07: Trauma-informed Coaching

In this episode, Dr. Natalie Lancer and Julia Vaughan Smith, Kate Brassington, and Jenny Rogers, explore the nuances of trauma-informed coaching. The panel give thought to the complexities and responsibilities involved in trauma-informed coaching, discussing the internal dynamics of trauma, its influence on coaching practices, and the importance of sensitivity to clients' experiences. The conversation covers the distinctions between coaching and therapy, ethical considerations, and the skills necessary for trauma-informed coaching, such as presence, attunement, and reflective practice. The importance of safeguarding, establishing boundaries, and self-care for coaches is also addressed.

We consider:

• What is trauma and how can we recognise it in our coaching practice?
• What are the reasons why clients seek trauma-informed coaching?
• What are the benefits for the client of working with a trauma-informed coach?
• Where is the overlap between coaching and therapy in addressing trauma-related issues?
• How can we address trauma in coaching?
• What are the core qualities and skills needed to coach in a trauma-informed way?
• How can we train to become a more trauma-informed coach?
• Do self-care and supervision look different for trauma-informed coaches?
• How should we contract appropriately for client safety?
• What are the risks, safe-guards and limits of trauma-informed coaching?
• In what ways can coaching contribute to trauma healing?

Our experts shared their approaches to working with trauma in coaching, for example, understanding clients' backstories without explicitly using the term “trauma”. Trauma can be subtly present in coaching sessions, even when clients may not explicitly seek help for trauma-related issues. Trauma-informed coaching helps clients process trauma in the present and integrate their experiences in safe ways through creating a trusting environment where they feel heard and understood. 

Our guests today are:

Jenny Rogers is a leader in a new approach to coaching which combines insights from psychotherapy with the pragmatic emphasis on change, drawing on a career in coaching spanning three decades. She works with senior clients in the law, medicine, finance, healthcare, performing arts and media who typically face a major transition in their lives. Jenny won the Henley Business School Award for Outstanding Contribution to Coaching in 2019. She is the author of Are You Listening? and nine other books on coaching.

Julia Vaughan Smith is an Accredited Master Executive Coach and Supervisor and was in private practice as a Psychotherapist, focusing on trauma processing and healing. Together with Jenny Rogers, she has co-facilitated Masterclasses and associated workshops on trauma and coaching. She is the author of a number of books including ‘Coaching and Trauma’, ‘Therapist to Coach’, and ‘Daughters: How to Untangle Yourself from Your Mother’, exploring the impact of developmental and ancestral trauma on this relationship and how to become untangled.

Kate Brassington is a Coaching Psychologist (GMBPsS) and PCC ICF-certified Trauma Informed Coach who researches applied coaching strategies. She has published her research on resilience training for people in high-risk occupations. She hosts a podcast called ‘Refreshing Leadership’ which brings to life applied trauma-informed coaching for leaders in all walks of life. She works with a wide range of people from teens to 70+’s; with executives, retirees, solo-entrepreneurs, and more. She offers pro-bono coaching to military amputees through the charity BLESMA.

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