Coaching technologies in socionomy specialists' professional self-development in supporting families with children having special needs

The aim of the article was to evaluate the effectiveness of coaching technologies in training social workers to work with families that have children with special needs. The research involved the following methods: formative experiment, where the Professional Coaching technology is implemented as an influence; tests as tools to determine the level of theoretical knowledge, Job Satisfaction Test, Ontogenetic Reflection Self-Assessment Test; observation to determine the specialists’ communication skills level; statistical data processing. The research involved two samples - experimental and control, which included social workers. Social Competence Model in working with families that have children with special needs was developed, which consists of motivational-value, cognitive, communicative-activity and reflective criteria. The dominance of medium levels of social workers’ social competence in working with families that have children with special needs was found. The effectiveness of the developed coaching system is proved. It was found that the formative influence is more effective for the cognitive and reflexive criteria than for motivational-value and communicative-activity criteria. The obtained results can be guidelines for further improvement of the developed Professional Coaching system. Further research prospects involve studying the impact of coaching on the self-development of not only social workers but also other socionomy specialists.