What is Coaching?
Do you know what it's like to feel really fully heard? Listened to, taken seriously, to be heard with sympathy and empathy, accepted and supported in a way that doesn't tip over into collusion or someone trying to fix you?
Well, that's what coaching is like. I'll offer you a balance of support and challenge, building on your skills and experience to help you to respond creatively to the challenges in your life, and to make the most of the opportunities that come your way. Sometimes I'll offer you ideas and tools from the knowledge I've developed over the years, but most of the time I'll help you to use the things that you're already good at in new and innovative ways.
Research consistently shows that coaching really works. It can help you to be more efficient, effective and better at solving problems. It's great for helping you to be clear about what you want to achieve, and helping you to achieve it. Most of this research has been on the effect of coaching in organisations, where coaching is normally for a fairly short period (maybe five or six sessions over two or three months), if you want to work on a really deep-seated habit that isn't helping you any more, it might take a bit longer. I'll always leave it entirely up to you how to decide often you want to speak to me, and when you want to stop.
How does it work?
In the first session we'll take some time to get to know each other, and to get clear about what we're going to work on and what we're aiming to achieve - in coaching jargon this is called 'contracting', and it can be reviewed or revised at any time. After that, it usually works well to speak for about an hour every couple of weeks for three or four sessions, and then once a month.
If you think you'd like to try out coaching I’m happy to have a free and unconditional chat with you about it to discuss what you might want to get out of it, whether coaching might help, and whether I am right person to be your coach. Just email me or give me a call.
How much does it cost?
My usual rate is £75 a session, and I'm happy to agree reduced rates for those on a low income, and to make allowances for varying costs of living in different countries and different parts of the UK, and I offer a discount for those paying for a block of coaching sessions in advance.