{"id":285,"date":"2026-02-11T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T10:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/?p=285"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:59:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T09:59:22","slug":"group-coaching-a-route-to-belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/2026\/02\/11\/group-coaching-a-route-to-belonging\/","title":{"rendered":"Group coaching - a route to belonging\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does it\u00a0really\u00a0mean to\u00a0belong\u00a0at work?\u00a0And how does it feel?\u00a0Belonging can be difficult to pin\u00a0down\u00a0yet most of us know instinctively\u00a0those times\u00a0when\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0felt it and\u00a0those times\u00a0when we\u00a0really\u00a0haven\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maslow\u2019s seminal work on motivation described belonging\u00a0(or belongingness)\u00a0as\u00a0the need for\u00a0connection and\u00a0acceptance,\u00a0and\u00a0put it just above basic needs like\u00a0food and safety.\u00a0The evidence for the benefits of good relationships\u00a0at work is strong - positive workplace relationships can\u00a0increase our satisfaction and engagement at work\u00a0and\u00a0having a\u00a0work \u2018bestie\u2019 can even\u00a0protect us from\u00a0burnout.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0have worked\u00a0with\u00a0many\u00a0clients\u00a0who\u00a0despite spending\u00a0most of their days in\u00a0back to back\u00a0meetings\u00a0feel isolated\u00a0and even lonely, and I know that\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0felt this\u00a0too.\u00a0We may feel\u00a0self-doubt or uncertainty and being\u00a0\u2018professional\u2019\u00a0can feel like a bit of a performance sometimes, leaving little room for genuine\u00a0vulnerability or connection, even\u00a0when we know those things help us to thrive.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Groups can offer us a counterbalance to this,\u00a0<\/span>when thoughtfully\u00a0facilitated, they create environments where people can connect meaningfully, speak honestly and feel truly seen.\u00a0Research shows that\u00a0group coaching can provide an\u00a0environment for action and change where\u00a0w<\/span>e\u00a0can\u00a0experience increased meaning, positive\u00a0emotion\u00a0and self-awareness\u00a0(Nacif, 2021).\u00a0Peer\u2011mentoring\u00a0programmes\u00a0can\u00a0enable\u00a0authenticity, vulnerability and\u00a0build\u00a0group\u00a0norms that encourage open sharing and belonging\u00a0(Laird, 2024).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have\u00a0witnessed\u00a0firsthand\u00a0<\/span>how normalising and\u00a0validating\u00a0it is when people share their experiences with peers.\u00a0The group can help people to\u00a0<\/span>reframe\u00a0challenges, gain perspective and new\u00a0approaches\u00a0and\u00a0recognise\u00a0strengths they may miss in themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately,\u00a0being at work\u00a0will always bring pressure,\u00a0uncertainty\u00a0and moments of\u00a0self-doubt \u2014\u00a0<\/span>but when we can find places where we feel connected and understood \u2014 even briefly \u2014 work\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0have to feel lonely.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Subscribe to the Centre for Coaching & Leadership updates Centre for Coaching & Leadership subscribers<\/a> as we develop our approach to supporting peer connection, learning and belonging through groups.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I used AI-assisted tools to support the editing process for this blog, particularly for tone, structure, and clarity.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

References\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A theory of human motivation.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does it\u00a0really\u00a0mean to\u00a0belong\u00a0at work?\u00a0And how does it feel?\u00a0Belonging can be difficult to pin\u00a0down\u00a0yet most of us know instinctively\u00a0those times\u00a0when\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0felt it and\u00a0those times\u00a0when we\u00a0really\u00a0haven\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 Maslow\u2019s seminal work on motivation described belonging\u00a0(or belongingness)\u00a0as\u00a0the need for\u00a0connection and\u00a0acceptance,\u00a0and\u00a0put it just above basic needs...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1726,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kate-elliott"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/changing-ourselves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}