Depth Coaching: is it possible On-line?

Is it possible to do real ‘Depth work’ as a Coach, Therapist, Supervisor or Manager when working on-line with clients? I have been asked this question many times when I supervise or train coaches, and it also applies to other working relationships … how to work with deep feelings, emotions and the unconscious when our bodies are not present, and where our presence is converted to a digital image and presented onto a rectangular screen. Some coaches have struggled with the shift from face-face to online work, others have moved more seamlessly into this new terrain. Sometimes this is because of the coaches extra attentiveness to the new situation, and their willingness to work with more awareness and presence. Another reason that some coaches find it easier is because they don’t actually take a Depth coaching approach, and therefore the work online is more ‘mechanical’ and driven by technique which demands a different client response.

Many (perhaps most) coaching approaches shy away from ‘Depth work’ with their clients, even when working face to face, preferring to focus on behavioural change that aims to deliver performance improvement. These CBT, NLP, Solutions Focused and other psychologically informed coaching approaches I describe as the ‘Psy Discourse’ of coaching in my book Coaching and Mentoring a Critical Text. The Psy coaching approach is the most dominant in the…