Although coaching and therapy can complement each other, coaching is not therapy. Coaching is about developing strategic actions that will help the client move forward. Coaching does not attempt to explain behaviors, delve into the client’s past, or identify pathology.

In contrast to consulting, a coach is not hired to give advice to the client. It is the job of the coach to ask powerful questions to draw out the answers that are inherent in the client. The focus is on enhancing the client’s competence and personal development.

Although each person who comes to coaching has their own individual issue, all people who make the commitment to the coaching process have something in common. They know that they want to move forward in an area of their life, but they are not quite able to make it happen by themselves. They are feeling stuck. They realize that they need someone to help them look at their issue from different angles and to point out where they may be getting hung up. Gaining new perspectives on a problem enables the client to become more creative and effective their search for a solution.

People who utilize coaches are committed to living their life to the fullest. They are curious and courageous, and are willing to take some risks and try new things. They love to celebrate successes, but they do not shy away from failure. They have a sense of what they really are capable of doing in this life, but they know that some extra support, nurturing and encouragement will help them to step fully into their potential. In reality, coaching clients are very much like most of us; except that by hiring a coach they have made the commitment to move their lives forward.

In general, coaching is done over the phone once a week in 30 - 45 minute sessions three to four times a month. There is also an initial intake session which usually takes about an hour. The intake session provides the groundwork for the coaching process. I will ask questions and gather information about the client, clarify what the client wants to work on, where they are feeling stuck, and what it might take to resolve the issue. The three central questions are:

• Where is the client right now?

• What is the intended outcome?

• What structures, (practice, self-observations, exercises), need to be put into place to achieve the intended outcome?

“ I came to coaching to improve my management skills.  I had just been promoted and was feeling a crisis of self-confidence.  Mary Ann was incredibly understanding and supportive of this transition and helped me develop a management style that felt right for me.   She gently nudged me to think about things from different perspectives, encouraged me to trust my own instincts, and gave me some very useful and down-to-earth strategies to implement that made my job much more manageable.   I now feel extremely confident in my job, and I have also noticed that I feel much calmer and more connected in all aspects of my life. ” Kathleen H Program Management

Although the coaching framework remains somewhat the same with each client, the actual coaching journey will vary. I create a specific development plan for each client that includes the overall purpose of the coaching, the specific goals the client wants to achieve, and the estimated duration of the coaching. I ask the client to review the plan to make sure that I have clearly understood the client’s intent, and that we are headed in the same direction as we embark together on this journey.

Our weekly calls will focus on what’s “up” for you that week. We will examine any pressing issues that have emerged. We will look at any breakdowns you may have experienced during the week. We will discuss what happened and how you resolved the breakdown, or what is needed to help you resolve the breakdown. We will also look at where you were successful and celebrate your achievements.

It is my goal that at the end of each call you have a clear sense of what you want and need to work on for the next call, and that you feel empowered and have the resources necessary to do the work. As your coach, I am truly committed to helping you and supporting you as you work towards achieving your goals.

I may assign homework between sessions. This could be in the form of a self-observation, a book to read, or a practice to begin. The purpose of the homework is to provide distinctions and new perspectives as to how you are in your life. As we allow ourselves to entertain new ways of being in our life, whole new worlds open up for us and we become more creative in our problem solving and feel more competent in our lives.

Although the coaching experience is different for everybody, there are some common themes among the outcomes reported by my clients. Many of my clients have said that they felt more empowered, and that they had a gained a stronger sense of enjoyment and fulfillment in their lives. They were better able to make decisions and could more easily navigate the daily demands of their job and home life. They had a clearer sense of what was important to them and how they want to live their life. They felt better physically, more connected spiritually, and were finally moving forward toward a definitive goal.

To learn more about how I work with clients and to see some specific results of the coaching process, go here for Success Stories.

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Mary Ann Bailey, MC
Telephone 206-760-0478
Seattle, WA
Email: maryann@baileycoaching.com

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