What is Coaching? The Definition and the reason you might want to at least try it.

Lately, I have been asked by others what is coaching? Before answering them, I am always curious to find out what they think it is. In response, most of them have shared their belief that they think it is a form of therapy. And to be honest, I too at one time thought the same.

Coaching does have its roots in psychology. However, it is not therapy or counseling. As Coaches, we do not diagnose; we do not offer treatment plans; we do not go into the past to heal it; and we do not see ourselves as the expert in our clients’ lives.

Rather, in coaching, it is the client who is the expert. It is the client who leads, and it is the Coach who walks alongside them. It is the client who determines what they wish to discuss in the sessions and who creates their plan of action, their next steps.

So, if coaching does not look into the past, where does it go? What does it focus on then? Well, coaching focuses on being in the present moment while looking towards the future. Coaching can dip into the past, however only briefly, with the intention to understand the present moment.

When I have shared this essence of coaching with my clients in our initial sessions, they are at first skeptical. By the end of our sessions, with heartfelt gratitude, they have all shared that coaching has turned out to be beyond what they had imagined or thought it to be, and that their lives have changed for the better.

Are you interested in giving coaching a try or learning more about how it could improve your life? If so, please feel free to reach out to me.

Chandan Singh-Beatty at 416-268-7190 or email me at chandan@chandansinghbeatty.com.

*** Photo by Aamir Suhail on Unsplash