COACHING AND PSYCHOLOGY

If philosophy seemed to slow down during the tumultuous 20th century, psychology was going strong, finding its way into every field of human activity.
Although Wundt and Tenet based the study of psychology on some of the fundamental principles of philosophy, they were concerned about where to place their rising discipline within the boundaries of the natural sciences.

It is widely known that Freud, in turn, started investigating pathologies of the mind through psychoanalysis, taking into consideration the conscious and the unconscious dimensions and looking for an extra-physiological explanation for such conditions in a socio-political context of intense change.

Over the years, psychology continued to evolve through the behaviourist and cognitive phases, while remaining within the confines of natural science, to arrive at humanist and transpersonal psychology, which reconnected the discipline with the first principles of ancient Eastern philosophy.

By each of these, as well as by the theoretical and applied research under disciplines of psychology, coaching has been inspired to develop its own models and practices.

This is rather intuitive considering that coaching is mainly based on the language and reading of the beliefs that people use during decisional processes. Less intuitive is the fact that even disciplines like information theory and cybernetics have also proved to be equally valuable for coaching, specifically for the management and application of feedback, which is fundamental for performance improvement.

Each branch of psychology, from the clinical to the social and sports branches, has had its own influence, providing and inspiring theories, practices or both. In particular, humanist and transpersonal psychology have contributed to the basic theories, psychodynamics and behavioural / cognitive psychology have contributed to many of the tools and techniques presently used in coaching; clinical psychology has helped practical aspects, while positive psychology has provided strong impetus to research.

With the specialization of coaching over the course of time, a coaching psychology has become established, after progressing from that of organizational, consultancy, developmental, and humanist psychology to that of motivation.

It is important to underline that coaching, unlike any other support relationship, is not based on need or necessity, but on a totally different set of assumptions.

Coaching, unlike any other helping relationship, is not based on need or on necessities, but on the awareness of individual’s resources, the exploration of new points of view, and on seeking new opportunities, in a creative and responsible way.

For all these reasons, coaching is in no way comparable to psychotherapy or to any form of psychological support like counselling, or to any form of consulting taking place between an expert (who is empowered by knowledge) and a client/ patient/user who is experiencing either a temporary, prolonged or even structural condition of need.

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The two main areas we address in coaching are leadership transition and strategic thinking.
A coach helped me build a path that suits my individual traits, identifying challenges for change, work plans, a constant assessment of results and a method to achieve them in a spontaneous and natural way.
Coaching is an investment in ourselves. It opens us up to new perspectives and breaks through boundaries, removing obstacles and facilitating inclusion. It is therefore essential to be committed, before starting the process, to have clear ideas and devote quality time to the process. Coaches, in turn, must be excellent leaders to obtain good results. In my case, thanks to Marcella, it worked.

E.S.

Coaching with Marcella Accorinti began in the usual way, working on specific professional goals.
Marcella’s professionalism, together with her humanity and talent, created the space for my personal journey, which gradually became more important than my initial professional goal.
The work I did with Marcella turned out to be a multi-year experience that today still accompanies me today in my thoughts and choices.

M.S.

Thanks to the journey undertaken at Mindevelopment with Marcella Accorinti, and which involved the entire front line of the company, both individually and as a team, we have managed to achieve incredible results, both in terms of communication and of collaboration and inclusion.
These behavioural changes have transformed an already well-matched team into a group of people ready to discuss any issue in a transparent manner, respecting the specialists, but also listening to the less experienced on the subject, enriching the level of discussion.
A side effect was the increase in the sense of irony at learning how to “laugh at ourselves” lowered the communication barriers as well.

S.E.

The coaching experience, through real and very often painful and difficult passages, made me understand how it is possible to change and achieve great results at work.
I experimented with approaches and behaviours that weren’t instinctive or natural for me. Doing this with a coach who listens to you and provides feedback in a transparent, sincere and sometimes even ‘ruthless’ way, has given me the strength to ‘try’ and often ‘succeed’.
Without coaching I would not have tried these things, and it would never even have occurred to me to look at my managerial style from a different angle.

A.P.

I started a coaching journey with Marcella thinking that it would be very confrontational. But her coaching has proven to be a true personal and professional empowerment tool.
Over time, a relationship of trust was forged with my coach that exceeded all expectations, and has allowed for increasingly clear and transparent discussion during coaching sessions.
I never expected to start such a profound process of change in terms of behaviour and communication, and now I can apply coaching techniques even in the absence of the Coach

A.S.

The company helmed by Dr. Marcella Accorinti stands out in an original way, both in its diagnostic and operational phases. In our case, there was a dual objective: one, improving our soft managerial skills (e.g. the ability to delegate), and two, strengthen the abilities of the first and second level team members. The great ability to listen and the vast experience of Dr. Accorinti and her associates were met with extremely positive feedback from the managers and made it possible to successfully achieve our set goals. Here the distinction lies in a ‘tailored’ approach to the needs of individual managers, without ever losing the overall cohesion of the project. In short, ours was a particularly positive experience that we recommend to any company interested in the enhancement of their human capital.

V.M.

I had the opportunity to embark on an executive coaching course with Marcella Accorinti as part of a company project. Marcella’s experience and professionalism are highly distinctive and her ability to understand and lead you “to the heart of the matter” are astonishing.
With careful skill, she trained me to exploit my potential, provide focus to my professional career and my expectations for the overall growth of the company.
This will forever remain a point of reference on my professional path. Thank you Marcella!!

P.D.L.

COACHING AND PSYCHOLOGY