What is Coaching?

The International Coaching Federation (ICF – of which I am a member) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

Coaching honors the client as the expert in his/her life and work and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole.
Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:

• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve;
• Encourage client self-discovery;
• Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies; and
• Hold the client responsible and accountable.

What is Integral Life Coaching?

I've had my training through Integral Coaching Canada (ICC), whose curriculum is an implementation of Ken Wilber's Integral model.  Integral means whole, complete, comprehensive.  The goal of integral is to cultivate body, mind, soul and spirit in self, culture and nature.  Becoming trained as an Integral Coach^R results in a comprehensive yet individualized approach to coaching; a powerful way to evoke sustainable change.

What's all this about change?

A person generally comes to coaching because he or she wants to change in some way: either there is something holding him or her back from reaching a goal or realizing a dream, or he or she wants to become even more successful at something he or she is already successful at.  Our society does a great job at encouraging change (look at the continuously changing world of technology) but not such a good job at teaching us how to promote sustainable change.  Integral Life Coaching, which takes a comprehensive approach to change, can help you to develop skills to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

And why the emphasis on Sustainable Change?

Other types of coaching may allow you to temporarily change in some way, but may not offer a comprehensive approach to sustainable change which lasts well after the Coaching Program has ended.  A program which is rooted in a theory of what fosters sustainable change, confidential and compassionate support throughout the Coaching Program, practices and exercises which support your growth along the way, and much more.

Through the Coaching Program, you will develop skills which will allow you to show up more fully in your Coaching Topic.  Not only will these new skills help you in your Topic, you will find that they also work in other areas of your life.  They will become a part of you... tools you can use to help you better navigate other areas of life.

The differences between coaching, consulting and counseling:

How is coaching different from consulting?
Professional coaching is a distinct service focusing on the client, who is regarded as creative, resourceful and whole. A coach may work with clients to determine goals, create outcomes and manage personal change while keeping the client accountable to his own vision. Consultants, on the other hand, are retained to access specialized expertise. The assumption is that a consultant diagnoses problems, tells the client what to do and how to do it and may implement solutions.

How is coaching different from counseling?
Counseling addresses the past: healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or within relationships. Coaching is present-based, forward-moving, and future-focused, viewing clients as creative, resourceful, and whole, exploring what is possible for an individual, community, or business.

ICF Core Competencies:

The ICF is the world’s largest professional coaching organization and is renowned for its globally recognized credentialing program.  It also offers Core Competencies for coaches:

1.   Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards.
2.   Establishing the Coaching Agreement.
3.   Establishing Trust & Intimacy with the Client.
4.   Coaching Presence.
5.   Active Listening.
6.   Powerful Questioning.
7.   Direct Communication.
8.   Creating Awareness.
9.   Designing Actions.
10. Planning and Goal Setting.
11. Managing Progress and Accountability.

[Please note that the information above was gathered from the International Coach Federation site and related materials].

One of the great things about an Integral Life Coaching approach is that it incorporates the ICF Core Competencies into the Coaching process; so, as we as practitioners learn the process, we also incorporate these Core Competencies, thus satisfying ICF coaching standards.

Another aspect of Integral Life Coaching is that it contains knowledge of what fosters and supports change in a client.  On an intellectual level, we may know we want or even need to change in an area, but on some other level we also have a tendency to maintain our current way.  Coaching can allow us to take a step back from our typical responses to situations.  It is from this widened perspective where the change process becomes more likely.

The third and final component of Integral Life Coaching I will mention here (there's so much to say) is that although sustainable change takes time, almost immediately you will get a sense of where you want to proceed in the coaching program and a better sense of how to get there.  This sense of direction - along with my support - will help guide you on your way to reaching your goal and toward some of the many benefits of coaching.