Coaching, Counselling and Therapy, Online and in Chorley

Coaching is a poetic word, deriving from the form of transport: quite simply, it refers to a method whereby the “coachee” (a very unpoetic word – let us use the word “client” instead) is transported from where they are, to where they would like to be.

There are several differences between coaching and counselling – the most obvious being that in coaching the client knows where they want to go, whereas in counselling the client knows that they don’t want to stay where they are but have no clear idea  where they want to move to.

In other words, Coaching is usually goal-centred, or outcome based. The client knows the desired outcome (what they want), and is looking to the coach to help him/her to get there. A list of desired outcomes is of course endless, but outcomes that keep cropping up are: needing to get motivated, needing to perform when speaking in public, needing to be able to control anger, needing to be able to approach a prospective partner, needing to be able to cope with interviews of various types, needing to be able to take a plane, needing to be more assertive without being aggressive etc etc. Do feel free to ask us how we might help you to reach your goal.

Life-Skills Coaching is not just about learning new skills – although it will usually be necessary to address that eventually. At first it is more about looking at the way your life experience to date has not supported you in learning the skills you now require, and making up for lost time. In other words, for some reason you did not pick up certain life-skills, such as assertiveness, time management, communication, self-confidence, etc., and now you realise that you need them in certain areas of your life. We will then find a way of coaching and supporting you in making up for that lack of experience now. It is very do-able, and usually much easier and a lot less messy than making a clay pot!

Methods of coaching vary – Sue and David are both Master Practitioners of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming, INLPTA trained), and use that system as their coaching framework. This system is a bit of a “magpie” – it will take effective and proven techniques and learnings from any coaching and psychological method and shape them to the client’s needs. As one practitioner put it “If it works, it’s NLP.”

How long does coaching take? – most techniques can be done in half an hour, although for most clients the processes of creating a safe working space, defining the goal/outcome clearly and examining possible unintended consequences also takes time. Most coaching also involves some new learning, and creating a new habit, and that can require support for a few weeks afterwards. Coaching can be very rapid, but it cannot be rushed.

The relevant code of ethics we abide by when Coaching, are those produced by the Association for NLP International, and the certifying organisation INLPTA.

Our Services:

Counselling (more about counselling)

Psychotherapy (more about psychotherapy)

Life-skills coaching (more about coaching)

Counselling and Coaching for Men – with David (more about working with men)

Relaxation Training (more about relaxation)

Mindfulness Training (more about mindfulness)

Between us, we have a wealth of training and experience, and we walk our talk. Do check Sue’s page (link) and David’s page (link) for more information.