Long Term Coaching Models (May 2020) Discussion Forum

[Melody Rose]

To establish a coaching relationship and focus the session I prepared a summary of what has come up in past sessions and a sample of what a long-term coaching program could look like for my client. At the beginning of the session we both took a few deep breaths to ground and become present and then I shared the document with my client.
Long term coaching fit into the NCC session by using metaphors and examples of how techniques like a daily sit spot can help create inspiration, clarity, etc over time. Long term coaching fits perfectly into NCC programs because they are both in cyclical ceremonies and ongoing. We talked about the 8 directions and coaching wheels and will explore them more in future sessions.
A challenge I faced was my client being apprehensive of signing up for an 8 month program, which I totally understand can seem overwhelming so we agreed on a few sessions at a discounted price for now them will revisit. She is aware that there are things she needs and wants to work on which is why I highlighted some things that have come up at previous sessions right at the beginning of this discussion. I am confident that in the next few sessions we will set a sturdy foundation to continue to build this long term program on.
I learned that in the moment I probably sold myself a little short, but that this will take practice and was a good start. I am confident in my coaching abilities and deserve to be compensated for them! Now I just need to build the confidence to ask for it.
The readings and the material at the intensive emphasize the flow of change and growth. It’s not a straight line that just ends, there is no end, it’s all a process… Which is why nature is such a great example for coaching. Being able to track what stage the client is in will help me be a better guide, listener and observer.
Some ideas I have for how I might use LTC and NCC in the future with my client are to invite her to complete the life coaching/self assessment tools, create a parts work mandala, identify her resources and establish a daily nature connection practice. We can then explore where she is in her vision process, set goals and milestones and get to work.
Long term coaching enhances my coaching presence by being able to focus on the current path and being able to make a note of something that may be able to be explored deeper in a future session. So we can both be more focused. I can hold a better container with more space for my client to explore because I know there will be another session to get back to something if we need to. I will listen for where my client is in a cycle of change in the current session but also in the program as a whole. It helps build a stronger coach/client relationship. It gives a better opportunity for a wider angle vision.
I am excited to work with my client and see what she will create, heal and discover. This could not happen in a single session.

[Nadine]

That simple phase Mel “they are both in cyclical ceremonies and ongoing” was the missing piece of the puzzle for me to fully understand how Long term coaching and Nature connected coaching totally fit. Thank you.

What I am understanding more and more from reading everyone’s posts is that it is OK to present a shell of a program to a client even if this is not what the client is willing or able to do. At least it gives a place to start a conversation that both the client and the coach can pursue to design a program that works for both.

As always, I appreciate your courage and your vulnerability to move forward in the face of discomfort and going into the unknown. You Rock Mel!!

[Sheri]

Nadine – “a shell of a program” – ding ding!!! That is what I was trying to come up with. The shell is what we bring. The guidance. The structure. They fill it with the “guts” – the need – the answers. We co-create it.

[taylor.j.short]

Initial Post – 6/9/2020

I did not do this with an actual practice client, but will base my mentions on how I have/will do this moving forward.
• Describe how you would Establish the Coaching Agreement
I would establish the coaching agreement after an initial discovery session to see where the client is and what needs/expectations they have. With the coaching agreement, I would offer three tiered options to work in long-term coaching agreement.
• What opportunities could arise that would allow you to apply the concepts learned in this module, and how would you invite it in.
The ability to hear a deeper need under the initial want in the discovery session with the client. Additionally, working long term would allow for the unknown and the willingness to be flexible and work together with the client along the way to determine milestones.
• What steps did you take to establish the Coaching Relationship and focus the session?
I plan on having a contract before starting and level-setting expectations up front. I really want to bring in the direct ask early on in the session posing to the client, “what do you want to work/focus on for this session?” I also really loved the monthly check in/assessment with the client and definitely intend to implement that with my clients.

