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Coaching and Mentoring
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Coaching and Mentoring
A Critical Text


July 2012 | 336 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

Coaching is often discussed as if it is a new 'profession' without adequate attention to how it has evolved, what underpins its practice or its training methods. Situating coaching in a wider social and historical context, Coaching and Mentoring: A Critical Text reveals that contemporary 'coaching theory' is more a collection of models and approaches mostly transferred from psychotherapy theory. Coaching claims to liberate creativity but can also entrap us by individualizing social experience. Author Simon Western brings a fresh and critical perspective on coaching and mentoring, challenging its normative assumptions and narratives, and proposing an ethical and emancipatory approach that takes it beyond instrumentalism and individualism.

Key Features:

  • Accounts for how coaching has emerged and what discourses and normative practices underpin and influence contemporary coaching practice
  • Develops a meta-theory of coaching that acts as a baseline for future developments
  • Offers frames of thinking to support and guide coaching and mentoring practitioners and educators

This is a must read for coaches, mentors and coaching educators, and students and academics studying coaching and mentoring at both advanced undergraduate and graduate level.


 
About the Author
 
Acknowledgements
 
Introduction: Coaching - the Merger of the 'Wounded-Self' and 'Celebrated-Self'
 
PART ONE: SCOPING THE FIELD WITH A CRITICAL LENS
 
A Critical Theory Approach To Coaching
 
Scoping The Field: Definitions and Divergence of Practice
 
PART TWO: FROM FRIENDSHIP TO COACHING: A BRIEF GENEALOGY OF COACHING
 
Introduction
 
Pre-Modernity: Helping Relationships
 
Modernity: Experts, Tools and Technology
 
Post-Modernity: Coaching Hybridity
 
Conclusion
 
PART THREE: THE DOMINANT DISCOURSES OF COACHING
 
Introduction
 
The Soul Guide Discourse: A Mirror to the Soul
 
The Psy Expert Discourse: Coaching the Outward Self
 
The Managerial Discourse: Coaching the Role Self
 
The Network Coach Discourse: Influencing the Network
 
Discourse Mapping: Coaching across and between Discourses
 
PART FOUR: THE FUTURE OF COACHING
 
Developing Coaching Theory
 
Creating a New Coaching Meta-Theory: The Micro-Practices and the Macro-Social of Coaching
 
Coaching Formation: Coach Education and Pedagogies
 
Epilogue
 
Appendix
 
References
 
Index

This books gives a very good ovrview of Mentoring and coaching styles, and underpins practice and discussions

Ms Jill Harrison
Education, University of Greenwich
November 21, 2012

This is well written text with specific issues for developing mentee in the workplace.

Professor Micheal Van Wyk
Teacher Education, University of South Africa (UNISA)
November 7, 2012

Too high a level for the qualifications in mentoring and coaching that we deliver

Kathryn Gundle
Education/Teacher Training, Adult Community Learning, Essex
October 9, 2012

Highly recommended. Provides a subtle and comprehensive overview.

Mr Richard Cotter
Management , National University of Ireland, Maynooth
September 27, 2012

This is an excellent overview of Coaching and Mentoring as a field of practice. The critical nature of text gives a refreshing change to the advocate nature of most coaching texts which are usually promoting one model of coaching without examining coaching practice in and of itself.
Highly recommended as an additional text in the review of Learning and Development Practices.

Mrs Carrie Foster
Business School, Chester University
September 25, 2012

not as thought but passed the book on to another course for use. they have used this within the teacher training course

Mrs Karen Cooke
Health & Care, Trafford College
September 17, 2012

A worth while read for anyone who is on the A1 course as mentoring can be tuff and this book will aid you and guide you

Mrs Karen Cooke
health and social care, Bolton Community College
September 17, 2012

This is a well written text. It supports the content of the coaching and mentoring units. It is focused on practice and practical issues. The text is not for beginners but would suit this course level. It develops a number of key thoughts for consideration.

Mr Derek Allford
Learning Centre, Business To Business (B2B)
September 16, 2012

I have used this extensively in my own writing, which will feature in my coaching sessions at the university. Therefore Western's book has been put as a strong recommendation onto our reading list; references to the book will be made throughout our course (in particular in terms of definition of coaching and mentoring).
A very useful read!

Mr Rene Koglbauer
School of Education, Newcastle University
September 14, 2012

Good background reading for learners - may be a little too advanced for the PTLLS course but I would recommend this as a additional text for learners interested in coaching and mentoring.

Mrs Alicia Hawkes
Education, Totton College
September 11, 2012

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ISBN: 9781446289808

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