Climate change and Coaching Psychologists: Exploring attitudes, perspectives and future intentions

What the paper says

Introduction: Climate change is increasingly recognised as a critical global challenge, significantly affecting ecological stability and human wellbeing. Coaching psychology, as a discipline supporting behavioural and attitudinal change, has potential relevance in addressing climate-related issues. However, the role and attitudes of coaching psychologists towards climate change remain relatively unexplored. This research aims to explore coaching psychologists’ attitudes, perspectives and intentions to address climate change issues, with specific reference to members of coaching psychology professional bodies across the UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Method: This study employed an online exploratory survey consisting of 12 multiple-choice and open-ended questions to explore the views of coaching psychologists, predominantly members of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Coaching Psychology. The survey was conducted online and ethical approval was obtained from Henley Business School. This method was most appropriate for this exploratory survey for obtaining responses from all members of professional bodies of coaching psychology in the UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The questions addressed definitions of climate change, perceived roles and responsibilities of coaching psychologists, and expectations from professional bodies. A total of 45 coaching psychologists completed the survey. Results: Participants responses were analysed using a simple descriptive statistical analysis. This type of analysis is the most appropriate to an online survey. Participants broadly acknowledged climate change as a legitimate coaching concern, (38%) although attitudes varied from strong advocacy for proactive engagement to cautious neutrality. Coaches highlighted the emotional, behavioural, and systemic complexities associated with climate change, indicating a preference for professional bodies to provide clear ethical guidance, targeted training, and resources to support client conversations about climate-related issues. Discussion: The findings illustrate coaching psychologists’ emerging recognition of their potential role in climate action, reflecting broader literature emphasising psychology’s critical contributions to addressing climate change. Conclusion: Coaching psychologists display growing interest and varied readiness to engage professionally with climate change, highlighting opportunities and challenges for professional practice development. The findings of this research provide preliminary insights on the role coaching psychologists can play to address climate change issues. Further research is needed and we advocate from strong cross professional body collaborations on this issue to develop practical actions which coaches can take to address the climate change emergency/crisis.