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Addressing psychological discomfort with Acceptance and Commitment Coaching.

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Title: Addressing psychological discomfort with Acceptance and Commitment Coaching.
Authors: MacKinnon, Richard (AUTHOR), Skews, Rachael (AUTHOR), McIntosh, Ross (AUTHOR)
Source: Coaching Psychologist. Apr2025, Vol. 20 Issue 3, p29-37. 9p.
Subjects: Avoidance (Psychology), Coaching psychology, Personal coaching, Cognitive dissonance, Coaching of employees, Adaptability (Personality), Self-actualization (Psychology)
Abstract: Psychological discomfort can be best thought of as the mental content (thoughts, images, feelings, predictions, etc.) that people want to avoid experiencing. We can appreciate the subjective nature of psychological discomfort, since what may be deeply uncomfortable for one person may be highly motivating for another. Indeed, in coaching developing an understanding the contextual nature of psychological discomfort is key, as it may arise from a combination of tasks, stakeholders, goals and prior experiences. This paper explores psychological discomfort and experiential avoidance through the lens of Acceptance and Commitment Coaching (ACC). ACC is an evidence-based, psychologically-informed coaching process aimed at maximising individuals' personal and professional potential by increasing their psychological flexibility. The paper illustrates how to explore the limiting impact of experiential avoidance with clients and how ACC can be brought to life for the client in these situations, equipping them with the skills to minimise avoidance and effectively and sustainably navigate discomfort in future. We summarise the evidence for ACC and psychological flexibility processes as a way to address experiential avoidance and offer a detailed case study of ACC practice to explore and address psychological discomfort and experiential avoidance in workplace coaching contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Coaching Psychologist is the property of British Psychological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Addressing psychological discomfort with Acceptance and Commitment Coaching.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22MacKinnon%2C+Richard%22">MacKinnon, Richard</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Skews%2C+Rachael%22">Skews, Rachael</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McIntosh%2C+Ross%22">McIntosh, Ross</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Coaching+Psychologist%22">Coaching Psychologist</searchLink>. Apr2025, Vol. 20 Issue 3, p29-37. 9p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Avoidance+%28Psychology%29%22">Avoidance (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Coaching+psychology%22">Coaching psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Personal+coaching%22">Personal coaching</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+dissonance%22">Cognitive dissonance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Coaching+of+employees%22">Coaching of employees</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adaptability+%28Personality%29%22">Adaptability (Personality)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-actualization+%28Psychology%29%22">Self-actualization (Psychology)</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Psychological discomfort can be best thought of as the mental content (thoughts, images, feelings, predictions, etc.) that people want to avoid experiencing. We can appreciate the subjective nature of psychological discomfort, since what may be deeply uncomfortable for one person may be highly motivating for another. Indeed, in coaching developing an understanding the contextual nature of psychological discomfort is key, as it may arise from a combination of tasks, stakeholders, goals and prior experiences. This paper explores psychological discomfort and experiential avoidance through the lens of Acceptance and Commitment Coaching (ACC). ACC is an evidence-based, psychologically-informed coaching process aimed at maximising individuals' personal and professional potential by increasing their psychological flexibility. The paper illustrates how to explore the limiting impact of experiential avoidance with clients and how ACC can be brought to life for the client in these situations, equipping them with the skills to minimise avoidance and effectively and sustainably navigate discomfort in future. We summarise the evidence for ACC and psychological flexibility processes as a way to address experiential avoidance and offer a detailed case study of ACC practice to explore and address psychological discomfort and experiential avoidance in workplace coaching contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Coaching Psychologist is the property of British Psychological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=184802359
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.53841/bpstcp.2025.20.3.29
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Personal coaching
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      – SubjectFull: Cognitive dissonance
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      – SubjectFull: Coaching of employees
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      – SubjectFull: Adaptability (Personality)
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              Text: Apr2025
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