Frequently Asked Questions
What is coaching?
Coaching is a partnership (an alliance, not a legal business partnership) between the Coach and the Client in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximize personal and professional potential. It is designed to facilitate the creation and development of personal, professional or business goals and to develop and carry out a strategy for achieving those goals.
Can I book an Intake Session?
Yes, intake sessions are available. Please contact me to discuss scheduling an intake session.
What are your fees?
Fees are determined by the nature (coaching versus corporate organizational consultation) and duration of the engagement as well as the client's goals/ objectives. There are other factors considered in structuring the pricing. I am glad to have a frank conversation on cost, ROI, etc., to determine if we are a good fit.
How is coaching distinct from other professional services?
Per the ICF, professional coaching is forward looking and focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organizational support professions.
​
· Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.
​
· Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.
​
· Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counseling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.
​
· Training: Training programs are based on objectives set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached, with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path that coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear without a set curriculum.
​
· Sports Coaching: Though sports metaphors are often used, professional coaching is different from sports coaching. The athletic coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behavior of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge.
Professional coaches possess these qualities, but their experience and knowledge of the individual or team determines the direction. Additionally, professional coaching, unlike athletic development, does not focus on behaviors that are being executed poorly or incorrectly. Instead, the focus is on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.
Are you certified to coach?
Yes, I am an ICF ACC (Associate Certified Coach). As an ICF Credential-holder, I am part of a self-regulating group of elite coaches who provide accountability to clients and the coaching profession as a whole. We pursue and complete rigorous education and practice requirements that provide unquestioned legitimacy to our commitment to excellence in coaching.
​
I am a graduate of the Coaching Leader Program, GroupWorks Global at Saint Joseph's University Haub Center for Professional Development, Philadelphia, Pa.
How can I get more information on coaching?
For more information on coaching, feel free to reach out to me or see the ICF Global website at: https://coachingfederation.org/