• How did or could Long-Term Coaching fit into your nature-connected coaching session?
I love playing with how nature can fit into long-term coaching. So many ways! Perhaps having the same nature spot to meet at to almost develop a “sit-spot” with a client for sessions. With this, you have the ability to notice changes, animals, seasons and play with the changes of nature over time and tap into those metaphors.
• What did you learn about yourself and nature-connected coaching?
What I am learning about myself as a coach is the need to push a bit more in directive guidance. That continues to be an opportunity for me and know that I want to play with having a loving presence that is also grounded and secure for my clients.
• What ideas do you have for how you might use Long-Term Coaching and nature-connected coaching in the future with your client?
Personally, I really only want to focus on long-term coaching. I have realized that over time, my ideal client is someone who is really ready to do the work and willingness to transform. It’s not a short process. With this, I have been figuring out what length of time my packages would be. I think three months would be the shortest. Of course, as always, bringing nature into the picture. Helping to transform that client’s relationship to nature right alongside with their relationship to themselves. Guiding them on how to work and learn from nature over a long period of time.
• How does Long-Term Coaching effect or enhance your Coaching Presence and approach?
Working with someone long-term is ideal. You truly get to know your client and understand them on a deeper level. Your coaching presence is more natural and laid back and you have the ability to notice trends or patterns from your client. Additionally, the understanding in communication will be established so not as much will be lost in translation and listening and learning on a deeper level will happen.

[taylor.j.short]

Melody! I love the similarities in our responses. And what I felt from your post was the true vastness of OPPORTUNITY when embarking in NCC and LTC. I think for us nature lovers, it’s like a kid in a candy store figuring out all the great tools we can show them and how nature is so amazing AND to support and witness their transformation over time.

[Kim Gilchrist]

Initial post – 6.10.20

I had a chance to meet with two practice clients in a joint session and talk through what a long-term coaching solution would look like for them. Something that they would be interested in as a long-term group vs. individuals which I thought was a really interesting approach and also much more aligned with where my business plan is heading.

The way I am looking at establishing the coaching agreement is to spend the first session(s) to get to understand and know the client. And to assess if a long-term agreement is a) right for them b) right for them at this time, and c) right for them for their overall goals. With my two clients we talked in depth about why they might find this right for them and right for them at this time. Both of them stressed how much they don’t want to be considered ‘broken’ but instead to be able to have an emotional/physical/intellectual/spiritual check point ongoing. Neither were ready to commit to too long of a term so we agreed to put an agreement together that initially is 3 months with the option to extend or cancel from there. What really started gelling for both them, as clients, and me, as a coach, is that we came up with this type of agreement together so there is more of a commitment.

The key learning for me on this is that needs to be boilerplate information such as the payment terms, language on cancelling/extending (e.g., 2 week’s written notice for either), expectations on the coaching plan, and so on. The way the agreement can then be tailored for each client(s) needs – a short-term 1-2 sessions to a long-term full commitment and what is in between – is so essential.

Then the group dynamic of it too, created an excitement for them. So we discussed that if they share sessions then the costs can be shared as well. For what they want to work on and the comfort level they had of sharing with and in-front of each other, we agreed it should work and we would try it. Within the agreement I will add in a clause for stepping out of it as individuals (if needed) and what they cause and effect that would be.

I do see there may be some bigger hurdles as we try to create agreed upon milestones for them together and as individuals. But that will be part of a future discussion.

We did all of this as we were doing a water-wander (a.k.a., paddling through a quiet reservoir). Since both of these clients love being out on the water, it was a very comfortable place to be and we were able to share ideas of how we could expand from here. It was being in a moving sit-spot which is another idea I want to incorporate into my business since that is such a natural place for me as a coach as well.

Reflecting on this overall, the long-term coaching aspect just makes sense to me. Since my business will be based more on teaching with coaching incorporated into this, it will be absolutely necessary to create & cultivate these relationships. It also is very similar to how I have approached my consulting business in which I very rarely take on short-term project but instead take on long-term and/or multiple elements to create a more cohesive result. In this same light, my students/clients will have more cohesive results as we look toward a more holistic, long-term approach that can be as flexible as it needs to be.

