How long does it take?

Coaching relationships can be brief or extend over many months, depending on the client and the client’s goals.  In the beginning of our coaching relationship I recommend a 3-month commitment to coaching, 3-4 times per month. This is not a contract, only a recommendation; a client may quit coaching at any time.  Ordinarily it takes 3 months for a client to make significant progress towards their goals—but of course everyone is different and some goals are more quickly accomplished than others.

I have worked with clients briefly and over a period of several years.  The pace is up to the client.

How does coaching differ from therapy?

In coaching we focus on taking action in the present and future and not on understanding our past or the underlying reasons for who we are.

There are no diagnostic categories in coaching as there are in therapy; nor is coaching a place where healing is the primary goal. Sometimes in the coaching process a subject or issue comes up with clients that I believe would be best handled by a qualified therapist.

In those circumstances, I refer.  I welcome referrals from therapists whose clients might benefit from coaching with me while they continue in the therapeutic relationship with their therapist. See Gear Shift:When to Refer a Coaching Client to a Mental Health Professional for an excellent discussion of some of the differences between coaching and therapy.

 
Isn’t having a coach just like having a good friend?

While a coaching experience is friendly, a coach works differently than most friends. The coach is an objective sounding board who is not invested in the client’s going in any particular direction. Coaching is about discovering the client’s agenda, values and beliefs and joining with the client to achieving goals consistent with those.  Even the best friend may have trouble maintaining objectivity when the goals involve activities that could threaten the friendship.

Coaching sounds like a lot of work!

Coaching is a lot of work sometimes.  It also can be fun and very satisfying.  No one should start a coaching relationship if they are unwilling to take on new activities, consider new possibilities or try things in a new ways.  Coaching conversations have a way of generating ideas, activities--possibilities.  And clients who are successful in coaching get going!

 
Do I really need a coach?

If what you are doing now to move your life forward is working for you, than maybe not.  But if you feel stuck, or want to expand your sense of what’s possible as you move forward, coaching might be very helpful.  I tend to agree with good friend of mine, Sheila Smith, a nutritional counselor and coach when she says, “There is no change without support.”  Coaching is certainly not the only profession that supports change, but it has proved effective for many individuals.


What qualifies you to be a coach?

 I am a graduate of the Institute for Life Coach Training, a program accredited by the International Coaching Federation, to train mental health professionals in coaching.  The program requires 130 hours of training, including many practicum hours.  I have worked as a coach since 2003. In addition, I have a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Washington and worked many years in both mental health and in corporate management education.

What led you to become a coach?

I have long been interested in how each of us can live the best and happiest life possible in our circumstances and time. I’ve come to believe that transitions are part of living.  We age; we accomplish things; we love; we sustain losses; the world moves on. We are also living longer. Our longevity brings more choice, challenge and opportunity.  How will we choose to live?

We don’t control everything, yet we live with an array of choices, not the least of which is how we regard life when it doesn’t go our way.  

In my own transitions I have found it useful and exciting to be coached. I have learned of possibilities never before considered, and been coaxed into action.  I’ve risked and failed; I’ve risked and learned.  I have come to believe that my life is, in many ways, what I make of it.  

How can I get started?

All coaching occurs in a conversation. The best way to get started is to call or email me to schedule a free coaching conversation.  In that free session we will explore your interests in coaching and decide whether I might be a good coach for you.