Working in the presence of trauma: An investigation into how trauma shows up in coaching supervision

Trauma-informed coaching is an emergent area in the coaching literature with limited academic research (Cooper-Dickson et al., 2023; Spence & Joseph, 2016). This qualitative study explores how supervisors experience trauma-related content in coaching supervision and how they respond to it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen coach supervisors. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop three themes from the data collected: (1) It is as much about the coach’s trauma experiences as the client’s; (2) Coaches are working in the presence of trauma, not with the trauma itself; and (3) Do not be afraid of trauma content; focus on the fundamentals. The study’s findings indicate that there is a need for greater awareness and education about the prevalence of trauma and the way trauma content can show up in coaching and supervision. It concludes with some practical recommendations so coaches and supervisors can better prepare for when trauma-related content arises. This study contributes new knowledge to the developing field of trauma-informed coaching and supervision, whilst encouraging further research on the topic.