Coaching packages can be tailored to requirements and we can discuss what will work best. Most clients opt for a monthly retainer to include two sessions a month on an ongoing basis. Some clients prefer three sessions a month. Sometimes, when a specific goal is aimed for, a six session package is signed up for.
The first session follows a small amount of preparation by the client and is normally an hour long to go through the package and discuss input preparation. Subsequent sessions are normally 30 to 45 minutes and are usually held via Skype, Webex or telephone, but can be held in person as necessary.
Here are some case studies of some private coaching that The Balance House has delivered, to illustrate the some of the coaching I offer.
Marie is a mum with then 4 and 7 year old sons. Since they are both now in school, she decided to return to corporate work.
She hadn’t worked in 10 years, her CV was out of date and the jobs that were listed on there were long forgotten. She was under confident, especially about an interview, but also just working back in a corporate environment.
The coaching looked first at some of the limiting beliefs and internal talk that were underpinning that lack of confidence, and then at confidence building work. This took us to look at the various roles she had; mother, wife, daughter and professional, and how they could be balanced and integrated.
On an employment front, we worked on interview techniques and CV writing, tapping into existing resources and finding new ones. We worked on anchoring positive states (ie. copying positive mental states, emotions and behaviours) from the other roles, and applying them to new situations, using mental rehearsal and timelines to future pace into positive outcomes, addressing any sabotaging interrupts (like internal thoughts interrupting, saying it won’t work) along the way. Marie has since been working in a FTSE100 company.
After some shaky AS Level exams, a mother contacted me to coach her daughter. After our first session, two things were apparent; one was to do with motivation to study and the other was the huge size of the looming elephant in the following Easter and Summer, which were the A Level exams.
We worked together on finding effective strategies for study and creating a subject level plan for the next 3 months. This cut the elephant into smaller chunks and thus made it all seem more manageable. Then we made sure that within the daily and weekly routine there was ‘down time’ which we called ‘treats’ to ensure that we rewarded hard work with fun activities, recognising that she was a teenager with a social life.
After 4 sessions in two months, we dropped down to 6 weekly check-ins and then ramped up again to create and monitor/adjust a revision plan in the run up to exams. I am pleased to say she achieved her first choice University.
We initially looked at the balance of his whole life and his satisfaction with it which led us to areas he really wanted to address. We did some work (and he did lots of homework!) detailing specific outcomes, timescales, resources and importantly the next steps to move them on. He also did a large mind map, which allowed him to adjust what was really important and work on it with his wife. It brought up lots of old limiting beliefs about what he felt he deserved and what was really stopping him achieving some of his dreams.
It has been a real pleasure to work with him; he does regular journaling as a discipline to review his day and does some great self improvement in between our sessions, so there is always much to discuss. We’ve had 3 sessions a month for 4 months, took a month off, and then continued. This pattern works well for him.
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