Psychologists As Executive Coaches: A Proposed Training Module For Psychology Graduate Students As An Extension of the Literature

The purpose of this review and proposed model is to provide a clearer picture of the current state of executive coaching and to provide a basic non-theoretical model that could be utilized for preparing graduate students in clinical and counseling doctoral training programs for the professional role of an executive coach. The proposed model is an adaptation of the established Organizational Consulting track at Pacific University\u27s School of Professional Psychology. The formal training of psychology graduate students in the role of the executive coach is an attempt to provide standardized preparation for one subset of the executive coach population. This standardization is deemed important due to the current state of the field of executive coaching. Several inherent weaknesses in the field of executive coaching were elucidated during the literature review, including: the lack of a standardized, universally accepted definition of executive coaching; the lack of a credentialing or governing body; the lack of empirical research supporting the professional role; and the lack of formal, standardized training. The proposed model is projected as a method of preparing executive coaches who are trained researchers, licensed by a credentialing and governing body and bound by an ethical code