[Nadine]

One of the points that I remember clearly from our May intensive training is that the long term coaching plan is really designed in collaboration with the client, and this image was strengthened in my mind when I read that your practice clients said they would be interested in as a long-term GROUP coaching, which is likely different from what you had in mind.
We might initially think it would be easier for us as coaches to have a template, or templates, we could reutilize with our different clients for simplicity and out of efficiency. But how would that work? Our clients are so different. They have different needs. They are at different stages in the process. So I am thinking, even if we have some type of shell (e.g.: intensive coaching program, maintenance program…) defining the program (services, length, etc) has to be done in partnership with the client to insure buy-in, and as you put it, there is more of a commitment.

[Matthew Nannis]

First off: I am SO excited that MAYBE I just figured out how to actually reply to a post in-line!!! So I would like to pause in that accomplishment for a moment if I may …….

Okay, Thnx!! Kim! “I do see there may be some bigger hurdles as we try to create agreed upon milestones for them together and as individuals. But that will be part of a future discussion.” I appreciate this bigger picture lens that you seem to be using in staying curious about the development/evolution of this group work. I am hopeful that you continue to explore (and share about it!!) the group offerings as a way to bring in more dynamism (is that actually a word?!) to sessions when you and your clients collectively feel an openness to it! I have explored the individual sessions from the similar curiosity – “jeez, I wonder how this group dynamic plays out in a 1-on-1 session over the long haul?” There is so much space to play in with this work! And I am so drawn to the concept of a moving sit-spot. It reminds me of all the times we have heard “don’t forget that you and your client are nature, too!” in our intensives…I lean on that a LOT, and love how you bring the water element into that. AND, I’m taking a group down the French Broad this Sunday…so it’s all sorts of apropos!

[Kim Gilchrist]

Melody and Taylor – As I am reading your initial posts the thing that really sparks me is how unique we are all taking the long-term coaching idea to make it our own for our clients. That is so cool and so much a reflection of who we are as people and as coaches.

Mel – your approach to this with the directions and stating that “there is no end, it’s a process” really hit home with the learning/readings we just did in the intensive. And admitting that you felt you sold yourself short but learned from that to move forward is such a powerful step for us as coaches. This saying came to mind: Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. (Confucious).

Taylor – your thought out approach to this the with understanding that LTC is your bread and butter, puts you in such a good place to build these relationships. Having the contracts prepared, time-frames you want to offer and by being so ready you are really able to focus on the deeper needs & communication with the client is really what its about. The idea of the same sit-spot for client sessions so there is a comfort along with being out in/absorbing nature during this time is a great way to always have that connection.

[Sheri]

Initial Post – Shaping a long term plan during training to pitch to my practice client I was able to see how taking – just like in mirroring their words back to them during a coaching session – I found that to be powerful in the pitch, using their words. Introducing her to the models we were using and showing where I see her, along with getting her agreement or adjustment to where she is along the path, the cycle or on the model; I think helps plant the seed that they are on a path and have a distance to go which helps them in seeing how a long term plan fits. When they see, or agree, they are only half way through the cycle, for example.

I had a recent session with an existing client and I found the conversation went naturally into Parts Work. Due to the initial work and use of Parts Work I feel it lends itself easily to long term coaching. With this client it came up initially around the idea of a possible tool to work through some issues, we had worked with some generic parts work for a few sessions awhile back but at the time did not take it deeper. I revisited this option when she was sharing another internal struggle and since we had success prior it seemed a natural plug, she said possibly but at this time wished to focus on something else. Then again at the end of the session, as we discussed self awareness, I revisited parts work as a great self awareness tool. Planting seeds to establish more of a long term commitment possibility.

My plans for using long term coaching will be based on a HARMONY model I am creating from combining and over-laying models we have been exposed to in training; including the life balance wheel, the concentric rings and the compass/four shields. These along with my own personal view of flow into harmony, which has been groomed for me recently through the HARMONY Challenge I posed to potential clients. The challenge included the following themes or daily topics: H = Health, A = Area, R = Release, M = Motive, O = Oneness, N = Now, Y = You; as areas of self-awareness and when providing the energy to these topics as needed, harmony is more likely to flow.

