Category
COACHING FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY WITH PSYCHOLOGIST AND COACH
with Aprilia West, PsyD, PCC, MT
People with high levels of psychological flexibility can face and embrace difficult emotions and do the hard things that matter most to them. Psychological flexibility grounds people in an empowered stance. Instead of struggling with difficult emotions, you can learn to "surf" them. This shifts the focus from fighting unwanted emotional experiences to learning from them and to show up in ways that help you achieve your goals and live your values. Even when they're triggered. Even when things change quickly. Even in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.
AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH
There is a growing body of research supporting its use in coaching both for individuals and in the workplace. Research has shown that psychological flexibility improves mental health, wellbeing and performance in both personal and professional settings by increasing:
- mental health and wellbeing
- behavioral flexibility
- mental agility
- goal clarity
- task focus at work
- resilience
- meaning & life satisfaction
BENEFITS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY COACHING
As a coach, you want to help your clients break free from unhelpful, rigid behavior patterns that keep them from tapping their full potential. But unfortunately, not all coaches are trained in working with key psychological processes that help clients achieve optimal levels of wellbeing and performance. Too many trainings for coaches rely on outdated models of psychology.
In this training series you’ll learn evidence-based interventions to help clients increase psychological flexibility. You’ll also develop the confidence and capacity to design your work with your clients to achieve effective behavior change through a more powerful relationship with their emotions and choices. And you’ll learn about the philosophy underlying psychological flexibility and why it matters for wellbeing, performance and quality of life.
ABOUT THE TRAINING
This live 3-part training series with certified professional coach and psychologist, Dr. Aprilia West is designed for coaches and coaching-curious practitioners who want to boost their effectiveness by helping clients increase psychological flexibility.
Participants will learn to:
- Define psychological flexibility
2. Identify the core psychological components of psychological flexibility related to performance & wellbeing
3. Design goals with clients that are culturally sensitive using the principle of “workability”
4. Apply “mindfulness” skills to increase Emotion Awareness and Acceptance
5. Apply “mental agility” skills to increase Defusion and Flexible Selfing
6. Apply “meaningful move” skills to increase •Values-based Action
7. Track psychological flexibility processes with clients in session
8. Use metaphors and experiential exercises to enhance learning, retention and recall
9. Design behavioral experiments with clients to increase psychological flexibility in action
10. Model psychological flexibility as part of the context they co-create with clients
*8.5 CCES are available for certified coaches through the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Please note: to accelerate your learning and confidence, this training includes experiential partner practice and participants will be assigned to breakout rooms unless otherwise arranged in advance
TAKEAWAYS
- New learning tools: handouts and worksheets that include: diagrams, reflections, and experiential exercises
- Instructional decks: that can be used to review course materials, or used in individual, group or training settings
- Coaching demos: so you can observe the skills in action
- Realtime-Practice: work in dyads to rehearse psychological flexibility experientials
STRUCTURE
This 3-part training series will be held on Zoom across three weeks as follows:
- Friday August 8, 2025 @9-12pm PST
- Friday August 15, 2025 @9-12pm PST
- Friday August 22, 2025 @9-12pm PST
*These sessions are live and will not be recorded
INVESTMENT
All psychological flexibility training, tools, materials and are available for a one-time fee of $750
*Space is limited to the first 15 people who register
**A limited number of scholarships are available for coaches working in developing nations. Please reach out to [email protected]
To register or for more information: www.drapriliawest.com/training
Event Instances
Aprilia is best known as an expert in the application of contextual behavioral science for clinicians, coaches, organizations and global public policy campaigns. She developed the construct of emotional efficacy and designed and piloted the Emotion Efficacy Therapy (EET) protocol as a doctoral student in clinical psychology where she also coauthored the original clinician's guide to Emotion Efficacy Therapy, (2016). She has since developed advanced emotion efficacy training for professionals and authored the self-help book, What You Feel Is Not All There Is to help people become more effective with their emotions.
Dr. West is also author of several other books and peer-reviewed articles related to psychology and decision-making including: ACT for Your Best Life (2023), What You Feel Is Not All There Is (2021), and she is coauthor of Acceptance and Commitment Coaching in the Workplace in Positive Psychology in the Workplace (Springer 2021). She has trained thousands of professional therapists and coaches worldwide in applying contextual behavioral science in clinical, private and organizational settings.
Previously, Dr. West served as a policy analyst, communications director, speechwriter, and press secretary on Capitol Hill where she worked on advocacy efforts to engage members of Congress in using their leadership positions to advocate for civic renewal. She also founded and directed two bipartisan initiatives, the Project for Social Entrepreneurship and the Initiative for Children focused on identifying proven, replicable programs for socio-economically disadvantaged individuals, families, and children. She has also worked on several international and national advocacy campaigns to make complex issues relatable and actionable to U.S. members of Congress and the public, including congressional redistricting, climate change and human rights issues.
Dr. West is a professional fellow with the Harvard Institute of Coaching and is credentialed as a professional certified coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She is also a certified mediator with training from Harvard Law School’s program on negotiation and conflict resolution. In addition, she is founding member and past president of the Southern California chapter for the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and is a member of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making (SJDM), and Society of Consulting Psychology (Division 13) of the American Psychological Association.