Evidence-based training in cognitive-behavioural coaching: can personal development bring less distress and better performance?

Coaching has become during the past years an emergent guidance profession. Cognitive-behavioural coaching (CBC) emphasises the importance of enhancing the emotion-regulation abilities of clients and replacing their non-productive behaviours. Qualified professionals are needed in order to effectively facilitate the desired changes in their clients. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the personal development component within a training programme in CBC. Pre- to post-training comparisons showed a reduction in the participants' level of depressed mood, as well as an improvement in their work performance. The active components were the emotion-regulation skills acquired and the quality of their homework tasks. Implications are discussed underlying the use of an evidence-based approach for training professionals in the field of CBC.