I am seeing the Challenge as an entry point to this plan/program. I see flexibility in the plan based on where the client is currently, the goals they have, and the pace they want to travel at all being moving pieces of the plan. As I write this, I am noticing this has a feel like a personal trainer? What am I thinking about that? What is this telling me? Or mean to me? OK, yes. Similar but not just focusing on health/fitness or even life goals, but finding HARMONY! The flow, the sense that you are on the right path. That the universe/God etc., are working in your favor. Energy is flowing in the right direction. On track. Connected.

As a portion of this plan I see offering HARMONY retreats that focus on self-awareness to include Parts Work, which mentioned earlier, leads very nicely into long term work with a client. An important aspect of my model is to keep it flexible / customizable. It is not a fix, not a magic formula. It is not a guarantee that if you do all these things you will get harmony, but I have certainly found that by working on these areas in my own life I am more apt to find myself in that flow and when harmony is found your goals, dreams – soul direction really are accessible to you.

I also really clicked with the idea of front loading the sessions of the long term plan. I realize this puts a stronger commitment on me as the guide up front financially. If payments are spread out more over the long term and in person sessions are heavier as we start the plan. So there may need to be clear expectations around payments up front. What I currently sense is weekly or more often if desired, then moving to a monthly session based on the client’s ability to do the work with accountability coming in more of a hands off manner, texting or quick calls.

Some of this accountability I see happening in support groups or accountability teams. I am starting my first one of these teams up next week with the first group of my challenge achievers. Time will tell how this will play out and what power there will be in it, again I expect that this concept will work for some clients and not for all. Nature is woven in throughout, through introduction of sit-spot routines, time in nature, meditation and practice of presence using wide angle and 360 growing awareness to the world around us through nature connection. One-on-One sessions occur in nature and wanders being open to nature and the lessons or messages it holds for us. This is critical not just for my clients but I realize how much more so it is for me. The necessity of taking the time I need for nature connection and soul direction to show up as my clients need me to, in my own flow.

[Nadine]

Hello Sheri, The idea of setting up the expectation for full payment upfront is sitting well with me. I have too experienced with my longer term clients that the initial sessions are more frequent as in on a weekly basis, and that is when the clients are in contemplation or planning phases. But then moving into the action phase, by then the client has a roadmap defined, the clients “have gotten it”, or at least they might think they have, and the meeting pace is relaxed. Sometime it takes the client to run into an obstacle to call for a session. But without an established structure, and regular check points, we run the risk of losing a client who has lost the purpose along the way. And for this reason, and to remunerate our investment in the client, I would also try to get paid upfront for the cost of the whole program as defined with the client. In addition, the more skin they have in the game, the more committed the client is. So defining and customizing a program in great details with the clients is really necessary so that the expectations are understood and accepted.

[Matthew Nannis]

Yep. I totally figured it out! Sheri! “I also really clicked with the idea of front loading the sessions of the long term plan. I realize this puts a stronger commitment on me as the guide up front financially. If payments are spread out more over the long term and in person sessions are heavier as we start the plan. So there may need to be clear expectations around payments up front.” My board is 100% with you on this one! Your reflection, and much of the discussion around this topic in particular, has brought up this interesting awareness for me with some consistency. It’s like, “Oh YEAH! This is also my JOB! And I got RENT/MORTGAGE/BILLS!!!” haha. I think that this comment of yours has brought me back to some of the first gap-work analysis I did with Ben Marchman during practice sessions when I began this curriculum with you all. It’s easy for me to lose sight of the fact that this is also work. Don’t get me wrong, the effort and studying and emails and meetings and permits and AHHHH all are pretty wonderful reminders that it is work! That said, the exchange, the time with a client, is such a calm…in the eye-of-the-storm sort of a sensation for me, that I find this topic – and your reflections on the pragmatic ways to approach it – to be so valuable. so THANK YOU!

