Many people ask me why I decided to embark on qualifying and practicing as a coach. So here's my why.
In the words of Einstein, “everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Throughout my life and career, I have always held a deep interest in understanding people; how they think, feel and navigate through life. I was born with the notion from doctors that I might not live past a few years, and that I might not be able to engage with the world “fully” due to risk of disability and cognitive issues, which led to my mother being offered a late-term abortion. Fortunately none of this happened, but an acute awareness of the way in which people and society can write someone off due to fixed preconceptions of valued existence has stuck with me. How someone can feel so out of place because another path was not made available for them to realise and enjoy their place in the world. Working in taboo areas such as addictions and mental health only heightened these feelings and I continuously found myself wanting to support others to find their way in what can be a very challenging society. However, working therapeutically in my early career simply felt too late as a point of support and time and time again, I would hear people’s stories and wonder why something hadn’t been in place sooner.
Discovering the ethos and practice of coaching felt like the answer I had been looking for and never really heard about; a means of helping yourself get the best from yourself whilst in a good state of mind. And so it felt natural to pursue this field as my professional qualification and devote my energies to getting the best from individuals rather than waiting to be of support after things go wrong. I believe it’s a form of support that should be part of the existing shift in healthcare to move from reactive to preventative work and be made commonly available, even more so than therapy is today.
Part of the theory that underpins this is both the learning curve and behavioural change model; demonstrating the capabilities of all of us to make changes if and when we choose to commit to them. I have confidence to recommend and offer coaching due to the foundations in evidence based practice, as well as the growing research base to quantify its value. Moreover, the underpinning of clear codes of ethics are aligned to a practice that recognises its impact and takes responsibility to ensure all qualified practitioners are held to a consistent standard. Ethical practice will always be of utmost importance to me in my career and I find it is a reassurance for my clients, and myself as a practitioner; to know there is accountability put upon coaches to act with integrity to deliver safe and effective services that complement rather than conflict with neighbouring professions.
Reflecting on my overall experience, I have seen my capabilities to form strong coach-coachee relationships, manage boundaries, present challenge at differing levels, and enable insight, grow with skillful application depending on who is in front of me. The biggest surprise of all is that I have reconnected with my creativity to blend and adapt exercises; to generate impactful sessions for my clients but also to help me realise my own potential as a coach. So in summary, at its core, my practice stems from my innate belief in the potential of people and not only that change is possible but that it is inevitable. If I exist because someone believed in my potential no matter what, I’d be proud to spend my time passing that same sentiment on to others.
Coaching is the input we all need at some stage in life but perhaps never hear about.
Many of us have an inkling when things aren’t quite working for us and then an equal desire to make…
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