Exploring the experience of using music and creative mark-making as a reflective tool during coaching supervision: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Beth Mcmanus

doi:10.22316/poc/06.2.03

Abstract

Coaching supervision is still an emergent profession with a limited body of research to support its credibility and practice. This qualitative study is the first to explore the use of music and mark-making as a creative tool within coaching supervision and highlights information about both coach and coach supervisor experience. The research explores the question, ‘How does using mark-making in response to music within coaching supervision affect coaches’ experience of reflective practice?’ through semi-structured interviews, analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology. Findings revealed that using music and mark-making as a creative tool within coaching supervision enhances reflective practice and supports the client-supervisor relationship, enabling highly effective supervision to take place. The results offer coaches, coaching supervisors, coach educators and researchers and other professionals in other contexts where supervision forms an integral part of professional support and development insights into using music and other creative tools in supervision sessions and the impact on reflective practice. Keywords: coaching supervision, music, creativity, coaching psychology, reflective practice

Highlights

IntroductionDuring the last decade, coaching supervision has grown in many areas, evidenced by the volume of training programmes for coaching supervision, the publication of several key books and chapters, and the
Perceptions of the practice and process of coaching supervision are shifting
The study is one of the first to explore the use of music and creative tools during coaching supervision, and the findings indicate several ways in which the creative exercise supported and enhanced the reflection taking place

Summary

Introduction

During the last decade, coaching supervision has grown in many areas, evidenced by the volume of training programmes for coaching supervision, the publication of several key books and chapters, and the. 31), they found limited evidence-based literature grounded in academic rigour due to practitioners, rather than academics and researchers, conducting the majority of published work to date. Curiosity around the role of creativity within the coaching process itself is gaining traction due to assertions around creativity’s ability to support coaches and clients with new thinking and envisioning the kind of life they want to live (Fitzpatrick, 2014) and the potential for a creative space within coaching conversations to support client movement between conscious and unconscious states, akin to the creative process itself (Gash, 2016)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion