01: Coaching across the lifespan: family life coaching for all generations

In this first episode, Dr Natalie Lancer with Dr. Kimberly Allen, Dr. Margaret Machara and Vielka Gabriel explore how coaches can work with families, sometimes in vulnerable communities, towards a more empowered family life. We learn what the coach’s role is in working, with young children, teenagers and the elderly, through the normal challenges of life across the lifespan, through discussing:

•    What is family life coaching?
•    How is it different to other forms of coaching and interventions?
•    How does family life coaching relate to other family science practices?
•    How can you become a family life coach?
•    What evidence base does family life coaching draw upon?
•    When did family life coaching start?
•    How is family coaching different from social work?
•    Why would a family life work with a family coach?
•    What does family life coaching typically look like?
•    How have post-pandemic coaching practices impacted family life coaching?
•    Where is the profession of family life coaching heading?

Family life coaching is a growing field that coaches in the US are pioneering. It celebrates positive approaches to help families increase their confidence in dealing with life’s challenges by engaging with families who actively want to direct their own futures. Our guests today are:

Kimberly Allen, Ph.D., BCC, CFLE is Interim Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs and Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University as well as Co-Creator of the Family Life Coaching Association where she trains coaches in this discipline. Dr. Allen has over 20 years’ experience working with youth and their families. Her research interests include family life coaching, student success, teaching with technology, parenting, and relationship education. Dr. Allen is author of the book Theory, Research, and Practical Guidelines for Family Life Coaching.

Margaret E. Machara, PhD, CFLE is a Professor of Human Sciences at Tennessee State University and co-creator of the Family Life Coaching Association.  She currently oversees the Child Development/Family Studies concentration at TSU and is actively involved in several Family Science professional organisations.  Dr. Machara has worked with diverse groups of children, adults, and families in a variety of settings.  Her areas of expertise are Human Development, Family Relationships, Parenting, Interpersonal Dynamics, Play-Based Learning, Experiential Education, and Outdoor Activity. 

Vielka Maria Gabriel has a background in Human Development, specialising in Family Coaching with an emphasis on working with vulnerable communities. Since 2007, she  has served as a life coach and managed the MindSet Life Coaching program at Wake County Health and Human Services, North Carolina.  The 10-week life coaching program assists individuals and families to become self-sufficient by addressing barriers including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), goal setting, accessing resources to strength and skill building in financial, physical, and mental health. 

Your host, Dr Natalie Lancer, is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, and British Psychological Society (BPS) Registered Supervisor. She is the Chair of the BPS’s Division of Coaching Psychology and an accredited member of the Association for Coaching. She is the host of this podcast series and invites you to email any comments to [e-mail]

https://www.bps.org.uk/member-networks/division-coaching-psychology 

© British Psychological Society 2023