• What is Coaching?
• What is Career Coaching?
  
• How much does it cost?
• Can I try before I buy?
• How often do the sessions take place?
• How long does the programme take to complete?
  
• What sort of people approach you for career coaching?
• What Coaching is not

What is Coaching?

Coaching aims to move you, the Client, forward from where you are now to where you want to be, and helps you find the route. You progress with the sustained support and encouragement of your Coach: an independent and objective professional.

In general personal coaching, goals can be related to any type of situation: you may wish to improve the quality of your life, find balance, develop yourself personally, improve personal relationships, or organise yourself more effectively. Whatever the goal, the Coach uses her skills to help you gain greater insight into, and understanding of, your situation.

Your Coach works closely with you to explore your choices, reflect upon and clarify options; focus on and discover your goals. Your Coach uses deep listening, intuitive questioning, reflective feedback, clarification, gentle challenging and observation. Throughout the process, you are central to the relationship: you remain the expert on yourself and your life, committed to your own development and attainment of your goals, and responsible for your actions and outcomes.

The coaching relationship is one of trust and confidence, where you will benefit from unerring support and individual focus from your Coach. The coaching relationship is like no other: your Coach gives you her undivided attention from a non-judgemental position, and is committed to you and your goals. Desired benefits for you, the Client, include enhanced self-awareness, increased motivation, and improved personal effectiveness.

What is Career Coaching?

Career coaching explores specifically career-related matters, but within the holistic context of who you are. Your journey towards your ideal career takes place at a deeper level than you have possibly experienced before, rather than trying to achieve a “quick fix”. On the way, your Coach can also address any self-limiting beliefs or barriers that stand in the way of you realising your ideal vocation, so that all possibilities are opened up for you.

Career coaching starts with self-discovery and continues by exploring all options and addressing your deep-rooted needs, before setting the career goals that are absolutely right for you. These goals could range from improving your effectiveness and career path within your current work situation, to identifying and moving towards a complete change of career – either of which ultimately aim to provide you with maximum career satisfaction.

Career coaching can culminate in any number of ways – it doesn’t necessarily mean a radical change of career path – as what is important is that you have explored and decided on the best career outcome for you. The work undertaken on a career coaching programme should also provide a firm foundation from which you, the Client, can better manage future career decisions and transitions.

How much does it cost?

I offer a framework of services which offers you a number of routes to choose from including individual sessions, through to an individual programme starting from your current situation of uncertainty, and progressing with greater clarity through to an individual action plan. However, acknowledging that everyone is different, my approach is very much individually tailored.

From our first discussion, we will ascertain which stage you feel you are at and, from this, I can advise on the services that will address your needs. Therefore, I encourage you to contact me for an initial discussion so that we can discuss the best approach for you.

Can I try before I buy?

Absolutely! Career coaching requires a big commitment from you and you need to be sure that you are ready to be coached. I believe that you will get most out of the process if you understand fully what is involved, can ask as many questions as you wish and get to know my style.

All you need to do is telephone me on 07934 336480, or email me via the Contact Me page on this website, and we can arrange a convenient time for our consultation.

How often do the sessions take place?

Regarding the frequency of sessions, I am completely flexible, but I would broadly recommend no less than 1 week and no more than 2 weeks between sessions (with the exception of holidays).This allows you time to work on exercises and research between sessions whilst maintaining momentum for the programme. I offer sessions of up to one hour in length as I believe that this allows time for us to recap on events, explore issues in depth and agree steps forward.

We can either plan dates and times of sessions from the start of our programme, or agree the date and time of the next session at the end of each session. I am also flexible regarding times of the week, acknowledging that many of my clients will be in work.

How long does the programme take to complete?

All Clients have widely varied issues and are all at different stages in their lives. Therefore, I prefer not to prescribe a set number of sessions for all: whilst one client might need up to six sessions to address a particular issue, another may require up to twelve sessions and further future sessions to address other issues.

What sort of people approach you for career coaching?

People seek career coaching from all walks of life. You may be employed, self-employed, non-employed or facing redundancy. You may be stuck in a career rut, fed-up with your current work situation and/or looking for a new career direction. You may be looking for a greater challenge, looking to get out of the rat race/off the treadmill or just wanting to get more out of what you do.

The important thing to understand about career coaching is that it is not necessarily for those who want a new career. We may discover through the process that there are ways of getting what you want from you current situation, helping you become more successful and fulfilled where you are now.

The process will enlighten you about yourself, allow you the time and the forum in which to explore all possibilities, and guide you through processes that enable you to identify and scope the best course of action for you.

What Coaching is not.

Coaching differs from counselling and therapy in that it focuses on enhancing your future rather than working through events in the past. Whilst past events have no doubt shaped who you are, and will surface during the coaching, they will be addressed in terms of lessons learned rather than healing. If you feel that counselling or therapy is more appropriate for you right now, I recommend that you attend to this need first (although coaching could be appropriate further down the line). If you are unclear as to whether career coaching is right for you, feel free to contact me for an informal and confidential discussion.

Coaching also differs from “advice” in that the client is the expert on all matters relating to themselves. Career coaching through CareerWisdomCoaching may uncover areas where I have expertise derived from my careers guidance background. I will offer advice as appropriate but it is not my place to tell you, my Client, what to do with your career or your life. I will support and facilitate all stages of your decision making using a variety of methods - but only you will know which decision is right for you.