FAQ

Why try coaching?

Coaching is worth trying if these statements ring true to you and whet your appetite for challenging yourself:

  • Change requires commitment.
  • Small steps can add up.
  • It’s easier to accomplish change if we have steady support from another person.

What can I expect in coaching?

In coaching, I will help you identify both short-term and long-term goals and break down these goals into small, achievable steps. You can expect me to be honest and direct, asking straightforward questions and using challenging techniques to help you move forward. As you commit yourself to taking a particular step, I will be available to help hold you to that commitment in whatever way is most helpful to you. Some clients want to be held accountable by reporting to me by phone or email, but for some, the simple act of expressing the commitment out loud in the coaching session is all they need.

You are always the one who sets the agenda. Each coaching session will be focused on what you choose to focus on.

Every person has different experiences and different goals, so the way I coach you will always reflect your unique needs and style.

If I want to try coaching, what kind of time commitment is required?

A typical coaching session lasts thirty minutes and takes place by phone, so that it fits easily into your day. It is recommended that coaching sessions be scheduled once a week to start, to establish momentum. You are always free to stop coaching, or reduce the frequency of sessions, for any reason.

How is coaching different from psychotherapy?

In addition to being a coach, I am also a licensed psychologist in New York. I will not conduct psychotherapy with my coaching clients.

As your coach, my job is to help you to take information and skills that you already have and (1) make decisions about what changes you would like to achieve, (2) develop a personal “action plan” in order to make those changes, (3) implement your action plan, and (4) develop strategies to maintain the changes you have made.

Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is a health care service. Its primary focus is to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders. The goals include alleviating symptoms, understanding personality dynamics, and changing dysfunctional behaviors. It is usually reimbursable through health insurance policies (while coaching, at present, is not).

How are coaching and meditation connected?

Coaching helps us move forward, with planning, goals, and concrete actions, while meditation opens us to the timeless, goalless quality of being in the present moment.  I try to help clients value where they are as well as where they are going, so that they can take action with ease and contentment.