Your First Visit

How does coaching help?

Depending on your present situation and your reasons for seeking help, there are many benefits to coaching. While I do not provide a diagnosis or treatment for a mental illness, coaching can help you better manage your approach to achieving your peak performance, personal and professional goals. It can also offer you techniques and approaches to new ways of dealing with situations that you may not have been aware of before. Coaching can offer problem-solving skills, provide support, and help you work through life changes, allowing you to see your circumstances as a personal growth opportunity instead of a burden or obstacle.

Some specific skills coaching can provide are:

• Emotional management, including, but not limited to anger, jealousy, grief, and depression.
• Coping mechanisms to allow you to work through situations which typically cause you anxiety, fear, or avoidance.
• Stress-management techniques to apply to deal with stress within your everyday life, such as with your job and family.
• Skills and techniques to help you better navigate relationships, or to work through relationship troubles.
• Problem solving skills for you to enact when you encounter issues which may typically have caused you to shy away or back down, such as social situations or public speaking.
• Improving self-love, self-confidence, and body image.
• Improving communication, listening, and the ability to speak up for yourself.
• Understanding your own skills, strengths, and positive attributes and learning to quiet your inner negative critique.
• Finding a resolution to the issues that originally led you to therapy, such as having panic attacks, or being unable to sleep.

While the decision to begin coaching is an individual choice, in many regards it may be helpful for everyone. There are a wide variety of reasons to begin coaching ranging from a desire to improve personal or professional performance and or help managing daily stress or a transitional period of your life. It is your approach that will vary based on your individual circumstances.

What to expect on your first visit?

Your first coaching session has two main goals:

1. Assess your circumstances

We will take the first meeting to assess your current circumstances. While my areas of expertise may be consistent with your reasons for coming to coaching, we will need to address specific areas that are unique to you, and your current circumstances. From there, we will be able to better determine what type of coaching technique is right for you, what it will entail, and what it will look like for you in terms of fitting it into your day-to-day life. In addition, I may provide you with series of actions to do outside of our sessions, such as practice a certain technique, or read a specific book, as it is important you take on an active role in your journey.

2. Build a relationship

Our first session will be more like a two way interview. I’ll get to know you, and you’ll get to know me. I’ll ask you questions to help me better understand your primary issues and concerns, as well as your history in terms of other events in your life, family, childhood, and career. However, you’re welcome to ask questions too. In order for coaching to be successful, it is imperative we establish a relationship that is supportive and honest. In fact, it is the nature – and the quality – of our relationship that will determine the success of your overall goals. The success of the ‘meeting of the minds’ with your coach is the most accurate predictor of a positive, healthy outcome to the hard work you put in towards your happiness. As such, each client/coach relationship will be unique but certain values and themes are true for all sessions, and you can expect the following:

• You can expect to be treated with compassion, empathy, respect, and understanding.
• You can expect to be presented with someone who is available to listen to you and listen to your interpretation of what you are currently experiencing.
• You can expect to receive knowledgeable and scientifically backed techniques and information to assist you in overcoming your concerns.
• You can expect to arrive in a safe, supportive, and confidential space.
• You can expect to receive real strategies and techniques you can use to enact positive changes on your life.

I look forward to getting to know you and helping you reach your coaching goals.

Please complete the following forms prior to your first therapy session.

Is coaching confidential?

As a general rule, all coaching sessions are confidential and anything you discuss with your coach will remain between the two of you, unless you request otherwise. This is as per protection rules, and no information from the session can be disclosed without prior written consent from the client.

• Information that was in the coach’s possession prior to its being furnished by the client.
• Information which is generally known to the public or in the client’s industry.
• Information obtained by the coach from a third party, without breach of any obligation to the client.
• Information independently developed by the coach without use of or reference to the client’s confidential information.
• Information the coach is required by statute, lawfully issued subpoena, or by court order to disclose.
• Information disclosed to the coach and as a result of such disclosure the coach reasonably believes there to be an imminent or likely risk of danger or harm to the client or others; and involves illegal activity.
• The client acknowledges the continuing obligation to raise any confidentiality questions or concerns with the coach in a timely manner.
• Information through which the coach suspects abuse to a child, dependent adult, or an elder, or made aware of domestic abuse. These situations all require the coach to notify law authorities immediately.
• If the coach suspects an individual has caused, or is threatening to cause severe bodily harm to another person, coaches are required to report it to the police.
• If an individual intends self-harm, expressing to the coach for example, plans for suicide. While the coach will attempt to work through this in the coaching session, if it appears to be unresolved or the client does not cooperate, additional action may need to be taken to ensure the safety of the client.