Tell me more about integral coaching
How is coaching different from therapy?
What are you and I each responsible for?
What if one of us is not satisfied with our partnership?
What will I get out of this process?
What about this process could help me suffer less?
How would all this change affect my personal relationships?
Are you able to help me choose medical treatments and/or help me navigate the medical system?
Would we work in person or can do this by phone?
How flexible are your hours? Do you work evenings and weekends?
What if I don’t agree with suggestions you make?
How long does the average coaching relationship last?
Tell me more about integral coaching
A coach is a highly-trained and experienced professional, a committed partner, and unconditional supporter to help you build skills and competencies, achieve your goals, and sustain long-term excellent performance. Together, we focus on where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow and look for your ways of being that are keeping you from fully reaching that future. Integral coaching is holistic in its approach. As an integral coach, I consider you as a whole person: physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, relationally, and professionally. I support your growth in all of these areas, as you begin to live a richer and more fulfilling life, and contribute more of your unique gifts and talents to the world.
How is coaching different from therapy?
Coaching is unlike therapy because it does not focus on examining or diagnosing psychological illness, family-of-origin issues, addictions and other dysfunctional behaviors. Instead, integral coaching focuses on your entire being effecting change in a client's current and future behavior.
If appropriate, therapy may be suggested as part of your support network within the coaching program. If so, I will work with you to find a qualified professional to assist you in this area.
During my career in public accounting, I informally coached many team members. In upward evaluations I was consistently given feedback that I was the most trusted partner in our office.
I am certified as an Integral Coach by New Ventures West, which offered a rigorous curriculum and ongoing training and support. And, I completed Pacific Integral’s “Generating Transformative Change” program, offered in conjunction with the Leadership Institute of Seattle.
I’ve been through difficult challenges myself – leaving a successful and well-established career and surviving breast cancer are two examples. I understand the strength and courage it takes to make changes in one’s life.
As in any relationship, I will have to earn your trust.
I commit to earn your trust by:
- Listening carefully to your description of your needs
- Maintaining confidentiality
- Partnering with you to design a plan that best fits your situation
- Only making promises I can deliver, and delivering when I say I will
- Putting your best interests foremost, ahead of any needs of mine
- Referring you to other qualified professionals when your requirements fall outside my area of expertise or ability to deliver to your schedule
- Managing our relationship in a way that takes care of your concerns
- Ensuring my services are of the utmost quality, offered with respect and compassion
What are you and I each responsible for?
As your coach, I am responsible for:
- Creating an effective coaching program tailored to you and your needs
- Offering you new and objective ways of seeing yourself and/or your situation and distinctions to offer more possibility to create a more fulfilled life experience
- Supporting you with presence, empathy, attention, deep listening, insightful questions, and powerful assessment tools to support transformation
- Providing access to a broad array of personal and professional resources to supplement your coaching program
- Helping you create and remain focused on your goals, and offering insights and practices to expose more effective ways to stay with yourself to meet them
- Supporting you to go beyond where you normally stop, by asking you to see a situation in a new way, or to try something new, or to consider shifting your normal way of being
- Maintaining coaching programs and notes
- Offering you support, encouragement, presence, respect, and compassion
As the coaching client, you are responsible for:
- Participating in assessing your present position, and setting your goals
- Honestly identifying and communicating how you prefer to be coached
- Scheduling and meeting our coaching sessions
- Committing to your program assignments
- Honoring the coaching partnership by:
- Maintaining your commitment to it
- Being honest and direct if/when some aspect of it is not meeting your needs
- Timely payment of coaching fees
What if one of us is not satisfied with our partnership?
Our relationship is one of mutual respect. Our process will be one of continual checking in as to how our work together is going. I am very open to feedback as to what is not working and we’ll change course as needed. Initially, it’s perfectly normal for a coach to not to know all the ways you are best coached. If either of us stops seeing the progress and/or results we’d each like to see, or stops valuing our relationship, it’s time for us to stop and share our feelings and needs. If, after our best efforts to improve our relationship, either of us still feels unsatisfied, I will gladly give you a referral to another coach and refund any unearned amount.
What will I get out of this process?
You will be better able to meet the objective standards of the discipline in which you are engaged. You will be able to self-correct: you’ll know when you are performing well, and when you are not, thanks to more self-awareness. You’ll be able to see this on your own, over time, and with that ability you’ll be able to make sustainable changes.
I will support you in reaching your short-term goals, and I will help you develop skills to successfully meet challenges later on your own.
What about this process could help me suffer less?
Many believe that much of our suffering is caused by our own responses to the things we don’t like. As we learn more self-awareness, and become more aware of our own responses and reactions, we can make different choices, and thereby suffer less. Coaching helps us develop self-awareness and an ability to respond more skillfully.
How would all this change affect my personal relationships?
Personal change will have an effect on your relationships. Generally, that effect will be very positive, as you learn to be more aware of your assumptions, reactions, and responses. Yet, at times the changes will be painful for a while. Do remember that I am not a therapist, so for difficult relationship issues you may need to work with a counselor for a time.
Are you able to help me choose medical treatments and/or help me navigate the medical system?
No, I am not skilled to do that. I can refer you to others who can counsel you about these matters.
Would we work in person or can do this by phone?
I prefer to work in person, particularly in the intake session, but it can be done by telephone.
How flexible are your hours? Do you work evenings and weekends?
My hours are quite flexible, and I do work some evenings and weekends, although after 6 pm my rate is $25 higher per session.
What if I don’t agree with suggestions you make?
I don’t have the answers – my role is to uncover the answers that you have inside you. We’ll stay in conversation until we find what works for you. Do expect me to challenge you at times, though, about what creates resistance in you, as resistance can be a pointer to old and ineffective habits that don’t want to die.
How long does the average coaching relationship last?
Integral coaching programs are specific to each client’s needs and range from a minimum of three months to a maximum of 18 months in duration. It’s quite common to engage in and complete a specific coaching program and then to establish another coaching program at a later date when another goal emerges. Organizational coaching is also available for individual employees or teams, either simultaneously or sequentially, on work-related programs.
During your program, we will “formally” communicate in person or by phone every week. We may also communicate via e-mail between sessions to exchange pertinent information or to offer additional support or to celebrate a success.