what is the difference between coaching, therapy and mentoring ?

Typically, the biggest part of the work done in therapy is anchored in the past while coaching focuses on what is present and outcomes you are working towards in the future. You might bring the same topic to therapy and coaching but the approach would be different. If the topic is an event from your past, you would spend a big chunk of time there in therapy while with coaching we would be looking at what is present now and your expected outcomes.

Mentoring involves advice you would be getting from your mentor on particular situations, a coach would only guide you but not provide any solutions. I coach the whole person and not a specific problem. You might come in with something very specific you would like to discuss but by coaching the whole person you might realise that actually the reason why something is so important to you finds its roots in another area of your life.

WHAT IS A SAMPLE SESSION ?

First step in a successful coaching relationship is like any relationship : the 1st date. It all starts with a free 20 minutes taster session to see if we are a match and discuss how we could go from there.

It will be 15 minutes of mini coaching session followed by 5 minutes of questions if you have any or discussing logistics if you would like to go further together. No hard feelings if I am not the right coach for you. It is critical that you find the right person to accompany you on this journey and I would be more than happy to recommend you to one of my colleagues.

How do you start a coaching session/cycle?

For a standard coaching session (including the free online taster session), we would start by establishing a topic and where you would like to get to by the end of the session. We would as well establish our coaching alliance, meaning I will make sure the approach is as tailor made as possible to help you. Whether you would prefer we let the session lead us even if we don’t end up where you initially wanted to or if on the contrary you would prefer I hold your agenda throughout the session.

When it comes to a 1 to 1 coaching cycle, I would recommend a minimum of 6 sessions including a discovery session. After the free taster session, we could then have a discovery session which will last between an hour to an hour and a half in order to get to know each other, define the themes we will be working on together and refine our alliance. It depends both on your agenda, how many topics you would like to work on and the progress we make.

if i am seeing a therapist, does it mean i cannot do coaching?

Therapy and coaching are very different approaches. You might get a lot out of therapy on a topic but not so much on another and vice versa. Therapy and coaching can be complementary. As long as your therapist is aware that you are reaching out to a coach, both can connect in case some topics shouldn’t be overlapped and to discuss the best ways to support you.

how long does coaching last?

A full session lasts about 45 minutes, except for the discovery session where there is a lot of grounds to cover and could last up to 1 hour and 30 minutes. The ideal spacing between sessions would be about 2 weeks in order to keep the momentum going. The number of sessions will depend on your agenda and progress but a good rule of thumb would be around 6 sessions.

will i get enough value out of coaching if i have never done coaching nor therapy before?

The relationship we establish is continuously evolving. You might not know exactly when starting what works best for you if you have never done coaching nor therapy (do you prefer for your coach to intrude in order to keep your agenda as the sole focus, do you want your coach to challenge you etc) but this is something we will always revisit to make sure you are getting the most from our sessions.

Do i need to show up to a session with clear questions/goals I want to achieve?

You definitely can but this is not a must. Another way of starting would be looking at what is called the wheel of life and rate your satisfaction in the different areas of your life, we would then look at what scores you would like to aim for as we are working together and start from there.

is what we discuss confidential?

It is indeed. Everything we discuss as well as your identity is confidential. Only exception to this would be a court order or if there is any reason to worry about your safety or the safety of those around you. I might discuss with other coaches the coaching techniques used in order to further my continuous learning but no topics or names would ever be mentioned.

what happens if i want to find a coach but we didn’t vibe during the taster session?

It happens and is absolutely fine. First of all congratulations on knowing what is best for you and what you need. I would be more than happy to recommend you to one of my amazing colleagues if you can let me know a little bit more about what/who you are looking for.