Question 1

What is Counselling?

Accepted Answer

The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) defines counselling as
"Psychothereapy and Counselling are professional activities that utilise an interpersonal relationship to enable people to develop self understanding and make changes in their lives".
 
In short, it is a confidential conversation where the client is given the time and space to talk, share their feelings and reflect upon themselves. Through this supportive relationship, subtle changes occur within the client's perception of self, leading to an improvement in their lives.

Question 2

What is Coaching?

Accepted Answer

The International Coaching Fedaration (ICF) defines coaching as "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential".
 
In short, coaching is a conversation wherby the client's own expertise is harnessed and new learning opportunites are employed to encourage and support the development of new life skills. It's these new skills that enable a client to achieve their desired goals leading to greater life satisfaction.

Question 3

What happens in the first Counselling session?

Accepted Answer

Each session lasts an hour.
 
After the initial Client Information Form is completed, I usually introduce myself and I get to know a little about you, maybe about your family, your friends, your hobbies, things you like to do. I do this to relax new clients as oftentimes, the first counselling session is daunting and it seems such a strange thing to do - to talk to a stranger!
 
Once the ice is broken, I invite you to talk about the thing that has brought you to meet with me that day. I might ask you questions to clarify what you have said and I usually summarise my understanding to make sure you know that I am hearing the meaning of what you have been saying. This is where you can correct my understanding to ensure that your true experience is being understood by me.
 
Sometimes I will close the session with a request for you to complete some work in between sessions (homework). This type of work might be to write a reflection, to observe certain behaviours, write a list or a letter. The work will always be related to your therapeutic needs and we review and build upon your work the follwoing session.
 
In my experience, new clients can't believe an hour has passed when I tell them and I see surprised relief spread across their faces!

Question 4

What happens in the first Coaching session?

Accepted Answer

Each session usually lasts an hour, however on an ongoing basis, less or more time might be required by you and can be adjusted according to your needs.
 
During the first session, I will outline to you the coaching experience and what to expect from coaching. Coaching is a fairly new idea, so many people don't have a clear idea what to expect or what they might be signing up for! There is no obligation to sign up to anything, infact, its your choice to end the coaching relationship at anytime.
 
Together we will create a coaching agreement which is a document that details the schedule of fees, confidentiality, cancellation policy, the nature of our relationship and the ethical framework that I operate within, but most importantly, the coaching agreement will detail what your coaching focus is for the duration of our agreement.
 
This way, you and I are agreed upon what the focus for your coaching will be which clearly gives us a direction to work towards. 
 
The coaching itself occurs though thought-provoking questions, physical or visual activities, role playing, games and anything that I feel will benefit the client's learning process as they take each step to move towards their goal.

Frequently asked questions

What is Counselling?

What is Coaching?

What happens in the first Counselling session?

What happens in the first Coaching session?