FAQs
What is life coaching?
When most people think about coaching, they think of personal trainers or football coaches. A life and transformation coach like me has a different focus – I help improve your mind.
I’ll help create an open, nonjudgmental environment where you feel safe exploring who you are, where you are going, and why. This approach is totally focused on you, the client. I’ll listen to what you’re saying and ask questions that raise awareness and deepen understanding, create more options and generate a commitment to action. You have all the answers with this coaching style because you are your own best expert.
I’ll help you understand and overcome your barriers to reaching your goals and making changes that allow you to thrive. I’ll work with you to move forward and let you decide what’s best for you.
What is life coaching not?
Life coaching isn’t therapy, counselling or mentoring. As a life and transformation coach, I don’t deal with psychological issues, trauma or mental ill health. And I won’t give you advice or tell you what to do or how to do something.
What can I expect from a life coaching session?
Each coaching session is generally between 45 minutes and one hour. My coaching style focuses on the science of well-being and positive psychology – it’s about feeling energised and positive. I use a solutions-based approach, which is about identifying solutions and a way forward rather than focusing on the past.
A typical coaching session is structured to help you get closer to your goals. I’ll use my judgment and flex my approach to accommodate your specific needs. Unlike a discovery session, you’ll do most of the talking.
As a guide, we’ll focus on goals at the start, talk about what is currently happening, explore options, select an option and then you’ll commit to action. In the first session, we’re likely to spend more time on your goal to ensure you’re clear on what you want to achieve.
Is life coaching confidential?
Yes. I’ll create a safe and open space, and everything you share or discuss during the coaching sessions will remain confidential.
The only exceptions where I’ll break confidentiality are if I think there’s a risk of danger to you or others or if you admit to breaking the law.
Do I need to have a specific goal or goals before starting coaching?
People work with a life and transformation coach for many different reasons, but the main driver is usually that they want something to be different. They may be stuck and want to make a change, have an important goal to reach, want to be more effective, more satisfied or fulfilled, have more order or balance, or have a better quality of life.
Your goal may change as you progress through the coaching sessions and it’s not uncommon for a range of goals to be identified and worked on across a series of coaching sessions.
How do I get started?
To start, we’ll schedule a free discovery session that lasts 20 to 30 minutes. Unlike a coaching session, I’ll do most of the talking in this session.
A discovery session has three main aims:
- For me to share some information about what you can expect from the coaching process
- For me to understand what you’d like to get from it and
- We both need to agree that we can work well together.
If we both agree to continue, I’ll send you my coaching agreement. We can set up the first coaching session when you confirm that you accept the terms.
For coaching to transform your relationship with alcohol, there are a few additional steps before the discovery session.
Do you offer online or in person sessions?
I conduct all of my coaching sessions online and on Zoom. Since the pandemic and advances in technology, I’ve found online coaching sessions to be effective, which means I can coach clients anywhere in the world.
What kind of commitment is required for coaching?
Usually, you’ll need three coaching sessions to start, depending on the size of your goal. For coaching to transform your relationship with alcohol, you’ll generally need six sessions.
You’ll get the most out of coaching if you attend session each session with an idea of what you’d like to work on and with any updates and progress reports. Being open and curious in the sessions will allow for the best outcome, as will permitting me to challenge any self-limiting attitudes or behaviours I observe. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out.
I will be ready to work with you at the time agreed and will be fully focused on you during our session. I will be open-minded, non-judgemental, considerate and respectful and will ensure I’ve carried out any necessary preparation work. I’ll also provide support through careful listening, considered questioning and, where appropriate, with challenge. There may be occasions when specific tasks might be suggested for you to do outside of the session to help your development and progress towards your goal. I will maintain the ethics and standards of behaviour of the ICF Code of Ethics and seek regular supervision from the staff at AreteWay Coach.