My Approach to Coaching

There are plenty of articles on the internet that describe the differences between psychotherapy and coaching.

Here is my definition of coaching.  Coaching is helping people achieve targeted goals and specific outcomes, overcoming environmental or internal obstacles that prevent a person from reaching his or her potential.

With executive coaching, the focus is primarily on how to function better in the business.  Some goals may include increasing motivation, enhancing communication skills, and developing better work habits.

In my approach, coaching is more strategic, more specific, and time-limited.  At the beginning of a coaching relationship, we set goals, number of sessions, and time limit.


Limitations of Coaching

In certain cases, I started off with coaching an individual.  However, there were a variety of yellow, orange, and red flags that the individual needed more than coaching.  In those cases, I work with the individual to explain how we need to switch over to psychotherapy.

Some warning signs that coaching is not working:

1. The individual starts to reveal signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety that prevent her or him from making progress on specific assignments or goals.


2. The individual spends more time on expressing negative affect during the coaching session, so that we are focusing more on problems rather than solutions or paths to success.


3. The individual refuses to discuss certain issues in the coaching session, such as an internal lack of motivation or triggers that distract from reaching goals.


4. Fear, shame, or embarrassment prevent the individual from moving forward with targeted goals.

In these situations, my suggestion is to switch over to psychotherapy services to deal with underlying emotional and behavioral issues that are interfering with productivity, goals, and fulfillment.

If I do not accept the individual's insurance or they want to see a different mental health professional, then a referral will be made as needed.


Online Coaching

I also use doxy.me for coaching because it is HIPAA-compliant. Skype is not a HIPAA-compliant platform and your privacy is important to me.