Coaching effectiveness can be enhanced by an understanding of how our brains work, said Catherine Hambley, president of the Society of Consulting Psychology, division 13 of the American Psychological Association.

She highlighted four key “brain principles” to bear in mind: the brain’s orientation towards safety, our tendency to be on autopilot more than we realise, negativity bias and neuroplasticity.

We have five more times threat circuits in the brain than reward circuits, she said, “which becomes very relevant when we’re...