Q: Who uses coaching? A: Clients are individuals who want to achieve a higher level of learning, life satisfaction, and/or professional performance. The client is capable of taking action to move towards a goal with the support of a coach. If prior attempt to achieve similar goals have been met with personal barriers, the client is able to receive feedback and take action to overcome internal barriers to change and growth.
Strong candidates for coaching are: 1. Ready to embrace your reality and accept responsibility for where you are. 2. Willing to learn how to manifest results and well-being. 3. Wanting to partner with a coach in a collaborative learning process. 4. Ready and eager for growth, personal responsibility, and action. 5. Courageous, curious, and open to feedback.
Q: What are the benefits of coaching? A: Just as in the case of top athletes, working with a coach can help to strengthen, harness, and focus your innate talents and abilities. This is achieved by identifying strengths and areas for growth, creating practices that build on and develop your innate gifts and talents, helping you navigate barriers that have inhibited your growth in the past, and clarifying new opportunities for expanding and transforming your life.
Have you heard the saying, “You can’t see your own eye”? The only way to see your own eye is to look in a mirror or reflection. In coaching, this idea refers to the fact that there are parts of ourselves that we cannot see–our blind spots. In order to gain awareness, we must be open to feedback and reflection by others. A coach provides this feedback and is skilled in helping you move from awareness to insight and from insight to action.
Q: How long is a coaching program? A: The length of a program depends on your needs. Some clients have very specific goals around which a structured program can be designed and implemented pretty quickly, which most of our programs are designed to address. Some business owners choose to retain a coach ongoing. Other clients choose a more open-ended, exploratory process, using coaching to increase awareness and effectiveness in all dimensions of their life. The length of a coaching program also depends on your readiness to transform your life. Here are some examples of typical program lengths based on your level of readiness:
6 months: A six month program is typically sufficient for those in the Preparation stage of change. This stage combines intention and behavioral criteria. Individuals in this stage are intending to take action in the next month and have unsuccessfully taken action in the past year. Part of this program involves identifying the barriers that have inhibited success in the past and developing strategies and practices to foster the competency and courage to move into action.
6 to 12 months: A six to 12 month program is typically sufficient to address the tasks of the Preparation stage and Action stage. Action is the stage in which individuals modify their behavior, experiences, or environment in order to overcome their challenges. Action involves the most overt behavioral changes and requires considerable commitment of time and energy.
Periodic Check-in: Periodic check-ins are valuable to support the Maintenance stage of change. Maintenance is the stage in which people work to prevent returning to old habits and consolidate the gains attained during the action stage.
Q: When do we meet? A: Coaching conversations take place weekly or bi-weekly, via telephone or Zoom, occasional face-to-face coaching is available for local clients. Professional and Leadership Coaching may include onsite observation as part of the assessment process.
Q: What is the cancellation policy? A: You must cancel your coaching session 24 hours in advance. Missed sessions that are not communicated 24 hours in advance are charged the normal hourly fee.
Q: Are coaching conversations confidential? A: Yes. Details of coaching conversations are 100% confidential with the following exceptions: If your coaching arrangement has been contracted by a third party (coaching customer), such as your employer, summaries of progress may be provided if requested. The limits of confidentiality will be established with both the coaching customer and coaching client prior to initiating the program. Requested progress reports and summaries will be discussed with the coaching client prior to disclosure to the coaching customer.
In the case where a client poses imminent threat of harm to self or other, emergency resources will be notified to ensure the safety of the client and/or community.
Q: How is coaching different from therapy? A: The distinction between Coaching and Therapy is; Coaching typically focuses on the present reality and the client’s future goals. People who seek out coaching are typically high functioning, able to put effort into the coaching program, and are ready to take responsibility for transforming their lives. Therapists also work with this population; however, a therapist’s scope includes working with people who are experiencing psychological distress, trauma, mental illness, and mental disorders.
Q: How are outcomes assessed? A: Outcomes are defined and assessed primarily by the client. You will be asked to define your goals and to clarify how you will know when they have been achieved. I will support you by helping you define realistic goals, giving you feedback on your progress, establishing objective measures if appropriate, and holding you accountable.