WHT Coaching: The success of
your future begins with the steps
you make today.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Professional Coaching is a partnership, between a certified life coach and an individual or team, that supports successful outcomes, based on goals set by the individual or team. Through the process of coaching, individuals focus on the skills and actions needed to achieve their personally desired results.

The individual or team chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach contributes observations and questions as well as concepts and principles necessary to create new options and choices and identifying actions necessary to achieve the desired results. Coaching accelerates the individual’s or team’s progress by providing greater focus and awareness of possibilities leading to more effective choices.

The role of the coach is to provide objective observations that foster the individual’s or team members’ self-awareness and awareness of others, use listening skills to obtain a full understanding of the individual’s or team’’s situation, be a sounding board in support of creating options and thoughtful planning and decision making. A coach also champions opportunities and potential in individuals and teams, encourages stretching into new actions, creates fresh perspectives, articulates blind spots in order to create new possibilities, and support the creation of next steps forward. Finally, the coach maintains professional boundaries in the coaching relationship, including confidentiality (within the bounds of the law), and adheres to the coaching profession’s code of ethics.

Coaching is not a replacement for therapy. It is not designed to focus on healing the past. The purpose of coaching is looking at this moment in time, and then moving forward.

Contents of the FAQ

What are the benefits of coaching?

You make a commitment to yourself and your future. You create a partnership with your coach who brings coaching tools, experience and commitment to you. Individuals who engage in a coaching relationship can expect to experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles, while increasing their level of personal fulfillment. But how can you determine if coaching is right for you?

Start by summarizing what you would hope to accomplish in coaching. Since coaching is a partnership, also decide if you find it valuable to have another viewpoint and to be asked to consider new perspectives. Ask yourself if you are ready to devote the time and the energy necessary to make real changes in your work or life. If the answer to these questions is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way for you to grow and develop.

What are some typical reasons someone might work with a coach? There are many reasons, including:

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What is the responsibility of the individual/team in the coaching relationship?

The responsibility of the individual or team who hires a coach is to create the coaching agenda based on personally meaningful goals, devote time, focus and energy to their coaching sessions and assignments between sessions. They should be prepared to celebrate successes, be fully honest with their coach, and always come to the call regardless of their enthusiasm level. They should also be open to being supported, challenged, and called to be their best self. Individuals and teams should be open to new perspectives and look at the big picture of their life, while engaging in co-creating beliefs and actions that will support their success. Individuals are also expected to take responsibility for their decisions and actions in, and between, coaching sessions.

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How is coaching delivered? What does the process look like?

Coaching begins with a personal interview to assess the individual’s current opportunities and challenges, identify priorities, explore the compatibility of coach and individual/team, address questions, find the right coaching options for you and then establish whether to engage in a coaching relationship at this time. This interview will either be face-to-face or by phone call, depending on location and coaching requirements.

Should the coach be hired, subsequent coaching sessions will be conducted by telephone, with each session lasting a previously established length of time. These coaching sessions are very much focused on you, your goals, and finding the next step in your path to success, overcoming obstacles and creating the next stage in your plan. Individual coaching typically lasts 40 minutes three times per month, with unlimited email support. Other coaching plan options exist, depending on resources available to the individual. Relationship or team coaching varies, depending on need and resources available.

Coaching by phone is highly effective, efficient, and engaging. In-person coaching is required for team coaching or facilitation.

Between scheduled coaching sessions, you have mutually-agreed assignments that help you gain movement and learning toward your goal. Coaching is action oriented, while helping you be intentional in the daily choices you make. You report in by email on successes, challenges, and learning, allowing the next call to be focused on acknowledging your progress and developing your next steps. This provides forward movement on goals, as well as integrating learning and skills. The coach may provide additional resources in the form of relevant articles, book recommendations, that support the individual’s thinking and actions.

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What is a typical coaching session like?

For individuals: You call your coach at your appointed time, having already taken a little time to be focused and aware of what you want from the call. Some pre-call planning sheets are available to help you in this. The call always focuses on your agenda—the coach is there to serve you. On the call you will celebrate your successes from your previously agreed assignments, look at areas that did not work so well in order to strategize next steps. Also, you may have a particular focus you want to work on that day. The coach will use powerful questions, new perspectives, acute listening skills, and other coaching tools to help you move forward. At the end of the call you will leave the call with agreed assignments that will move you into action and help you deepen your learning about how you work and think.

For Relationships and teams: This will vary from situation to situation, depending upon your needs. An initial interview process with questions about the current situation, and the desired outcomes will be carried out, and an agreed plan developed for your specific needs. Sessions can involve direct coaching, education, new skills training, facilitation or powerful exercises to help communication and understanding within the team. Each program will vary, depending on the unique needs of the relationship or team.

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How much time should I allow for my assignments outside the regular appointments with my coach?

Assignments will vary in the amount of time they require. Some can be incorporated into activities you are already doing, and take little extra time. Others may take several hours in your week. All assignments are designed and agreed with you before the coaching session ends. This way you choose how much you will commit to in any given week. Much of the development of your goals happens in this between-session time. Therefore, the more time you commit, the faster the results.

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What if I don’t do my assignments—will I get in trouble?

There is no judgment in coaching. Only curiosity. Your coach will simply notice that you have not followed through and be curious about what got in the way, and how to work around that. Should that continue, it is a sign that you and your coach need to redesign how you are working. Should that redesign not produce results, you may want to seek a different coach more suited to your needs, or some other profession to process your situation.

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How long does a coach work with an individual?

The length of a coaching partnership varies depending on the need and preference of the client. While most work with a coach for 3 to 6 months, others find it beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period and choose to work on new goals, or develop the current ones even further. Factors that may impact the length of time include: the types of goals, the ways individuals or teams like to work, the frequency of coaching meetings, and financial resources available to support coaching. WHT Coaching requests a 3-month minimum agreement to help achieve maximum impact and progress. After that, clients can retain WHT Coaching on a month-by-month basis.

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How and when does the coaching relationship end?

The coaching relationship ends after an agreed time, or can continue on a month-by-month basis, depending on the needs and goals of the individual or team. Many continue coaching after the initial 3-month agreement, while reducing the frequency of coaching each month, thus reducing costs.

When coaching is ending, the last session or so will be used to review the tools you have learned, reinforce the strengths you have uncovered in yourself, and to help you be clear about your focus and next steps in your life.

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How much does coaching cost and what payment options are available?

A variety of coaching plans are available for individuals and organizations,each designed to maximize your progress as well as meet you resources. Please call for details and pricing.

For individuals, payment is by credit card. Organizations may pay by check.Other payment arrangements are possible by agreement.

Is coaching covered by insurance? Is it tax deductible?

At this time, coaching is not covered by insurance companies. Coaching may be deductible if it fits into the category of a business expense. Please consult your Tax Consultant to see if coaching is a deductible expense for you.

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What should someone look for when selecting a coach?

The most important thing to look for in selecting a coach is someone with whom you feel you can easily relate create and the most powerful partnership. Here are some aspects you may want in a coach: