In my introductory sessions, I have to tell the client that I am not a therapist, nor should coaching be confused with any sort of therapy. There are some similarities to therapy, however, and the one similarity I’d like to address today is the matter of commitment to the relationship.
When someone engages in therapy, they enter the relationship with the understanding that it will likely be long-term. After all, you can’t get to know someone and all their issues in one hour-long session. That hour session can be a pretty good start, especially if the client is open and honest. But there are so many facets to a person’s life and personality (and more often than not, multiple issues that intertwine) that it would really be unreasonable to believe all of one’s problems could be solved in one initial meeting.
Any relationship that is going to be beneficial must grow and deepen over time. Coaching is a relationship like any other. And while the coaching relationship begins and develops in order to help you accelerate your dreams, there are no shortcuts to learning the skills that a good coach will teach you toward that end. A client shouldn’t expect to present a problem to the coach and have it be solved in one hour. The coach can get you started on the right path in an hour and give you strategies to implement in the future, but a one-hour intro session is not coaching. It’s rather like eating a bit of pepperoni and calling it pizza. While it’s certainly part of the pizza, it isn’t the whole pie.
When I begin a relationship with a client, I am committed to the long-term. I am going to stay with you until WE (you and I, together) decide that you don’t need me anymore. But you have to give it a chance. That’s why I insist that new clients sign up for, at the very least, an initial 3 months — so that you can see for yourself at the end of that term how far you have come. So that you can see for yourself how you have benefitted from being coached, and how the strategies we have implemented together have brought you that much closer to realizing your dreams. Most clients benefit so much that they stay an average of 9 months; appropriate, as we are certainly “birthing” a new you. Growth and change don’t happen overnight.
In the same vein, one shamanic journey won’t answer all your questions. One hypnosis session won’t make or break a habit, or instantly change an ingrained behavior. These techniques are simply some of the tools I use in a blanket coaching practice that is focused on complete wellness for the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. Not bits and pieces of you, but ALL of you. You are a complicated person with many facets, and I want to help you live in balance. I’m not going to allow you to shortchange yourself. That’s the reason I’m not big on offering “ala carte” services. I would much rather coach you in a consistent way, using every skill I have at my disposal, so that you have a greater chance of making the changes that make the difference in your life.
Coaching is a partnership. I partner with you to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. Your long-term commitment to the partnership is one crucial element of your success.
Happy Mother’s Day,
CLM
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