Adolescent group coaching programs are designed to foster individual development and motivation while guiding participants towards a more successful, fulfilling, and purposeful future. Personal development in this context involves enhancing self-awareness (identifying strengths, values, and goals) using psychological tools and frameworks, and optimizing performance in various life domains including education, relationships, and career. This program also focuses on unlocking the adolescents' internal potentials, developing necessary skills for self-actualization, and promoting overall well-being.
In an 8-session intervention (90 minutes per session), an integrative coaching approach incorporating positive psychology, choice theory, self-determination theory, mindfulness, neuroscience, and client-centered techniques was applied to a sample of 14 adolescents (6 girls and 8 boys, mean age: 15). Participants were randomly selected from those who responded to a call for a coaching program at Rai-Mana Coaching Academy. The study followed a pre-test/post-test design without a control group. Participants completed demographic surveys, the PERMA questionnaire (Butler & Kern, 2015), and the Internal-External Control Scale (Rotter, 1966) before and after the intervention.
Results revealed a significant increase in participants' scores on the PERMA model components (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) and internal control following the coaching sessions (p ≤ 0.001). These findings suggest that integrative group coaching can be an effective short-term intervention for improving adolescents' well-being and fostering a sense of internal control.
This approach holds potential as a preventive program to support adolescents' transition into adulthood, reduce risky behaviors, and promote goal-setting, well-being, and overall psychological resilience. Educational institutions and adolescent-focused organizations, both public and private, should consider integrating group coaching into their developmental programs.