Action-Centred Coaching – Interview with Elsa Coppoletta

You started setting up as a self-employed coach whilst you were on the training course. What made you decide to take part in it back then?

When I opted for the Action-Centred Coaching at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, becoming a self-employed coach wasn’t actually my specific goal at the time. Back then, I was working as a consultant on a project on labour market integration commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and I wanted to expand my consultancy skills through a thorough coaching training programme. It was only as the training progressed that I realised: this is actually what I want to do as a self-employed coach.

Today, you work in particular with neurodivergent women. What role does Action-Centred Coaching play in this?

A very significant one. Action-Centred Coaching forms the methodological basis of my work with neurodivergent women who have been diagnosed late in life. I find the approach particularly valuable for personal and professional support in one-to-one coaching, because we don’t just talk about challenges and the pressure to conform, but make it possible to experience and shape roles, needs and options for action. It also combines well with methods from somatic dance.

Many people ask themselves: „How much coaching do you actually learn on the training course?“ How did you find it?

The training programme is very practice-oriented: the theoretical foundations are kept brief and put into action straight away. In each module, we coach others ourselves and receive constructive feedback in small groups. Using systemic questioning, we work in the room with chairs, soft toys, play figures, maps, colours and much more.

Action-centred coaching is based on psychodrama. What particularly appealed to you about this approach?

It was important to me that the training programme was scientifically sound. Do you know the history of psychodrama? In Vienna in the 1920s, the doctor and psychiatrist J. L. Moreno was fascinated by spontaneous theatre and observed that it can be beneficial for people to act out their own life situations on stage in a playful way. From this, he developed psychodrama, whose methods later also inspired systemic constellation work. I’m convinced that inner processes can be embodied and integrated – this is particularly valuable for my target group.  

You once shared a lovely example on LinkedIn of the role-swapping method. Why can something like this have a greater impact than a conversation alone?

In role-swapping, you step away from your usual perspective for a moment and slip into the role of another person or an inner aspect, for example. Particularly when you’re stuck in a whirlwind of thoughts, this change of perspective can help you become more attuned to your own needs again and reconnect with yourself. This often leads to very concrete ways of taking action.

How has the training changed your approach as a coach?

I think I’ve gained more confidence and now trust my own creativity and spontaneity more. At the same time, I’ve learnt to take a back seat as a coach and support people in finding their own authentic path.

Who would you recommend this training to – and what would you say to someone who’s still considering it?

I’d recommend it to people who support others: counsellors, aspiring coaches, managers, and those in social and educational professions.The training programme not only provides a diverse toolkit of methods, but also offers the opportunity to be guided by an experienced and versatile team of psychologists and educators.

The next course Action-Centred Coaching will take place from the 20th of November 2026 to the 26th of February 2028. Zoom information evening is on the 2nd of September!