Coaching & Wellbeing FAQ's

1. What is coaching?

The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as:

Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership.

2. What are the benefits of working with a coach?

People decide to work with a coach for many reasons. While there are many benefits of working with a coach, here is a snapshot of some of the ways coaching can impact your personal and professional life:

Gain clarity about what you want in life and what you need to make it happen
Define and achieve your own personal and professional goals
Make better decisions and choices in your life and at work
Develop positive habits and let go of the ones that no longer serve you
Create a more balanced and values-driven life and career
Increase your self-worth and confidence
Create boundaries and foster more authentic and supportive relationships
Find the courage to go beyond your comfort zone
Build self-awareness to challenge your perspectives and beliefs
Adopt a growth mindset and experience more positive emotions
Simplify your life by working out what matters most and letting go of the rest
Increase your physical and emotional energy to live with more vitality in life

3: What is the difference between coaching, facilitation, mentoring and therapy?

4: How does coaching work?

Individual coaching involves the coach and client working together to support the client to make positive changes in their life. The coach creates a safe environment and holds space for the client to explore their patterns of thinking and ways of being and their visions and aspirations for creating change in all aspects of their life.

Coaching uses tools and techniques to help clients to challenge and change their beliefs, perspectives and patterns of thinking, and ways of interacting in the world.

Different schools of coaching use different models and processes, however, the overall process involves the coach supporting the client to:

increase their own self-awareness
find clarity and focus and separate feelings from facts
face our fears and choose to be and do things in new and supportive ways
commit to and create action and positive change

5: Is it up to me or the coach to decide the direction of the coaching?

Coaching is a future-focused collaborative relationship where the client determines the direction of the session. The client decides the topic for each session and the coach supports the client to set and achieve goals, change unwanted behaviours and habits, identify their values and strengths, and find new ways of doing and being. The coach uses open questioning, active listening, and reflective practices and is non-directive throughout the process.

6: How do I choose a coach?

Choosing a coach is a personal process and finding the right fit is an essential part of the coaching process. While the right fit means different things to different people, finding a coach who can compassionately support you to be vulnerable and navigate difficult topics helps make the coaching experience a success. At the same time, a coach who holds you accountable is essential as you move through change and growth. When thinking about finding a coach, some things to consider include:

The areas you want to be coached on
The coach’s values align with your own
There is a sense of connection and chemistry between you and the coach
The coach has relevant coach training for what you are looking for
You own commitment to change

7: Is it normal to feel nervous about working with a coach?

The short answer – Yes! Being vulnerable and choosing courage over comfort is difficult for all of us. Embracing change and going through the process of endings and new beginnings and the messy stage in-between is hard stuff.

8: The prices are in Australian dollars – do you only work with people in Australia?

Prices are in Australian dollars due to my business being based in Australia. However, thanks to technology I offer all my coaching through Zoom and work with people anywhere that our time zone differences match up. If you are outside of Australia, the prices are converted to your currency during the payment process.

9: Do you have insurance?

Yes. I am insured through an International Coaching Federation-approved insurance company that covers professional liability and business insurance.

10: What is trauma-informed coaching?

Certified Trauma-Informed Coaches understand the presence of trauma in a coach-client relationship and how to use it as a guide for resilience and moving forward. Trauma-informed coaches are trained in client regulation, brain-body connection, behavioural reactions, different types of traumas, leading causes, and subsequent symptoms.

Trauma-informed coaching is solution-focused and supports the client in moving forward. Trauma-informed coaching is not a substitute for personal therapy and trauma-informed coaches know the proper referral pathways and have relationships with clinical professionals and therapists.

11: If I have experienced trauma, do I need to talk about it?

In short – No. While a certified trauma-informed coach is trained in the types of trauma, and trauma-related responses the coach does not need to know about the client’s experience of trauma. However, as the client, you choose what you want to talk about, and if disclosing your experience of trauma supports you in moving forward, then a trauma-informed coach has the skills and knowledge to support you in that process.

12: Is the wellbeing framework backed by research?

Yes – the PERMA+V wellbeing framework is based on the work by Dr. Peter Seligman and his Wellbeing Theory of human flourishing. The original framework by Dr. Seligman was PERMA (Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) however other students of positive psychology have gone on to develop the additional elements of Vitality and Health – hence PERMA+V

13: Is wellbeing the same as wellness?

Wellness relates to practicing healthy habits and working towards better physical and mental health. The wellness industry is unregulated and isn’t backed by research. In contrast, PERMA+V and Wellbeing Theory relate to Positive Psychology and are backed by years of research in the science of what enables humans to flourish in life.

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