Existential Ontological Approach To Coaching - Essay Example

Existential Ontological Approach To Coaching When one goes through the coaching experience, one comes to gain various experiences, which can be surprising and perplexing because they happen unexpectedly and suddenly that one has to be extremely careful not to miss them. These experiences come in various forms, and it is always advantageous for a coach to take note of them since this helps when dealing with issues concerning the psychological wellbeing of trainees. It was during one such coaching experience, at a local badminton team as a team coach, that I came to understand the importance of existential coaching and why it is one of the best coaching approaches, which applied in organization set-ups. This approach to coaching is because nothing in life is certain, as there comes a time when that, which we think, is a permanent thing comes to a sudden end, and we find that something very new has replaced it. This approach treats everything that has yet to take place to be unpredictable. In preparation for this, it can be suggested that individuals should be prepared for any eventuality in the course of their journey through life. This is because they are more likely than not to be confronted with situations, which are unpredictable, and they will have to be psychologically prepared to deal with such situations. All human beings in the world come to a point in their lives when they have to face uncertain situations, and some of these experiences may be personal, related to their places of work or conflicts over which they have no control. One of the things that I came to find to be most surprising is the players’ ability to adapt to any new situations that came their way. If such situations were personal, such as concerning their health, one would notice that people tend not to allow themselves to be brought down (Fernando 226). They do their best to make sure that they get the necessary treatment to enable them get back to their daily activities. In case one was to lose employment, the next immediate step would be to find a new job because that is the only way to be able to make a living. If one were to get into a serious relationship, it will be noticed that such an individual will change their lifestyle to suit that of their partners. Conflicts within the workplace tend to be solved either through intense competition to see who is more productive, or for some of those involved in the conflict leaving the workplace completely (Ashman and Gibson 126). While most of the players in the team had the ability to adapt to all the situations mentioned above, whenever they took place, they often bring with them a sense of anxiety among the individuals involved. When such situations are considered through the concept of existential coaching, one will find that the feeling of anxiety is not a terrible experience that should be avoided. This concept states that such feelings can be extremely useful in making people aware of the fact that they are still alive (Randall 259). In fact, it is during such moments of anxiety that players are at their most creative. Some of the most original ideas that these players come up with to deal with the unexpected situations, they find themselves in, take place when they are anxious. Therefore, it can be said that anxiety acts as a stimulant to the creative nature of the players. It should not be viewed as a bad thing, for individuals to be anxious from time to time because it enables them to become more aware of themselves and their environment. For instance, if the world were free of feelings of anxiety, then there would be no motivation for individuals to live. They would fail to be aware of their environment, and if this were to happen, then their will to advance themselves for the better would be gone. In place of the rapidly advancing society that we have today, there would exist one that is stagnant. While, as stated above, a feeling of anxiety is not necessarily a dreadful thing, as a coach, I came to realize that it should not be allowed it to get out of hand in the players. When one notices that the levels of anxiety have become intolerable, then ways have to be initiated to ensure that such anxiety is reduced or removed (Mascaro and Rosen 576). However, from experience, I have come to discover that some of the ways, which are adopted to deal with such situations, also tend to create a problem themselves. Most of the ways adopted by individuals are based on attempts to forget the source of their anxiety. While this may temporarily work, it is not a permanent solution and eventually, such situations catch up with individuals. When this happens, individuals end up acting irresponsibly, or in certain cases, they attempt to wish away their problems. Most of the actions taken to help such individuals fail to take note of their uniqueness, and fail to recognize that every individual has a unique view of the world and that such views have to be understood in order to be able to help them. When one considers such a situation through existential coaching, one will find that it is not always useful to generalize solutions to such situations. It is often a complete waste of time to apply general techniques to situations where players have very different life situations. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the coach to learn first about their players. They should present these players with the chance to express themselves, and this will help a vast deal with coming up with a suitable solution to their anxiety. As they express themselves, individuals also come to gain a better understanding of whom they are and what they stand for, thus ensuring a return of their self-confidence. Therefore, self-confidence works towards ending their anxiety and helping them to their normal lives with little worry. Dealing with issues according to their own worldview helps them to understand where their problems come from and how best to personally deal with them so that they do not negatively affect their lives. This approach to coaching has been very beneficial to me personally, because it has enabled me to realize that all players are unique. Due to this uniqueness, each player has to be dealt with at an individual level in order to attain the desired result. I came to find that the existential approach to coaching created the opportunity for me, as a coach, to get to know my players better. When this happened, I came to discover their strengths and weaknesses and this enabled me to train them in situations, which suited them best. This opened up limitless possibilities for me to realize the full potential of the players, hence better results for the team. Bibliography Ashman, Ian, and Gibson, Caroline. "Existential Identity, Ontological Insecurity and Mental Well-being in the Workplace." Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice 2.2 (2010): 126-47. Fernando, Delini M. "Existential Theory and Solution-Focused Strategies: Integration and Application." Journal of Mental Health Counseling 29.3 (2007): 226-41. Mascaro, Nathan, and Rosen, David H. "Assessment of Existential Meaning and its Longitudinal Relations with Depressive Symptoms." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 27.6 (2008): 576-99. Randall, Elizabeth. "Existential Therapy of Panic Disorder: A Single System Study." Clinical Social Work Journal 29.3 (2001): 259-67. Read More