What is coaching compared to other helping professions?
For an organization looking for meaningful assistance and investment to grow its activities and improve its outcomes, or for a person looking to develop and grow in their work or life, there exist a number of professions or roles that provide help: counselor/therapist, consultant, mentor, trainer, spiritual adviser, and coach. In all of these but one, the professional helper takes on some degree of teaching, directing, or guiding based on their own professional expertise. The only exception? The coach. Coaching alone is client- directed, not driven by the helping professional. Instead of assuming a lack of expertise on the part of the client being coached, a coach comes alongside the client, sharing in the client’s own expertise and facilitating discovery of the client’s best path toward the growth and change they desire. And unlike the other helpers, the coach is exclusively future focused, not looking for remedies to past errors or efficiencies in present states. Rather, through action-oriented inquiries and relational, yet professional, interactions, using information supplied by the client, a coach facilitates the client’s discovery of desired outcomes. The coach further offers the client an ongoing relationship of accountability in achieving those outcomes according to whatever agenda the client sets.
What is a professional coach?
A Professional Coach is a trusted associate who can help you identify and uncover what keeps you from flourishing and advancing toward your highest values. It is a one-on-one relationship that provides a supportive and non-judgmental space to help you create what you want for yourself. You can find a coach to help you strategize and acquire the tools you need to achieve your goals. Coaching consists of steps to help you identify your purpose and direction, and reframe your thoughts and attitudes. It can also help you break negative habits, acquire new sensibilities about your worth and roles in life, and take action to achieve your best!
What types of people have coaches?
People from all walks of life work with professional coaches to help attain their goals. A coach can work with people in all areas of their life including relationships, career, finance, health and more. Working with a personal coach is not limited to any type of person, but is best for those who want to take initiative in their own life. People who get a coach are committed to a more fulfilled life and are willing to do the work needed to get there.
How will coaching help?
The results will vary depending on what brings you to a coach. If you get a coach to help you out professionally, to process can help you make your current job or vocation more gratifying, gain better focus on managing your work, and communicate your vision more effectively. If your reasons are personal, you can find a coach will help you improve your relationships, resolve ongoing negative behaviors, improve your overall health, and grow spiritually. With coaching you can live a more balanced and enhanced life, and make good things happen!
What happens in a coaching session?
Each session is tailored to you and will vary based on your needs. In the beginning, we will discuss what you are committed to accomplishing through our work together and we will begin to create a plan to achieve your goals. Periodically, I may give you assignments to help direct your progress. We will work together to acknowledge obstacles, explore alternate perspectives and celebrate successes. With the conclusion of each session, we will revisit your goals and evaluate the next steps that are needed to achieve these results.
Do I really need a personal coach, can't I just do it by myself?
Coaching can take you above and beyond your own personal limitations. More often than not, people try to achieve their greatest potential, but don’t even realize what stands in their way. A personal coach can offer an unbiased and objective perspective, and can help you realize patterns and habits you do not readily see. Most people experience that they are more efficient when working with a professional coach and that this provides the opportunity for them to accomplish more and better things. Coaching can put a deadline on your dreams to make them real and attainable, with support and encouragement along the way.
How is coaching different from therapy?
While coaching can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. Coaching is distinct because it is not designed to address psychological issues and is not centered on past decisions or events. While emotional issues may arise, the primary focus of coaching is to help you identify your goals, achieve them, and develop constructive habits and skills. There is little emphasis placed on the past with coaching, but instead the focus is on orientation toward action in the present and toward the future.
What is your cancellation policy?
I require a 24 hour notice to cancel all sessions. Please be sure to contact me if you will not be able to make your scheduled appointment in order to avoid being charged for the session.
How long do people generally work with a coach?
To experience the effectiveness of a coaching program, I suggest clients make an initial three- or six-month commitment. At the end of the three months, we will evaluate progress and discuss options for continued coaching.
Is personal coaching confidential?
What we discuss will be held in confidence and not shared with others. Life coaching is a confidential process, and your personal information will always be protected. However, unlike certain conversations with clergy, physicians, attorneys, and therapists, coaching discussions are not privileged for legal purposes.