What is coaching and coaching psychology?
Coaching is a facilitative process that provides space for your own discoveries, insights and goals. The coach is not meant to guide, direct or instruct, but to create a stimulating environment that supports your own development and learning.
According to the British Psychological Society, “Coaching psychology is the scientific study and application of behaviour, cognition and emotion to deepen our understanding of individuals’ and group’ performance, achievement and wellbeing, and to enhance practice within coaching.” The main difference between a coach and a coaching psychologist is that the latter has an academic degree in psychology and is formally affiliated with a professional psychology body or association to maintain ongoing development and standards of practice (Moin at. al., 2023).
My training in depth psychology and creativity coaching as well as experience in person-centred support has always been about seeing the human being in front of me, listening and finding what would be the most helpful at that particular moment. I do not believe in prescribed formulas, one-size-fits-all strategies or "guaranteed five points to success." Embracing the uniqueness of each individual within the context of their lives is the only way that can create sustainable and satisfying results. In my view, the aim of coaching is not just to move forward, but also to explore the depth.
Individual coaching sessions
The coaching experience is person-centred and person-led, which means that you will be encouraged to find a unique approach that works for your situation. You are the expert on your life and coaching serves as a process that allows you to discover, formulate and follow through with your own expertise. My role is to support you, provide psychological explanations and sometimes challenge your beliefs and limiting behaviour.
This is a lot to ask and can happen on a very different time scale. Generally, the recommended time to spend with your coach is at least 6 sessions, but some people just need to bounce off their ideas in one session, and some people prefer longer time support, where they get to know themselves more deeply and can develop their practice in a more complex way.
Who is coaching for?
Coaching can be good fun, but it can also feel like hard work at times. Therefore it is important to know from the start that if you are to see the benefits of coaching, you will need to do the work. This can mean many things beginning with your time commitment, willingness to share your thoughts, consider different solutions and apply them in your life. It can be as simple as committing to work on your art or something more difficult such as challenging your own limitations and exploring new possibilities.
It is up to you how you decide to use your coaching time, however, coaching is not a supplement to therapy or counselling and it is not my place to offer any advice on mental health issues or difficult life situations. In such a case I would recommend a different type of help alongside coaching.
Coaching is not…
…a quick fix - If you are looking for a quick fix, let me save you some time and money by saying that it doesn’t really exist
…mentoring - A mentor is an expert in a field that offers advice to less experienced people who are following a similar path. I might know a thing or two, and I might share my experience if it is beneficial, but I’m not here to tell you what to do in what situations.
…psychotherapy - coaching is not a supplement for therapy and if such is required, it is highly advisable to find a professional who can provide adequate help