Division of Coaching Psychology Conference 2025

Bio:

Dr Simon Western is founder and CEO of the Eco-Leadership Institute a think tank focusing on developing new leadership approaches for our disruptive age.  Simon leads a Diploma in Leadership Coaching with the aim of coaching leaders to act in good faith to create the good society.  His work translates critical theory, psychoanalytic and systems thinking into pragmatic coaching and leadership approaches. He was previously a family psychotherapist and academic, he has taught at leading universities and led masters programmes in coaching and organisational consultancy.  Simon's books on coaching and leadership are taught internationally, and he currently works with senior leaders in world-leading companies such as Ford Motors, Microsoft and Save the Children.  He hosts the popular Edgy Ideas Podcasts and regularly offers psycho-social commentary on his Substack titled Re-enchanting our Worlds www.ecoleadershipinstitute.org. 

Abstract:

This keynote will discuss how to coach leaders to focus on social-purpose, whilst also adapting their organisations to become agile to address the technological, social and environmental disruptions they face. Simon shares his experience of working with senior leaders in leading corporations, and humanitarian organisations working in crisis zones across the globe.

Bio:

Dr Yi-Ling Lai is a Lecturer of HRM and Organisational Behaviour at the University of Southampton. Prior to joining Southampton Business School, Yi-Ling gained experience working in other academic institutions in the UK, such as Birkbeck College, the University of London, and the University of Portsmouth. Yi-Ling had several years of professional experience in a global talent management consulting firm before her academic research career. Therefore, Yi-Ling often integrates pressing practical issues in management into her research and teaching. Yi-Ling has received the British Psychological Society (BPS) President's Award 2024, which recognises her efforts in producing a body of outstanding research and several paper awards since 2020.

Abstract:

Whereas coaching has flourished as an effective workplace learning and development intervention, this approach is also criticised by 'wrongly' using coaching to resolve systematic level issues through exploiting personal accountability. This session addresses recent social contextualised calls for research and practice in Coaching Psychology as well as development for Coaching Psychologists by reviewing the development of coaching definitions and integrating perspectives of social psychology into coaching research.

Bio:

Rachael is a chartered psychologist and behavioural scientist. Rachael's research focuses on performance, wellbeing and behaviour change. Rachael is a thought leader on topics related to human performance, wellbeing and behavioural science. She has a background in coaching, organisational psychology, psychological research, health technology, and philosophy. 

She is an internationally recognised subject matter expert in Acceptance and Commitment Coaching and Contextual Behavioural Science in the workplace. She provides coaching, training, supervision, and behavioural science consultancy through her consultancy practice Cognus Consulting Ltd. She has extensive experience consulting with clients across the private, public, and charity sectors.

Rachael is a Director of the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISCP). She is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a full member of the BPS Divisions of Occupational Psychology and Coaching Psychology.

Abstract:

Understanding what really good leadership looks like is complicated. Partly because effective leadership needs to look different in different organisations, at different times, and within different contexts.

In this keynote, Dr Rachael Skews will introduce a fresh perspective on leadership that's anchored in contextual behavioural science and evidence based management. Sustainable leadership describes a set of skills and behaviours that leaders can develop that allow them to be purposeful, intentional, and adapt their leadership behaviours to any organisational situation.

This session will bring together knowledge from across human performance and workplace psychology to consider the different behaviours and environments that lead to both better performance and better health in the workplace. Rachael will briefly summarise the science of human performance that shows that environments where sustainable high performance happens are the same as those that create better wellbeing. She will discuss how coaches can work with leaders to develop their intrapersonal skills, such as psychological flexibility, and interpersonal skills, such as prosociality, in addition to their contextual awareness, so leaders can understand how to create the right environments for sustainable high performance and wellbeing, and think about the social, environmental, financial, and ethical impact of them and their organisation.

Bio:

Professor (Dr.) Divine Charura is a Coaching Psychologist and is also a Practitioner psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council in England. Divine is also an Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and an adult psychotherapist. His work as an Executive Leadership Coach, has included working with members of senior leadership teams, within corporate organizations, and private institutions in the UK and abroad.  Divine is passionate about coach education and how the coaching psychology profession can authentically integrate social justice as core pillar of training.  He believes that this will enable Coaching Psychologists to continue to contribute to the coaching evidence base and enhance the potency of the coaching profession for the times we are living in. 

As a researcher, Divine's work and interests are on the multidisciplinary application of coaching psychology. This for example includes within psychological health, wellbeing in the workplace, developing people, their potential and talent.  Divine has co-authored and edited numerous books in counselling, psychology, and psychotherapy. 

Abstract:

Some of the roots of coaching psychology are steeped in demonstrating commitment to social justice and social impact. These include engaging with individuals and communities in ways that facilitate 'power-with' rather than 'power-over' dynamics. In this keynote, I will argue that there is a symbiotic relationship, between social justice and social impact. Thus, we need to engage more with relational, social justice-informed ethical practice as our guiding compass for transformative coaching psychology. In the shadow of recent sociopolitical and ongoing global challenges, key questions for us all are: Where is our authenticity, love, and what is our response-ability as coaching psychologists to change the unjust status quo? How can we promote not only individual but social, political, and collective wellness?

It is important for our work to be underpinned by ethical practice and that we 'Appreciate the significance of the wider social, cultural and political domains in which coaching psychologists operate'. As we facilitate conversations and develop and apply models of psychological inquiry what actions are we taking to foster self-awareness, personal growth, and the development of skills that enhance performance well-being and social impact. 

Through examples from some of my research with diverse communities, I will share a reimagined perspective of Coaching Psychology through a social justice worldview.   Drawing from my Ubuntu ontology, I will make the case that social justice in our professions is not about forcing one's beliefs or electoral politics onto those we work with, but is about being authentic, ethical and response-able in relationships, groups, and in society as a whole.

I will end the keynote with inviting reflections on how we may empower ourselves, and those we work with in different context so that there is social change in our communities. If our profession is to contribute to social impact and be fit for the times we are living in, then we need a paradigm shift which addresses the paucity of social justice orientated coaching education, research and practice.