The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines professional coaching as “an ongoing relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.”
Ontological coaching focuses on the client’s perception of his or her way of being. This is a collaborative learning process. Together, we will learn about what makes up your way of being – how do you show up in the world – how do you WANT to show up in the world – and how do you make transformative changes in terms of body, emotion and language that will let you reach your goals that enhance your life, career, relationships, and change your world for the better?
Coaching is not therapy, nor a replacement for therapy. Whereas in therapy the underling assumption is that there is a wound in need of healing, in coaching, we both enter the relationship whole and complete and we work together to create practices that will help you move forward to create positive change. Coaching does not address nor claim to heal or correct psychological or mental illnesses that require medical attention. If you are under the care of a mental health professional, it is advisable that you share your intention to pursue coaching with your medical practitioner.
Coaching is not consulting, training, or mentoring. Again, those assume a particular hierarchy in skills, whereas in coaching, you are the expert in you. While I may introduce certain “distinctions” to help provide a different perspective or bring “models” into use as possibilities, in the end, all of the practices we build are co-created.
Key points:
• Ongoing relationship in learning where the coach guides, acting as another observer
• Results focused of long lasting transformative results in any aspect of life
• Ontological approach: addresses concerns related to our way of being – how do we show up in the world?
• Coaching is a relationship of equals, whole and complete