General:
- What is coaching?
- What is the difference between coaching and counselling?
- What is the difference between a coach and a mentor or an advisor?
- What can I expect from a life coach?
- What are the benefits of coaching?
Process:
- How does a coaching relationship work?
- What happens after I sign up for a coaching program?
- What if I prefer to do in person coaching instead of via telephone?
- What happens if I’m not located in Vancouver?
- Can I do coaching via email?
- What if I’m not satisfied or want to cancel?
Details:
General:
1.What is coaching?
Coaching is a process that helps individuals lead a life that is more in line with their values and passions. You are the focus of the coaching relationship – it’s about your values, your goals, and where you want to go and how to get there. It’s a process in which the coach helps facilitate the journey of clarifying your vision, helping you overcome the barriers that your “inner voices” put up, and ultimately helping you achieve your personal goals.
2. What is the difference between coaching and counselling?
Coaching is built on the belief that every individual is creative, resourceful and whole. The process is not about ‘fixing’ you, or giving you a prescribed way to lead life. It’s about you getting what you want out of life.
Counselling is built on the premise of bringing you to a more natural state of functioning, with an appropriate focus on the past and how that has shaped who you are.
3. What’s the difference between a coach and a mentor or an advisor?
A coach is also different from a mentor and advisor. A mentor implies a sense of “been there, done that” but a coach will not necessarily have been through exactly what you’re going through. An advisor implies a sense of “telling you what to do” but a coach will guide you without giving you a specific list of steps of how you should live your life.
4. What can I expect from a coach?
A coach guides you, but does not tell you what to do. The coach helps you gain clarity on what it is you want, and what’s stopping you from having it; and helps you enjoy the journey of reaching your goal. A coach can help you build and realize your personal vision, or help you achieve a more immediate tangible goal. Your agenda is the only agenda that matters in the coaching relationship. Oh, and a coach is there to push your boundaries, so you may find that they call you on your own BS….hopefully you’re okay with that little nudge ☺
5. What are the benefits of coaching?
There are numerous benefits from coaching. The most commonly cited benefits include:
- Live a life according to your values
- Develop a personal vision for yourself
- Lead a more fulfilling life
- Have a chance to put the focus back on you
- Achieve a better balance across all parts of “you”
- Learn how to use your intuition
- Achieve your personal career goals
To see what other clients of Free the Goldfish Coaching Inc. have said about personal one-to-one coaching, read our testimonials.
Process:
1. How does a coaching relationship work?
A coaching relationship is a journey that can last several months to several years. It’s built on the values of trust, respect and accountability. You will design the relationship with your coach – how you want to be held accountable, how direct you want the communication to be, and how the coach can help you stay on track to achieve your goals. From time to time, you may want to “redesign” the principles of your relationship, and that’s okay too!
2. What happens after I sign up for a coaching program?
If you decide to sign up for one of the coaching packages, you will start your coaching relationship with a “get to know you” session in which you and your coach will spend two hours together getting clear on your values and what you want to focus on. After that initial session, you will then have 3 sessions per month, according to the terms of the package you’ve chosen.
The coaching relationship has a minimum recommended duration of 3 months. Our coaches find that this length of time is required to clearly identify what you want, to help you take action, and to help you stay on track when those inner fears start bubbling up (and as luck would have it, those voices usually kick back in right when you think you’re in the clear…)
3. What if I prefer to do in person coaching instead of via telephone?
The initial “get to know you” session is almost always done face-to-face. Ongoing coaching sessions can be done in person if that’s what is right for you. However, telephone coaching is the preferred method for most clients – it avoids commute time, it can be done from home or the office, and it’s easier to fit into the daily schedule.
4. What happens if I’m not located in Vancouver?
No problem! Many of the clients with Free the Goldfish Inc. are located in other parts of Canada or internationally – from St. John’s to Toronto, and in places like Kuala Lumpur, Geneva, London and Paris. In these cases, the coaching is done entirely over the phone or Skype, including the initial “get to know you” session.
5. Can I do coaching via email?
Email is definitely an option! If you’re looking for a more one-to-one relationship with in-depth dialogue, we would recommend one of our traditional coaching programs done via phone or in person. However, if you’re simply looking for some additional support as you work your way through your goals or through other coaching tools (e.g. books, online resources), our eCoaching program may be for you.
6. What if I’m not satisfied or want to cancel?
At Free the Goldfish Coaching, we’re committed to making sure you get the most you can from your coaching experience. That’s why we have our Coach Guarantee program. If at any time you’re not satisfied with your first coach, let us know and we’ll match you up with another one of our coaches and give you 2 free sessions with your new coach to get things back on track.
You can cancel at any time with 30 days notice and you are encouraged to discuss any concerns you have with your coach at any time during the coaching relationship.
Details:
1. How much does the coaching cost?
The costs vary depending on the coach. The more training/certification a coach has, the higher the rates usually are.
The base rate for our coaching is $75 per hour, with rates increasing in accordance with the coach’s certification level.
2. What are the differences in the coaching packages?
For a full description of the types of programs we offer, including our eCoaching program and our intensive 1 to 1 programs, visit our types of services section.
