Central

Compass

Collaborative

Truth with compassion. Leadership with heart.

What Is Coaching?

The International Coaching Federation (ICF), considered the Gold Standard in coaching,

defines coaching as:

"Coaching is a client-driven process which helps clients improve their outlook on work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential."

As a coach, I partner with you in a thought-provoking and co-creative process that inspires you to maximize your personal, professional and desired outcomes. I’ve been trained to use a process and set of coaching skills to help you move forward on something that you’ve identified.

Standing on this foundation, my responsibility as a coach is to:

  • Discover, clarify, and align with what you want to achieve

  • Encourage your self-discovery

  • Elicit solutions and strategies from you

  • Hold you responsible and accountable in ways that feel right for you

The coaching process helps you improve your outlook on work and life, while improving your leadership skills and unlocking your potential.

What are Some Reasons a Person Might Work With a Coach?

An individual or team might choose to work with a coach for many reasons,

including but not limited to the following:

  • Something urgent, compelling or exciting is at stake (a challenge, stretch goal, or opportunity)

  • A gap exists in knowledge, skills, confidence or resources

  • A desire to accelerate results

  • A lack of clarity with choices to be made

  • Success has started to become problematic

  • Work and life are out of balance, creating unwanted consequences

  • Core strengths need to be identified, along with how best to leverage them

Why Would You Want to Work With Me as a Coach?

  • I use humor and kindness to build relationships and provide an open, warm, non-judgmental atmosphere for clients.

  • I’m a Certified Professional Coach (Gestalt International Study Center) which means that I have completed a rigorous program to formalize my coaching practice.

  • I adhere to the principals of the International Coach Federation, which is globally recognized as the “Gold Standard in Coaching”.

  • Every facet of my career has been focused on the development of people.

  • I ask impactful questions that lead to greater insight or observation.

  • I coach toward “growth” (increasing the range) instead of “change”.

  • I believe in coaching and have been and continue to be coached myself.

  • I am a life-long learner and am continually adding to my coaching repertoire and toolkit.

  • I'm very clear about keeping my 'pony out of the race'. Your goals, success criteria, and outcomes are yours and I am here to support you in reaching them, not to assert my opinion or judgment.

How Much Does Coaching Cost?

Coaching needs are unique so we will design a custom package for you. My standard packages include:

6-12 months of working together

60 or 90-minute sessions that are weekly, bi-weekly or monthly

Check-in calls as needed between sessions

Email correspondence as needed

Some of the questions you should ask yourself to determine if you can afford coaching are:

  • If I don't work on this through coaching, what WILL I do to move this situation forward? You got to the point of considering coaching which indicates that something must have felt compelling enough for you to investigate it. Don't give up. Commit to action either through coaching or another avenue that feels appropriate to you. You deserve to resolve whatever is going on.

  • Am I willing to invest in myself in order to move forward? People often take vacations to take a break from their stressful lives or jobs and at the end of the vacation, nothing is different. The cost of coaching is about the same as a vacation for many people so consider if investing in a process that when you are done, the relief you are seeking through a vacation is permanent.

  • What can I do temporarily to make this possible for myself? The goal of a coach is to help you move forward so engaging in a coaching relationship is usually a temporary situation. You might return to coaching later but the initial coaching is temporary - 6 - 12 months or so. So what can you do to make it affordable? Eat at home more often? Take less trips? Skip some recreational activities?

Who do you coach?

I coach individuals, managers, leaders, job-seekers, parents, spouses/partners, retirees, students etc. I work with companies, non-profit organizations, and higher education institutions to name a few - there is no limit in size or scope.

Do you have a preferred type of client?

I prefer to work with people who want to move their lives forward and are willing to engage fully in the coaching process. As a Gestalt-trained coach, I focus on mobilizing the possibilities toward forward movement and I believe in ‘growth’ more than ‘change’.

How long do you work with a client?

While there is value in any amount of coaching, the greatest value comes over time. I typically work with clients for 6 to 12 months. Most commonly, we will generally work together for two 60 to 90-minute sessions per month with occasional short check-in calls between sessions as needed.

Do we work on just one thing together?

I can help you prioritize what topic(s) will be most beneficial to you in the coaching relationship. However, getting into the work on one important subject tends to have a ripple effect and we will likely cover ‘neighboring’ topics while we work on the primary theme. It’s acceptable and common for the primary topic to change as we go. 

Sometimes what you might think is most important shifts as you find awareness around it which allows something else more relevant for you to come forward. For example: I’ve worked with clients who want to improve their leadership presence at work but once we get going, it’s clear that a major issue in their personal life is really getting in the way so, if it’s an appropriate topic for coaching, we work through that first.

Is coaching the same as counseling?

No. In short, counseling generally looks at the past and focuses on healing past trauma or issues while coaching looks at the future and helps mobilize moving forward.


How do you meet with clients?

I meet with clients in person (if local to Mid-Coast Maine) or via telephone or video chat. Between sessions we can connect via email as well. I am available to travel beyond the Mid-Coast area at the client's expense.

Does anyone have to know that I'm working with a coach?

No. Even if your employer hires me to work with you, I am bound by the Code of Ethics of the International Coach Federation and cannot share any of the content of the work that we’ve done with anyone unless it falls under the exceptions within the Code of Ethics.