FAQs
What exactly is coaching?
Coaching is a dynamic relationship of growth and transformation.
You are facilitated by a coach to help you develop, explore, learn or achieve things which are important to you in a way which will lead you to feeling more fulfilled in your life / career.
In short, coaching is about working with you to create positive change which will make a meaningful difference in your personal or professional life.
How will I know if it’s the type of thing for me?
A lot of people associate coaching mistakenly only with corporate executive development or with lifestyle gurus.
I look at coaching very simply and it’s there in FutureSpark’s strapline. In coaching you can ignite belief and opportunity to make a real difference in your life.
When you see someone after coaching feel more fulfilled, balanced, confident, happier or purposeful, you appreciate its power. I would ask anyone who is curious or keen to see how something in their life / career could change to try coaching.
You can contact Maire to talk to her in more detail about coaching for yourself (no cost or obligation), click here.
How does coaching work?
I use a co-active coaching approach. This means that our coaching relationship is one of equals where you set the agenda and we work together to achieve the results you want. Coaching really is all about you!
My job as a coach is to hold your agenda in our coaching in a style to work best with you.
Where coaching has been organised with someone on the suggestion of their employer, the co-active coaching approach remains core. The coaching agenda is crafted to reflect the shared and agreed aims of both with the individual coachee shaping the heart of each session.
For systemic team or team resilience coaching, the ethos is the same. Teaming coaching is a partnership designed and done with the team and never done to.
How many sessions do you have?
Coaching sessions will usually last for an hour. Everyone is different and will come to coaching for very varied reasons.
Coaching sessions are structured embrace individual difference to suit you. The same principle applies to group or team coaching sessions.
The number and frequency of sessions scheduled can be very flexible. Some people may seek coaching to focus on a very specific challenge over a few weeks. Many people will take between 4 and 6 sessions over a number of months. With a broader coaching purpose, other people may have more frequent sessions over a longer period of time.
Where do coaching sessions take place and in what format?
Individual coaching sessions can be in the format of the one-to-one meeting or if preferred, by telephone, Zoom or Skype.
The location is flexible with a choice of attending coaching in my FutureSpark Coaching base in Belfast, at your workplace or at an alternative venue by agreement.
Team coaching or Spark workshops will usually take place in a venue selected by the client. Given Covid restrictions, all team coaching and workshops are adapted in format to be delivered virtually.
What’s the difference between coaching, counselling and mentoring?
Coaching takes you from where you are right now in life with a crisp focus on your personal growth into the future. A coach is there to facilitate you to move from A to B in the direction you want to go looking forward.
Counselling is a therapeutic intervention. The main focus will be on looking back. Much of counselling sessions may be spent unravelling past experiences or looking at the causes of emotional or psychological issues impacting on your present well-being.
A mentor has experience in a particular area or field. They can provide guidance, advice or tutoring based on their own experience. Mentoring may also use elements of counselling.
In stark contrast, coaching does not include advising or counselling and instead facilitates individuals or groups to discover and develop their own knowledge, resources and skills to achieve their own set goals.
How much does coaching cost?
For personal coaching each session is an hour at the cost £60.
For individual Resilience at Work coaching packages (inclusive of an introductory resilience session, a personal resilience assessment and follow-up dedicated coaching sessions) these cost £195.
Payment can be made in cash at each session, by online bank transfer or cheque and with flexible payments plans to make access to great coaching as accessible as possible.
Team coaching, leadership programmes and Spark workshops are costed according to what you need for your organisation offering a range of flexible options.
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