive
towards higher levels of performance. This is an essential and
timely publication for all serious coaches and business
professionals who are struggling to apply the 'rational' linear
left brain models of coaching to an increasingly fast moving and
complex world. It covers the foundational background to this
holistic way of apprehending our changing world enabling one to
weave together top-down linear and bottom-up emergent perspectives
and manoeuvre deftly between them. I thoroughly recommend this
publication for all aspiring to success on the sometimes stormy
oceans of complexity." - Syed Azmatullah, MA, PhD; Psychotherapist,
Executive Coach, author of The Coach’s Mind Manual "This is a book
for coaches, clients, and anyone interested in the delicate
business of human relating. Spanning a range of dimensions
gracefully it is profound yet accessible, broad and thorough, with
a clear advocacy that leaves me feeling invited to make up my own
mind. Simon Cavicchia and Maria Gilbert have managed to offer an
in-depth historical overview of different perspectives and to paint
a lively picture of the complex and subtle nature of current,
integrated approaches. This book is theoretically sound and
practical, encouraging and provocative. The case studies are lively
and show the messy nature of this work and the difficulty of
bringing awareness to the process at all times. Just what we have
been waiting for." - Kathleen King, PhD; researcher and co-editor
of Organisational Consulting: @ the Edges of Possibility and The
Change Doctors: Re-imagining Organisational Practice
"This is the most rigorous introduction to relational coaching to
date. The entire field is placed in a historical and psychological
perspective, with sound referencing to all the relevant sources.
Not only is this the best handbook you will find, reading the
philosophy and case studies will allow you to pick up and implement
in your own practice the subtle differences between traditional and
relational approaches. This book is all about attending to
coaching, the relationship and your client as they appear in the
moment, rather than attending to some pre-set idea about what
coaching should be. In this sense there is a freshness and depth
permeating from every page. Mostly, this relational turn towards
your own fresh lived experience will be a priceless reward that you
reap from reading this exceptional book. Underpinning all this you
are invited into a series of wonderfully crafted case examples,
from which I personally learned huge amounts." - Erik de Haan,
Director of Ashridge Centre for Coaching, UK and Professor of
Organisation Development, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
"This book offers an overdue corrective to the cause-and-effect
assumptions that govern many organisations with respect to what it
means to lead and the support that managers need. Instead of tools
and processes, Simon Cavicchia and Maria Gilbert offer a rich
description – supported by rigorous intellectual foundations – of
the dynamics of an effective coaching relationship. This is not a
manual for the coach doing the coaching to the coachee. It’s a
manifesto for coach and coachee co-creating the meaning of their
work, taking into account the complex and often contradictory
influences that bear on them. It is a book that brings into the
conversation the dynamics of power and politics that shape working
life, challenging the notion that these can be bracketed out in the
name of neutrality. It helps coaches navigate the tricky path
between serving the organisation that pays the bill and the needs
of an individual coachee. The relational approach is not simply
about establishing a close and mutually respectful relationship.
It’s an acknowledgement that what the coach and coachee have to do
only ever emerges from the specificities of the relationship
between them and the context in which they work. Put aside
pre-conceived recipes, the authors say, and connect with the person
before you." - Martin Vogel, co-founder, The
Counter-Consultancy"The Theory and Practice of Relational Coaching:
Complexity, Paradox and Integration is nothing less than a tour de
force. Simon Cavicchia’s unique blend of eloquence, erudition and
warmth combines with Maria Gilbert’s decades of experience as a
consummate educator to create an exceptional book. It takes the
reader on a rich journey, starting with scene setting and
philosophy. It covers the main theories which underpin an
integrative relational approach and describes in detail all aspects
of a here and now relational encounter. After a deep dive into ‘the
micro dynamics of relational interaction’ the authors then gently
move outwards to the subtleties and forces of the organisational
context. Quite simply, this book says everything about relational
coaching, its theories and practice. The authors critique and
integrate an extraordinary depth and breadth of theories from all
the psychological traditions. This alone makes the book an
education in itself! I recommend it not only for coaches, but for
psychotherapists and counselling psychologists who have made ‘the
relational turn’."- Charlotte Sills, Professor of Coaching,
Ashridge Business School, UK"Simon Cavicchia and Maria Gilbert draw
on their substantial depth of experience and expertise in the
fields of executive coaching and psychotherapy to show that these
are not separate but essential counter-parts enabling us to strive
towards higher levels of performance. This is an essential and
timely publication for all serious coaches and business
professionals who are struggling to apply the 'rational' linear
left brain models of coaching to an increasingly fast moving and
complex world. It covers the foundational background to this
holistic way of apprehending our changing world enabling one to
weave together top-down linear and bottom-up emergent perspectives
and manoeuvre deftly between them. I thoroughly recommend this
publication for all aspiring to success on the sometimes stormy
oceans of complexity." - Syed Azmatullah, MA, PhD; Psychotherapist,
Executive Coach, author of The Coach’s Mind Manual "This is a book
for coaches, clients, and anyone interested in the delicate
business of human relating. Spanning a range of dimensions
gracefully it is profound yet accessible, broad and thorough, with
a clear advocacy that leaves me feeling invited to make up my own
mind. Simon Cavicchia and Maria Gilbert have managed to offer an
in-depth historical overview of different perspectives and to paint
a lively picture of the complex and subtle nature of current,
integrated approaches. This book is theoretically sound and
practical, encouraging and provocative. The case studies are lively
and show the messy nature of this work and the difficulty of
bringing awareness to the process at all times. Just what we have
been waiting for." - Kathleen King, PhD; researcher and co-editor
of Organisational Consulting: @ the Edges of Possibility and The
Change Doctors: Re-imagining Organisational Practice
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |