Frequently Asked ?'s
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What is coaching all about?
Coaching embraces the concepts of respect, honesty,
accountability and the untapped human potential. It is a
professional partnership that works with clients to explore
where they are now and, through goal-oriented, results-centered
interactions and activities, where they want to be. Coaching
is about finding solutions. It puts clients in charge of
discovering and creating their desired future.
What’s so great about coaching?
Coaching allows clients to more readily understand
their higher sense of purpose and provides them with the
tools necessary to achieve their goals. Coaching looks at
the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of
each client’s life and works toward bringing those
aspects into harmony. As a result, clients feel self confident,
optimistic and motivated about life and their chosen future.
What is a coaching relationship?
A successful coach/client alliance provides discovery,
enlightenment, encouragement and direction on the path to
the chosen future. The coach is committed to helping clients
remain focused and on track and will also challenge them
to become the successful people they know they can be. As
clients achieve their goals, the coach will help them evaluate,
acknowledge and celebrate their successes.
The coach works with clients to strengthen the foundations
of their lives, helping to set up supportive systems, resources
and networks. A coach can help clients find the right career,
make ready for healthy relationships, start a new businesses,
create a healthy lifestyle or tackle any of the many aspects
of life.
How is coaching different from counseling/psychotherapy
and other professions?
Counseling and psychotherapy are focused on analyzing or
finding the reason behind a problem. Some therapists believe
that in order to make life changes, the client must understand
why they are behaving in a certain way.
Coaching is focused on creating a future based on where
the client stands in the present. It concentrates on tracking
patterns of language and behavior. Coaches then work with
those patterns so that the client can make useful changes
in their lives.
Counseling and most psychotherapy address client content;
coaching attends to method - pattern and process. (i.e.
How is that individual or team organizing their experience?
And how can they reorganize their experience to achieve
their outcomes?)
However, many essential skills and ethics are shared by
both - confidentiality, listening, questioning, providing
support and encouragement and helping gain clarity of thought
and purpose.
What is the Baraka Institute coaching
style?
The Baraka Institute embarks on an exploratory
journey with clients and works with each:
- Discovering what they really want in life
- Building strategies to achieve what they want
- Accessing inner resources, qualities and capabilities
- Designing a plan to make them successful in reaching
their goals
- Providing guidance and inspiration
- Celebrating successes
The Baraka Institute employs coaches with NLP training
experienced in tracking the assumptions and thinking processes
of clients that are reflected in their use of language.
Being able to track the client’s beliefs, behaviors
and metaphors of life enable a coach to ask appropriate
and pertinent questions of the client. This makes it easy
for the client to perform a deep self-exploration that often
leads to subtle shifts in the client’s awareness and
can make all the difference in making significant progress
toward desired outcomes.
The Baraka Institute believes in the power of communicative
partnerships and uses a variety of tools and resources to
foster encouragement, understanding and accountability.
This enables clients to find happiness, fulfillment, and
balance in their lives.
It is not uncommon for a client to be able to utilize what
they’ve learned of the coaching process and be their
own coach after a number of coaching sessions. Self-management,
self-empowerment. Clients learn while they achieve and as
an end result have their own, sometimes unique, tools to
continue toward and beyond their dreams.
What happens in a coaching session?
The first meeting is an “intake session”
and lasts approximately 2 hours. After this initial session,
client and coach agree on a regular coaching schedule for
3 sessions per month. Session length depends on the program
chosen. Coaching commitments generally range from 3-12 months.
Prior to each session, clients are asked to prepare and
submit a feedback form to the coach. This form lists what
clients did during the past week, what they want to work
on during the current session and how they are feeling at
that time. Clients come to their sessions with an agenda
of not only what they want to discuss but also what they
would like from the coach during the session. The shape
of each coaching session is determined by that day’s
agenda. Toward the end of the session, coach and client
insert accountability by deciding, together, what actions
the client will take during the week based on that day’s
topic(s).
In between the coaching sessions, clients work on completing
their stated goals. Clients with questions, triumphs or
disappointments during the week may contact the coach by
email (anytime) or by telephone (by appointment). Clients
may undertake as much homework/homeplay as they choose.
Most of the learning/growth/action/results happen between
the coaching sessions. Clients may spend as little or as
much time as they like on the coaching process. However,
the more time spent, the quicker the results.
Where are coaching sessions held?
Coaching sessions may be held in-person or over
the phone (tele-coaching). Schedule, cost and convenience
may dictate a client’s choice. Clients often prefer
to have a combination of phone and in-person consultations.
Clients may choose to meet at their home, office or other
designated area or at the Baraka Institute office. It is
important that clients secure a private room not subject
to disruption for sessions held outside of the coaching
office.
How much does coaching cost?
Many individuals feel they can't afford a personal/professional
coach. But, coaching is not as expensive as you might think
it is. In fact, after considering the real life value they
have gained from coaching, our clients often wonder what
took them so long to participate in a coaching relationship.
Before going directly to the pricing details, you might
ask yourself what you’d be missing if you don't get
a coach. What isn't working in your life right now? How
might your life be different if the challenges were resolved
and replaced with productive, meaningful things? Coaching
is a perfect vehicle for moving toward your dreams and leaving
the trash behind.
Coaching offers you a chance to “do” for yourself
so you can, in turn, take care of all the things that are
important in your life. It provides an opportunity to grow,
to change, to thrive. It is all about learning how to empower
yourself in incredible ways. You deserve that much, don't
you?
Here are a few things we've heard...
"I have moved so much faster
toward my goals and am now living in
a way that I thought not possible..."
"I've never been more inspired"
"I feel like someone is there for me, and that is
a change I like!"
"I was able to shift out of my usual non-productive
mental state and to dream/realize possibilities."
"I am opening my business 6 months ahead of my expected
timeline."
"I feel good about myself and my future and am no
longer operating out of fear."
Coaching costs between $350-$450/month depending
on the program you choose. But don’t let the numbers
scare you. The typical coach/client relationship lasts for
3 to 6 months. When you come out of the relationship with
a joyful hold on life, you will feel this investment in
yourself was a very smart move.
Sound interesting but not sure it’s for you? Find
out by scheduling a FREE consultation - you might just learn
that you can't afford NOT to get coached! Just call 503-241-2200
to arrange for your obligation free appointment.
Find out what coaching is all about first hand by attending
one of our FREE Coaching Seminars.
What are the rescheduling requirements?
In respect of the time and energy required to make
the coaching alliance a success, clients and coaches agree
to provide 24 hours notice to cancel any session. In cases
of illness, family emergency or inclement weather that make
this impossible, both agree to do their best to notify the
other as soon as possible. At least 2-business days notice
is required to reschedule an in-person session. Missed sessions
not properly cancelled, and for which there are no extenuating
circumstances, are billed to the client and cannot be rescheduled.
How does the coaching process begin?
The Baraka Institute offers new clients one ½ hour
consultation free of charge. As part of this consultation,
the coach explains how the programs work and discusses the
coaching relationship. The coach helps clients identify
challenges to overcome and discover capabilities already
available within for creating the desired outcome.
The coach explains the coaching agreement to ensure complete
clarification prior to starting the coaching process. Clients
agreeing to commit to the coaching process work collaboratively
with the coach to define their working relationship and
schedule the first month of meetings.
What sort of person employs a coach?
People who want to challenge and improve the quality of
their life now are the best suited to employ a coach.
What topics do people work on with
their coach?
People work on many different issues that affect their lives,
including: self-esteem, motivation, relationships, work-life
balance, improving business performance, career progression
or change, starting a business, communication, time management,
mind/body fitness, weight management and more.
What is NLP?
NLP is the practical science of how we experience life.
Psychology researchers Richard Bandler and Dr. John Grinder
developed NLP in the 1970s as they studied some of the world’s
top psychologists, looking for the keys to personal growth
and success. In their research they discovered that we store
our experiences in our nervous system as well as in our
mental framework. This framework becomes a reference or
lens through which we view life. Our current perception
of life is seen through that lens, coloring our experiences
of life with the patterns we have picked up along the way.
Bandler and Grinder found that there are certain keys to
storing and accessing information in our mind, and learned
the methods to change one’s internal framework. The
techniques of NLP can be used to retrain or reprogram the
mind to experience things in a new way and adopt new perspectives
which in turn changes our experience. By learning to master
one’s internal framework, a person becomes the master
of himself expanding his awareness, choices, capabilities.
NLP is a powerful approach to communication, change, and
learning to navigate one’s “mental frames”
to maximize any frame of mind, including motivation, productivity,
learning, communication and creativity.
What are qualities to look for in
a coach?
Before talking to any coaches, clients should have a good
idea about what issues they wish to pursue and then identify
coaches who have experience in those areas. The Good Living
Guide suggests clients explore the background, coaching
qualifications, membership in coaching organizations, testimonials,
etc. of various coaches until one is selected.
It is very important that the coach and client are a good
match with an easy rapport. Clients work closely with their
coaches and will need to be very open and honest. Clients
should be able to trust, be comfortable around and imagine
working with their chosen coach.
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