Effect of a quality of life coaching intervention on psychological courage and self-determination

Aim: This study utilised a multiple case study design, grounded in self-determination theory, which examined changes in motivation and psychological courage throughout an 8-week quality of life coaching intervention. Method: Eight nonclinical adults participated in six one-hour tele-coaching sessions. Sources of data included a pre-assessment survey, a pre-post questionnaire, field notes, and post-session interview transcriptions. The coaching process included six telephone sessions, use of the profile reports, and HeartMath resources. Result: The qualitative cross-case analysis describes how integrative life coaching supported participants‟ expression of psychological courage and facilitated shifts toward autonomous motivation. Conclusion: the study described how a coaching intervention, grounded in self-determination theory can affect an individual‟s sense of personal autonomy, relatedness, and competency.