By K. Misra — exploring how existential coaching can support youth navigating questions of meaning and identity.
Young people increasingly pose questions about their role in society, their purpose, and how they should live. Traditional pathways to adulthood — clear career trajectories, stable community structures, predictable life stages — are less clearly defined than they once were.
Information overload, economic uncertainty, environmental concerns, and shifts in family structures mean that young people encounter questions about meaning, purpose, and existence earlier than previous generations. Rising rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents may well connect to these existentialist concerns.
Grant defines coaching psychology as "the systematic application of behavioural science to the enhancement of life experience, work performance, and well-being." Importantly, coaching carries less stigma than counselling or therapy, making it more accessible to young people who might resist more formal interventions.
Research has found existential concerns to be common among adolescents, with associated symptoms including depression and anxiety. If existentialism represents fundamental human concerns — questions of freedom, responsibility, meaning, and mortality — then existential approaches in youth support should hold considerable value.
Social cognitive theory emphasises human agency — the idea that people are "self-organizing, pro-active, self-regulating, and self-reflecting." This perspective positions young people not as passive recipients of their circumstances, but as active agents capable of shaping their own lives.
Sartre argues that choice brings responsibility and continuous self-creation. Far from being burdensome, this freedom could release young people who are striving against labels imposed by adults and peers. When a young person recognises that they are not defined by others' expectations — that they are continuously creating themselves through their choices — the effect can be profoundly liberating.
Existential coaching encourages young people to explore their values, purpose, ethics, and motivations. Rather than prescribing answers, it creates space for genuine inquiry into questions such as:
This exploration directs young people toward more deliberate living — making conscious choices rather than drifting through experiences without reflection.
Coaching offers a less stigmatised mental health support method compared to traditional therapeutic approaches. Its emphasis on client expertise — the belief that the young person holds the answers, not the coach — enables youth to answer the question "how should I live?" while maintaining their sense of empowerment and autonomy.
Existential coaching could create valuable spaces for those experiencing life transitions to explore identity while considering meaningful, purposeful futures. For young people navigating the gap between childhood certainty and adult complexity, this approach offers both intellectual rigour and practical support.
Elevate's coaching programmes are grounded in evidence-based approaches that help young people explore their values and build self-awareness. Learn more about our Coaching for Wellbeing programmes.
Discover our evidence-based approach to coaching and how it supports young people's wellbeing.
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