Areas of Expertise
I have a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. The theory from the two academic fields serves as the foundation of my coaching practice.
Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology focuses on our subjective experiences. By increasing our self-awareness we can learn about our individual traits, identify our strengths, and use this information to work towards improving our wellbeing and functioning at our optimum level. Positive Psychology does not deny that there are difficult times in life, but rather looks at these times as providing an opportunity for growth, and this expansive way of thinking can lead to incredible personal transformations.
Coaching Psychology
Coaching is a constructive, proactive practice, which focuses on finding answers rather than problems. By clarifying beliefs, coachees are able to set goals that are meaningful to them and aligned with their values. Coaching can help with behavioural change by identifying and challenging cognitive distortions or unhelpful negative thinking patterns. When we change our perspective on a situation, how we feel and what happens can change as a result, which can foster a renewed sense of control.
What Coaching Is, Vs What Coaching Is Not
Coaching is....
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A confidential space where you can feel safe to open up and explore your thoughts.
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An opportunity to learn to about yourself, your beliefs, your values, your wants, and your needs.
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A time to invite new ways of thinking/consider new perspectives that can unlock changes in how you feel and how things are.
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A chance to air your thoughts and/or worries in a judgement - free space.
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An opportunity to accelerate your development and progression, without the need for something to be 'wrong' or to have something that needs to be 'fixed'.
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The opportunity to forge your own pathway, by mapping out the steps between where you are now and where you'd like to get to.
Coaching is not....
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An alternative to therapy - they are different practices, and some topics are better suited to therapy.
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The same as mentoring - mentoring is about sharing advice and guidance based on someone's own experience.
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The place to over-analyse the things that you're unhappy with in your present - coaching acknowledges the present, but it's a practice that helps people move forward.
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The place to deep-dive into your childhood as a way of understanding your present - this is better suited to therapy.
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Only for people who have a challenge to work through - people who are already thriving can benefit from coaching to further enhance how things are.
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Something that you can force someone else to do - one should be invested in the intended outcome of coaching, rather than feeling that they are obliged to partake.