Social Constructionist Coaching

“I congratulate Dierolf and her colleagues for their drawing from revolutionary developments in philosophy and the social sciences to sketch out a coherent frame - both invaluable and far reaching - for the coaching profession. As a conceptual and practical resource, this is a "must," for both teachers and or practicing coaches- young and old.”

-Kenneth Gergen, Emeritus Professor, Swarthmore College, and author of, An Invitation to Social Construction: Co-creating the Future, USA

“The authors offer a fascinating deep dive into the moment-by-moment interactions within coaching explored through a Social Constructionist lens. They skillfully bridge the gap between theory and practice, to provide insights which provide a pathway to deepen and enhance the work we all do as professional coaches.”
-Prof Jonathan Passmore, Henley Business School, UK

“This landmark book achieves the near-impossible by accessibly linking the illumination of social construction with genuine nuts-and-bolts practicality. It is a must-read for Solution-focused, Narrative, Collaborative and Appreciative practitioners. A vital contribution to coaching wisdom and practice, which will help thoughtful coaches and their clients to benefit from the interactional edge.”

Dr Mark McKergow, co-author of The Solutions Focus: Transforming Change for Coaches, Leaders and Consultants, and A Galveston Declaration, UK

“Coaching is about sense-making. Sense-making is about creating stories that paint a canvas relevant to the person and the situation. Like a kaleidoscope, every twist and turn of experience brings some parts of the canvas into clarity and takes others into the background. Our job as coaches is to turn the dial of the kaleidoscope gently as the client makes their own sense of what we are helping them to see. This book will help you paint your own canvas.”

David Clutterbuck, Co-founder, European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)
Henley Business School, UK

“This is a rare coaching book that doesn’t hand you another model and ask you to follow it—it invites you into a way of thinking. With clarity and courage, the authors challenge the comforting fiction that coaching is philosophically neutral, and show why our assumptions about people, knowledge, and change always shape what becomes possible in conversation. Their Social Constructionist, InterActional stance keeps the focus where coaching actually happens: in language, relationship, and context. Readers will appreciate how the text bridges rigorous theory with practice that feels immediately usable—through a close attention to moment-by-moment meaning-making, nuanced distinctions in listening and leading, and an ethical commitment to partnership rather than expert-driven intervention. Whether you are a practitioner seeking a more respectful and context-sensitive practice, a student exploring solution-focused, narrative, collaborative, or discursive traditions, or a researcher looking for an alternative to the dominant paradigm, this book offers both orientation and inspiration. It will expand how you see coaching, and sharpen how you practice it. I really enjoyed reading it.”

David A Lane Professional Development Foundation, UK

“This is an important and timely book. It positions InterActional coaching as a Post modern, Social Constructionist framework, clearly contrasting it with still-dominant modernist approaches focusing on the individual. The authors call for a more reflexive profession willing to examine how its own practices and institutions are interwoven with systems of power, rank and authority. It’s an invitation to explore and experiment with the InterActional framework, an invitation well worth accepting.”

Jenny Clarke, author of “SF: another Copernican revolution?” and co-editor and contributing author of “SF Working” and “57 SF Activities.”, UK

“This remarkable book makes a pivotal contribution to the coaching field, offering not another model, but an invitation to explore coaching through Social Constructionist and InterActional traditions. It challenges readers to examine the philosophical, ethical, and practical commitments that shape coaching conversations, highlighting how language, context, relationships, and meaning-making are dynamically co-created. Insightful and thought-provoking, it invites meaningful shifts in how coaching is understood, taught, and experienced.”

Debbie Hogan, Founder, Academy of Solution Focused Training, Singapore