WHAT IS COACHING?

Coaching =  “The art of facilitating performance, learning and development of another” (Downey, 1999).

Think of coaching as a journey rather than a single intervention. Coaching consists of a partnership between client and coach, and a process that involves the coach listening, questioning, supporting & challenging -  helping the client to clarify their goals, reshape their perceptions, explore options & generate capacity for change. 

• It focusses you on what you want, why you want it, & how to go after it.
• It helps you find how to navigate your way to where you want to be.
• It fosters self belief, confidence, reflection & motivation.
• It provides a framework, method & structure that you can re-use on yourself.
• It can help you reach your goals or accomplish your dreams

Above all, coaching is designed to be an enjoyable and stretching experience in a confidential and safe environment.

All coaching uses similar underpinning techniques to help clients improve their learning, performance, and enhance their quality of life. This is often “layered” with specific expertise relevant to different contexts or areas of focus. All of these layered skills add flexibility and depth to the coaches tool bag, and at the same time, there is no preferred or set formula for such complimentary skills, giving the client a wide choice of style and type of coaching engagement

Coaching is different from Mentoring which is usually a partnership between a more "experienced" individual offering advice, guidance, tips & sometimes career openings to a "less experienced" individual.

Both have their place & value and often co-exist together very happily.  Some clients have a career mentor and coaching as separate and very valid activities. Some coaches can also act as mentors – having useful information or experience to share, but being careful to offer it as information only, leaving you to choose how you may want to use it

The skills used in coaching have been used for many years in the sports field, and more recently in the business and consultancy. In the last 10-15 years, coaching has emerged as a profession in itself, and has developed a broad suite of specialisations as a result of niche demands – for example – Executive Coaching, Teen Coaching, Relationship Coaching, Career Coaching etc.

Many coaches will have a chosen specialism, or work in one area more than another. Some will be more generalist.   Any good coach will be too glad to talk through your specific situation to determine if they are the best fit for you, and if not, most will be willing to recommend another coach more suited to your situation

Be Aware – Coaching does not focus directly on relieving psychological pain or treating cognitive or emotional disorders. Coaching can be used concurrently with psychotherapeutic work, but it is not a substitute for psychotherapeutic work.