Question 1

How does coaching work?

Accepted Answer

Coaching is difficult to describe to someone who has not experienced it for themselves. Generally, if it is our first session, we set goals, start exploring together, and close the session with new awareness and actions to move forward with the work we do in session. In future sessions, we open with reviewing any between session action or practice to see what we can learn from it and keep moving forward. Those are the nuts and bolts. However, it works because the coach and client partner to work through blocks and meet goals. The client is the expert on their life and who they are. The coach is an expert in a creative, thought-provoking process that inspires clients to expand their personal and professional potential. The coach believes the client has the most powerful answers already within and the client trusts the coach to facilitate and create the space to learn and move forward.

Question 2

What is the difference between coaching and therapy?

Accepted Answer

Therapy is the better form of support when clients are looking for diagnosis or treatment of mental health issues such as moderate to severe anxiety or depression, recent trauma, addiction, and more. If you are unsure about whether therapy would be a better fit, please discuss your thoughts with your coach. Coaching is goal driven and focused on the present and moving forward. The past is not the primary focus in coaching as it often is in therapy.   In my coaching practice many of the strategies and tactics I pull from allow us to explore thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and impulses which can seem similar to therapy.

Question 3

What are appropriate goals for coaching?

Accepted Answer

The goal is set by the client and sometimes supported by the coach. It is a important that goals are specific and personal to the client but you can see some common types of goals below. Goals Gain awareness or clarity about yourself or a situation Shift your perspective Create a plan to change behavior Work on your relationship with yourself or others Setting boundaries Working towards acceptance of things you cannot control or change Making decisions Creating plans and designing action

Question 4

What happens in a coaching session?

Accepted Answer

In the first session, we set and clarify goals for our coaching engagement, and we may even get to start working on a goal if we have time. Subsequent sessions have an opening, a beginning, middle, and an end. We start by checking in on action from between sessions to see what we can learn. Then we set a goal for what we will accomplish in the current session and measures for success, we explore the goal, highlight new insights, and design action for between sessions. There are four types of actions that we could co-design: an experiment to try something new, reviewing resources, a to-do task, or a reflection of the awareness and new insights that we develop in session.

Question 5

Will you offer advice?

Accepted Answer

A trained coach who abides by the standards of the ICF will not offer direct advice or tell you what to do. ICF certified coaches believe that the strongest and most powerful answers come from within. While I do not offer advice, I have many rabbits in the hat for times when a client feels stuck including brainstorming, offering stories of what other clients have found helpful, offer resources, and other exercises to continue working with the problem. Everything is offered and the client always has a choice about how they want to proceed or what they want to try.

Question 6

How long are sessions?

Accepted Answer

Session for personal coaching are 45 minutes. Group coaching or business services vary by engagement.

Question 7

Where are sessions held

Accepted Answer

Zoom video conference so you can be calling in from anywhere. Of course, please be safe and never call while driving. After booking, you will receive and invitation for a Zoom meeting to your email.

Question 8

Can I email you?

Accepted Answer

Yes, of course.   Julia@lifidence.com

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