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FAQ

• Is coaching only for people who struggle?

  Coaching is for people who would like to achieve their goals faster and with less stress.

  Some people, indeed, decide to enlist the help of a coach when they realize that they struggle with achieving their goals or even knowing what these goals are. But others might choose to do it simply because they value their time and understand that having support usually speeds things up and often leads to deeper changes.

  It's worth noting that if you struggle with a mental health disorder, then, for safety reasons, I won't be able to work with you unless you provide me with a written permission from your therapist.

• What's the difference between therapy and coaching?

  Therapy and coaching overlap: both of them work with your inner world, sense of self, emotional intelligence, and so on, and generally lead to improvements in your life and wellbeing. However, a therapist is qualified to help you deal with mental health issues and disorders, whereas a coach isn't.

  Therapy is often focused on the past and the present, helping you understand how your lived experience affects the choices you make today. Its job is to aid you in working through any traumatic events from the past and heal you emotionally so you're able to make different choices going forward.

  Coaching is mostly focused on the present and the future. The main idea is to help you make meaningful progress toward your goal, overcoming any obstacles that arise along the way and supporting you emotionally. A coach is your thought partner, able to reflect things back at you in such a way as to broaden your perspective.

  In both cases, you'll learn a lot about yourself, your emotions, relationships, and views on life. In fact, some of the best results are often achieved when a client has both a therapist and a coach.

• Will you tell me what to do?

  One of the core ideas of coaching (at least, by International Coaching Federation standards) is that a client always knows what's best for them deep down. They just need a coach's help to dig this knowledge up and use it efficiently.

  So no, I won't tell you what to do or give you any homework in a prescriptive manner. Frankly, I don't believe it works. Instead, I will help you realize what you think is the best thing to try out given your circumstances and knowledge of self. Once you've tried it, we'll assess the results and I'll help you map out your next step.

  In short, I'm here to support you, not to tell you how to live your life.

• Is coaching a quick fix that will immediately make my life amazing?

  I wish I had such power! Alas, I'm but a mere mortal.

  Jokes aside, coaching won't work if you don't. Commit to implementing what we discuss, and you can get amazing results in due time. Come to my sessions simply to chit-chat, and it's going to be money and time completely wasted. There's no work around. As with everything that has to do with human psyche, changes take time and effort.

• I heard that coaching is only for executives and leaders. Is it true?

  I've coached designers, nurses, HRs, art historians, SAHMs, and so on. Coaching is for people of any profession and status.

• What's your education?

  I've completed 76 hours of Level 1 International Coaching Federation accredited coaching education. You can see my diploma on LinkedIn.

  Right now I'm working on obtaining my ACC credentials and membership with ICF. ICF is the largest international coaching federation aiming to advance coaching excellence, impact, and value worldwide. If you're a client of an ICF member, you can complain to them in case of ethical misconduct on the coach's part, and ICF will investigate. It's important to me that my clients feel protected, that's why I'm pursuing these credentials and membership.

  After that I plan to continue my education, broadening my skillset and knowledge of psychology. I'm particularly interested in Internal Family Systems and how it could be integrated into coaching.

• Do I have to pay the full price in one go?

  Depending on the program you choose, there are payment plans available. Usually it's either splitting the fee 50/50 (50% upfront, and 50% in the middle of the program), or monthly payments. Since processing multiple payments requires admin time on my part, paying upfront is marginally cheaper.

  Regardless of the payment plan, no service is provided until each respective payment is received.

• What happens at a discovery call?

  Magic! Well, sort of. A discovery call is a place for us to meet and pass a vibe check, among other things.

  I want to know what brought you to me to determine if I can help you, so I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions about your situation and yourself. You're free to share as much or as little as you like, of course.

  If I can't help you, I will say so upfront. My goal isn't to lure you in by whatever means possible. First of all, that's gross. Second of all, if you know anything about psychology, then you know that it simply doesn't work that way. A client has to choose to work with me for coaching to be successful. So instead, I will do my best to provide you with relevant referrals, if I happen to know someone who could help.

  If I think I can be of help, I'll tell you more about my programs and what you might expect from them. You'll get an opportunity to ask me any questions you might have. Ideally, by the end of the call you'll have a clear idea of whether I'm a good match for you as a coach, and I will know if I can help you or not.