The Science of Coaching
The International Coaching Institute is a world-class Center of Excellence for the innovation of coaching practices, dedicated to delivering best evidence-based practice and expert services in the field. We are providing a range of services which will help you develop and implement innovative ideas.
The European Coaching Center, within the Institute, evaluates the effectiveness of coaching interventions, tools, techniques, and processes. It is a trans-disciplinary Center of Excellence dedicated to data collection and evidence-based health and productivity research, with implica
tions for cognitive-behavioral coaching. The cutting-edge research strengthens the Institute's educational services by constantly updating the course content. The Institute develops cutting edge professional coaching tools, techniques, and resources through the research conducted by our Center using a scientific approach to the coaching programs and testing best practices, techniques, processes, and practical models.
Research shows that in order to achieve successful change, the mental aspects which underlie a person's and/or a group's actions are the critically important elements, which require rigorous assessment and management. As professional coaches we are aware that only validated cognitive and behavioral techniques can achieve genuine, sustainable, and measurable results. Changing behavior with the right techniques can have a dramatic, beneficial impact on human dynamics, the cultural and environmental context of an organization, and the organization's performance. However, changing behaviors and strong emotions is not an easy work when it comes to changing a lifetime’s habits. It is therefore important that we understand how to professionally use the cognitive and behavioral tools that are related to our particular area of practice and expertise.
One of the reasons why cognitive-behavioral techniques are employed by professional coaching practitioners is that they allow for data to be gathered on specific targeted behaviors, impacting the practice of a professional skill. By using appropriately validated cognitive-behavioral changing technology, these targeted behaviors can easily be measured and their effectiveness evaluated in a rigorous manner. Cognitive-Behavioral Coaching, with its emphasis on research and evidence, provides individuals and organizations with a validated system that greatly increases their chances of obtaining lasting behavioral change.
The International Coaching Institute and its European Coaching Center are connected with the following new frontier research programs:
- The Platform for Robotics/Robotherapy and Virtual Reality Therapy (www.psytech.ro) (Centers and Laboratories)
- The Platform for Advanced Imaging - fMRI/EEG - in Clinical Cognitive Sciences (www.psychotherapy.ro) (Centers and Laboratories)
Since it is a trans-disciplinary research unit, members of the European Coaching Center are part of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences and of the Faculty of European Studies, within Babes-Bolyai University.
Resources
Research structures and projects
Division of human development
The Division currently runs the following research projects:
Project Emotion-regulation and mental health in the workplace
Project Director: Oana Gavita, Ph.D
This project aims at investigating the relevant mechanisms for emotion-regulation processes of the employees. Although the rigorous empirical study of the mechanisms involved in psychological distress and specific psychological disorders (i.e., anxiety) is not new (se
e Lazarus, 1991), we still lack interventions that document their impact on work performance of the participants. This study is using state-of-the-art technologies (EEG, virtual reality) in the field in order to develop and test innovative psychological interventions for improving mental health and work performance. Considering the burden of psychological distress at work, is a priority to find ways to build resiliency for work distress and psychopathology with consequences on work productivity, which is a worldwide priority.
This project is a joint collaboration with the West University Timisoara supported by a grant awarded to Oana Gavita from the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-PD-2011-3-0131 https://sites.google.com/site/emotionregulationworkplace/home
Division of Family Studies
This division currently runs the following research projects through its Parenting Interventions Lab:
iRationalParent: Adapting the Rational Positive Parenting Program for being delivered online - http://rationalpositiveparentingprogram.wordpress.com/
Emotion-regulation processes in parenting and evidence-based parent programs
This is a line of research aiming to investigate the effect of emotion-regulation strategies for parental distress and parent practices and their involvement in child adjustment; also, we are aiming to enhance parent programs based on the innovative findings in fundamental research and test their efficacy/efficiency (psychotherapeutic or coaching parent programs) in the treatment of child disorders and promotion of child adjustment.
Division Technology and well-being
REThink - Evidence-based therapeutic online game for child and adolescent mental health - http://rethink.info.ro/
Mobile based stress management - the PsyPills app - https://apps.apple.com/ro/app/psypills/id589004229
Research group in Cognitive-Behavioral Coaching for Performance & Human Development
Group Leader: Oana David, Ph.D.
https://sites.google.com/site/cognitivebehavioralcoaching/home