The Evidence
Coaching gets studied more than most people realize. Here is what the research shows.
Not All Evidence Is Equal
In medicine and behavioral science alike, evidence has a hierarchy. At the top sit systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which combine the results of many studies, and randomized controlled trials, which test approaches directly. The research cited on this page comes from the top of that hierarchy wherever it exists, and every citation links to the source so you can read it yourself.
We favor research from the last five years, and older work appears only when it is foundational. Evidence keeps moving, and we update this page as the science changes.
How We Use Evidence
Evidence keeps moving, and we watch the literature continuously. When a method has strong support, we use it and tell you why. When the evidence is thin or mixed, we say that too, and you decide with clear information. If you ever want the sources behind something your coach recommends, ask. Sharing them is part of the job.
Does Coaching Actually Work?
Yes, and the evidence has grown considerably stronger in the past few years. A 2023 meta-analysis by de Haan and Nilsson, built only on randomized controlled trials, found moderate positive effects of workplace coaching across performance, goal attainment, and wellbeing. A separate 2023 meta-analysis of executive coaching trials reached the same conclusion, with the clearest gains in behavior change. The effects hold across industries and organizational levels, and they hold for video-based coaching as well as in-person work.
What makes the difference is structure. Coaching engagements with a clear focus, regular sessions, and measured outcomes outperform open-ended arrangements. That is why every engagement here begins with a structured assessment of where you want to grow, and the relationship closes with a written progress review.
What Makes Change Hold
Coaching outcome trials in healthcare settings almost always use clinicians as the coach, so we do not claim their results here. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2023, covering 30 randomized trials in chronic illness care, found improvements in quality of life and self-efficacy, in trials where nurses and behavioral health providers delivered the coaching. That is a different service from this one. What follows is the evidence that applies to behavior-change coaching specifically, whoever delivers it.
The behavior-change science underneath is older but foundational. Implementation intentions, the specific if-then planning we build into every engagement, show a medium-to-large effect on goal attainment across 94 studies, a Cohen's d of 0.65 in Gollwitzer and Sheeran's meta-analytic work, a finding that has held up for two decades. Habit formation research shows that consistency in context, doing the same thing in the same situation, matters more than motivation. Our performance track is built directly on these findings, alongside the six pillars of lifestyle medicine our sister practice works from.
Why Talking About Intimacy Works
Sexual communication is one of the most reliable findings in relationship science. A 2022 meta-analysis by Mallory, spanning 93 studies and more than 38,000 people, shows that couples who communicate about sex report higher sexual and relationship satisfaction, and the quality of that communication matters more than its frequency. Much of what sexual health coaching does is teach that skill directly.
Several of the concepts we teach come from John Gottman's decades of observational research with couples, foundational work in relationship science. Bids for connection and the habit of turning toward your partner, softened startup for hard conversations, repair attempts during conflict, and the four communication patterns that reliably predict relationship trouble (criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling) all translate into skills a couple can practice at home. Our coach has completed Level 1 training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy through the Gottman Institute, so this material comes to you from formal training rather than secondhand reading.
Structured sexuality education for adults also has a solid record. Studies of psychoeducational programs for couples show improvements in sexual satisfaction, desire discrepancy distress, and body image. Coaching is a natural delivery format for this education, and our coach's training through the Sexual Health Alliance's AASECT-approved program is grounded in this literature. Where research points to clinical treatment, such as for sexual pain or trauma, coaching steps aside and we refer to licensed clinicians.