Integrated Coaching

As a qualified therapist and leadership coach, I am confident to work in what we might think of as the ‘river of integration’ between counselling and coaching. Like these approaches, a river has different depths and speeds of movement. There may be hidden depths, where the water is flowing very slowly. In other areas debris builds up and creates blockages that perhaps tend towards the stagnant. There may be faster central channels where there is dynamism, energy and excitement. People contain similar differences in depth and pace, informed both by the past and by future aspirations.

The familiar adage that we “can’t step into the same river twice” holds true - the water is always moving on. Nancy Kline has observed that, particularly if we are thinking for and as ourselves, we are also not the same person who stepped in, even a minute ago, so we need a dynamic approach that can both take account of our history and allow us to be responsive to the ever present possibility for change.

Counselling and Coaching are sometimes seen on a continuum, with counselling addressing pain or problems from the past or present situation, and coaching taking a proactive approach focusing more on the present and the future. Whilst there is definitely a place for working specifically at either end of this continuum with differently trained professionals, my experience has shown that for many of us it can be useful to work with both our our potency and vulnerability in a way that recognises the dynamic interplay between them.

Personal Coaching - how will we work together?

We start from a place of coaching, beginning to name where you want to be in yourself or in your work and life. Exploring your values and strengths brings a renewed sense of resource you already have and may not be recognising or have forgotten. In exploring ways forward we are likely to encounter what may need to be rebalanced in thinking, feelings or habits to enable you to find more equanimity and confidence.

We are likely to discover internal patterns which may have been useful once but are now holding you back. These internal responses may have been with you since childhood, or you may have been affected more recently by difficult personal circumstances or a stressful work situation or relationship.   

Often what is holding us back are untrue limiting assumptions that we are living as true. Time to think for, and as, ourselves enables us to find and remove the untrue limiting assumptions, replacing them instead with true and liberating assumptions that carry the change that we are looking for forward with much greater momentum and freedom.

It can be useful to spend some time on exploring how your nervous system is working to keep you safe, but may have some patterns of reaction that are moving you into mobilised defensiveness or into defensive collapse too quickly or unnecessarily. Our ‘story’ in any given moment tends to follow from the ‘state’ we are in. Our work together can involve a series of mapping exercises, developed by therapist Deb Dana providing the insight and strategies needed to spend more time in ease and flow rather than in anxiety, agitation, or disconnect.

My guiding principle is that the ultimate solutions can be found within each person. Working together in a respectful reflective space, with the use of some creative tools, can lead to psychological and emotional insight, and the creation of fresh habits

Leadership Coaching - what does this involve?

The focus of Executive or Leadership Coaching is on the professional self, working with issues such as strategic direction, confidence, flexibility, innovation, communication, building and motivating teams, problem solving, stress reduction, authenticity, and making decisions.

I will support you to:

• Clarify your vision as a leader

• Increase your awareness of your strengths and explore how you may be limiting your abilities and options

• Act authentically from a place of grounded self-awareness

• Engage with those you support to enable them to inform and deliver the vision for the work

• Be creative in experimenting with positive actions, to develop your confidence and your ability to communicate powerfully and effectively

• Take the action you need to maintain your insight, vision, resilience and confidence

The coaching contract also takes in the needs of the organisation and aims to support your motivation and ability to succeed in the business goals, which in the best-case scenario finds a fit with your own personal aspirations and ambitions.

As a qualified Myers Briggs Type Indicator MBTI® Step 1 practitioner, I am available to facilitate an assessment to enable you to identify your personality profile. The MBTI tool can help you to improve working relationships, develop your leadership style, make use of problem solving strategies, help manage change and understand your own and others reactions to stress.

Testimonials for all my coaching work can be found here

Practicalities

I will clearly contract with you for the particular work that you would like to do, supporting you to make an informed choice about the approach we take and the processes and tools that we might use.

Coaching sessions take place either online, or at locations jointly agreed, which are free from interruption or distraction, or out walking in nature.

Session times range from 1 to 2 hours and usually are scheduled on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between the hours of 8-6pm

Please contact me if you would like to schedule a free 30 minute consultation so that we can discover whether working together could be useful to you.