Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about coaching and answers to help you choose the right coach.
What is coaching?
Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Coaching is also developing people to increase their ability to cope with complexity and achieve increasing levels of freedom and leadership in their lives.
What are the benefits of hiring a coach?
Individuals who engage in a coaching relationship can expect to experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhance thinking and decision-making skills, improve interpersonal effectiveness and increase confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles. Consistent with a commitment to enhancing their personal power, they can also expect to see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of personally relevant goals.
How is coaching different from therapy?
Coaching is for healthy people to perform at a higher level. It does not focus on the past, or on emotional traumas. The coaching client is not viewed as a patient with a dysfunction, but rather as a healthy, fully-functioning individual who is creative, resourceful and whole. Coaching optimizes people's potential and performance; its goal is to focus, motivate and support others in achieving their goals. While therapy is a type of experience which is exploratory and passive, coaching is more result-driven and focused on taking action to achieve goals.
What are the typical issues in personal coaching?
Living a balanced life, increasing your self-confidence, keeping your focus, career transitions, handling specific crises, relationship challenges, launching a new project, changing a habit, finding your career.
How do I get started?
First, you fill out this contact form to set up a free 30 minute consultation. There is no obligation whatsoever to continue or to hire me as your coach after this. But if we both agree that we would like to work together, I will send you my Welcome package via email within 24 hours and we are ready to start.
How do the coaching sessions work?
After I receive your answers to an introductory questionnaire, we set up a first meeting - which lasts for one to one and a half hour, where I have a chance to get to know you a bit better. We will debrief your answers and determine our goals, sort out the logistics, and address all of your questions.
From then on, we will meet 2-4 times per month, for a 30 to 60 minute session depending on your preferences. Our conversation is stimulated by the homework assignments (exercises, readings, new tools) I give you after each session. The whole process lasts about 5 to 12 sessions - again depending on your time, budget, and personal situation.
How do I choose a coach?
The most important thing to look for in selecting a coach is someone with whom you feel you can easily relate to and create the most powerful partnership. Here are some questions you may want to ask prospective coaches:
- What is your coaching experience? (number of individuals coached, years of experience, types of situations)
- What is your coach-specific training? (enrolled in an ICF accredited training program, other coach-specific training, etc.)
- Do you hold an ICF credential? (The International Coach Federation recommends consumers work with ICF credentialed coaches.)
- What is your coaching specialty or matters with which you most often work?
- What specialized skill or experience do you bring to your coaching?
- What is your philosophy about coaching?
- What is your specific process for coaching? (how sessions are conducted, frequency, etc.)
- What are some coaching success stories? (specific examples of individuals who have done well and examples of how you have added value)
What is an ICF credentialed coach?
A coach who has been credentialed by the International Coach Federation has completed stringent education and achieved a designated number of experience hours, has been coached by a mentor coach, and has demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence in coaching.
What is the International Coach Federation?
Founded in 1995, the International Coach Federation (ICF) is the leading global organization dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high standards, providing independent certification, and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches. With more than 11,500 professional personal and business coaches representing over 80 countries, the ICF is the voice of the coaching profession.
Why choose an ICF credentialed coach?
The International Coach Federation offers the only globally recognized, independent credentialing program. ICF credentials are awarded to professional coaches who have met stringent education and experience requirements, and have demonstrated a thorough understanding of the coaching competencies that set the standard in the profession. Achieving credentials through ICF signifies a coach's commitment to integrity, an understanding of coaching skills and a dedication to clients.
What are your coaching credentials?
ICF: I am a member of the International Coach Federation which is the governing body of the coaching industry, and I received my Professional Coaching Certification (PCC) accreditation from them. The ICF lays down strict standards and ethics for its members which you are welcome to review at their website.
CTI: I completed my coaching specific training in the UK, at the ICF accredited Coaches Training Institute in 2003/2004 and went through their rigorous one year certification program in 2006/2007.
FIREWORK: I received my career coach license in 2004 from the UK based coaching company Firework.
ORSC: I completed a relationship coaching training program in the UK in 2007 with the Center for Right Relationship. ORSC stands for Organisational and Relationship Systems Coaching.
CCCP: I finished the Columbia Coaching Certification Program for executive coaches in 2014 July at Columbia University.
I am also a certified practitioner for MBTI Step I-II; Hogan; NBI.