COACHING SKILLS FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS (CSMP)
Clinical leadership through a coaching lens. Drawing on real clinical experience and world-class coach education, CSMP offers a practical and sustainable approach to thriving in modern healthcare.
About our CSMP course
Medicine is built on expertise. Great healthcare is built on relationships.
Coaching Skills for Medical Professionals (CSMP) equips doctors with the coaching, communication, and leadership skills needed to thrive in today’s complex healthcare environments. Led by the Centre’s Academic Director, Janine Ahlers Master Certified Coach, and Professor Cathryn Edwards OBE, the programme helps medical professionals strengthen trust, navigate difficult conversations, lead teams more effectively, and build deeper connections with patients and colleagues.
Designed specifically for doctors, CSMP goes beyond clinical knowledge to develop the human capabilities that drive exceptional care – self-regulation, compassion, resilience, reflective practice, and leadership presence. In fact the programme operates at the intersection of healthcare, ethics, and leadership. Participants will explore key themes such as coaching conversations, focused feedback, courageous communication, trust-building after complaints and complications, the power of language, and strategies for personal renewal and emotional regulation.
Because in healthcare, how you lead, listen, and connect matters just as much as what you know.
For whom is our CSMP course?
You will benefit from this course if you are a medical professional working in the healthcare sector e.g. Senior doctors in postgraduate training, early and mid‑career consultants, medical doctors with formal supervisory, clinical governance or leadership responsibilities.
How we run our course.
Theory:
- We ask participants to read course material where possible before we then deepen in dialogue.
- We keep to max 15 mins of theory bursts with minimal use of PowerPoint.
- Regular breakouts in small groups to keep a high level of interaction and deepen understanding of the theory. Where possible, we have a member of the faculty present to facilitate the discussion / answer questions.
Own experience:
Adults learn through their own experience. We focus on real issues, not role play.
Safe environment:
We take the time to create a safe, non-judgmental / confidential space to facilitate exploration and open curiosity.
Anchor learning:
Participants anchor their learning on what really happens to them and their organisation (i.e., apply to themselves and to each other, not told).
Accountability:
We ensure the framework is in place for participants to hold one another accountable.
“Zoom fatigue”:
We ensure regular breaks in the programme to keep the energy & engagement of participants high, a short 5-10 min break every hour. This may include a somatic exercise such as breathwork, stretching etc.
High faculty-to-participant ratio:
To ensure an optimum online learning experience, there is a high faculty to participant ratio. We use the Centre for Coaching’s large international faculty of professional integral coaches all of whom have trained with us and support our academic programmes.
This course is UCT-accredited and you will receive a UCT certificate upon 100% completion
CPD Accreditation:
The Centre for Coaching is pursuing HPCSA accreditation for the programme. Content addressing ethical practice, professional accountability, and decision-making may contribute towards Ethics CEU requirements.
The Centre for Coaching is pursuing HPCSA accreditation for the programme. Content addressing ethical practice, professional accountability, and decision-making may contribute towards Ethics CEU requirements.
Beyond developing coaching and leadership capabilities, the programme invites doctors to engage deeply with the ethical and human dimensions of medical practice—supporting reflective judgement, professional accountability, and compassionate decision-making. Subject to HPCSA approval, selected CPD points may be recognised towards Ethics CEU requirements. For UK participants 14 CPD points are allocated.
In summary, the CSMP integrates theory with doctor‑specific simulations, group coaching, and reflective practice. Assessment is formative and reflexive in nature, including:
- observed leadership conversations
- reflective analyses of clinical cases
- peer and faculty feedback
These methods are intended to evaluate participants’ engagement, self-awareness, skill development, and ability to apply the course concepts in their professional practice.
All 6 modules must be attended. In addition, the lecturers and attending professional coach faculty will require quality classroom participation.
Course dates and fees: The programme is split over six short afternoon sessions.
Date and time:
1 September 2026
7 September 2026
15 September 2026
21 September 2026
05 October 2026
19 October 2026
Starts at 15:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and 16:00 South African Standard Time (SAST) / Central European Time (CET)
Price:
Launch Special: £750 (UK & Europe) / R16,500 (South Africa & Africa)
Standard price: (post promotion): £900 (UK & Europe) / R19,800 (South Africa & Africa)
Location:
Live-virtual, using the Zoom platform
Your Course Leaders
Janine Ahlers
Academic Director BA PDM (HR)
LRSM MBA MCC
Janine Ahlers is a Master Certified Integral Coach and Director of the Centre for Coaching Consulting (Europe, Africa and Middle East), a global leadership consultancy and executive coaching practice, as well as Director of the Centre for Coaching, a centre for excellence situated at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business (GSB). She also holds the position of Senior Lecturer at UCT, where she lectures in Coaching and Leadership Development to MBA and Executive Education students. She has delivered and published research papers, as well as having published book chapters and articles on the topic of coaching in leadership development.
Cathryn Edwards
OBE MA D.Phil., FRCP
Cathryn is a physician and gastroenterologist with a 23-year clinical career as a consultant in the NHS. Her national leadership roles were as President of her UK specialty society for which she was awarded an OBE, and as registrar at the Royal College of Physicians. Her career focus includes medical and interdisciplinary training, coaching and mentoring. She is Honorary Professor of Healthcare at the University of Lincoln Medical School and an accredited integral Coach.