[Sheri]

Wow. So glad you both, Nadine & Matt, got something from my comment. Although what you got was not what I was actually saying. Funny. I was not referring to getting payment up front but am certainly now thinking I may need to consider that since you both seemed to see the importance of it. LOL! I was just acknowledging that if I plan to offer more work up front yet spread payments out over the full time of the contract I need to be aware, or am thinking of having some kind of cancellation policy where they pay the difference of time spent. Will need to keep this all in mind. I just don’t see someone paying up front for the entire contract but rather a benefit they would see is that the payments stay the same monthly even if they get more value up front. Again, I realize that puts more on me from an investment standpoint and therefore should be discussed in advance with the client. Going to have to process on this one some more.

[Matthew Nannis]

HAHA! That’s awesome! So fascinating what can come to the surface! Thank you for offering this clarification, Sheri! Good insights into where I’m at too, that I read it the way that I did!

[Mandy Bishop]

Hi Melody,

Awesome job presenting a plan to your client!!! That takes a lot of extra thought and care and some courage as well. And you did it! I want to respond to what you said here: “A challenge I faced was my client being apprehensive of signing up for an 8 month program, which I totally understand can seem overwhelming so we agreed on a few sessions at a discounted price for now them will revisit. She is aware that there are things she needs and wants to work on which is why I highlighted some things that have come up at previous sessions right at the beginning of this discussion. I am confident that in the next few sessions we will set a sturdy foundation to continue to build this long term program on.”

This is something I have experienced as well as a coach, and can understand from the client perspective. This gives us good feedback, as you noted, that we can present our clients with an overall plan which helps to establish for us both that there is a long term holding and vision for growth, and at the same time we can go at the clients pace and meet them within their commitment window of tolerance. Like you said, the next few sessions will help you to set a sturdy foundation that you can continue to build the long term plan on.

Great work!

[Mandy Bishop]

Wow, Kim, that’s awesome that you are finding your way of incorporating the longterm coaching approach within your specific vision and business plan! I love that this happened on the water 🙂

“Neither were ready to commit to too long of a term so we agreed to put an agreement together that initially is 3 months with the option to extend or cancel from there. What really started gelling for both them, as clients, and me, as a coach, is that we came up with this type of agreement together so there is more of a commitment.”

I think what you said here, noting that the agreement/commitment was perhaps effected by the fact that you worked together to come up with it, speaks to the collaborating and partnering with the client(s) and to the depth of your listening.

Well done!

[Nadine]

INITIAL POST
My goal was to meet with an existing client I have been working with for several months but it has not been possible to find a time in the last couple of weeks. So I am left to imagine and to plan what our next session will be, and how I will be bringing long term coaching to our conversation. In many ways, long term coaching is what I have been doing with my client from the start, without having openly said it and never formalized it.

It only took a couple of sessions with my client back in October to identify her bigger need. When we first met, my client was very much in the contemplation stage, as she was considering transitioning out of a career she has been holding for 15 years. When we started, we used to meet weekly and our 90mn-sessions were very full and vibrant. The client became quickly very clear about her bigger need, which allowed her to jump wholeheartedly into planning. Now the client is in full action stage, walking towards her vision one step at a time. Covid did put a winkle in my client’s short term plan in terms of implementation, but my client has repurposed her energy in other ways that support her long term plan. We are no longer meeting as often but we are keeping a quasi monthly cadence, which is what seems to be needed to support my client. I would not be surprised to see our coaching-client relationship continuing on as an as-needed basis for months to come. My client is very driven, very resourceful, and very much in touch with her true Self. She also has given herself a 5-year deadline to create a new career for herself. The reality is that a lot could happen in 5 years. To start with, the unplanned Covid and BLM movement have happened and are happening, and impacts on people’s life, financial, emotional, psychological, and on their future may or may not be obvious yet. But it is a reality and in such times, it would be understandable and easier to slow down, quit, or no longer seeing the point. So support our clients during these times will be crucial, to remind them why they wanted to do that in the first place, and to continue to be their biggest supporters.

When I meet with my client, I will want to do an assessment of where she is in light of the last 3 months, to understand if her vision, goals, intentions,and motivation have changed. I do know how I will pull this off 😉 but my intention is to use the Transformational Learning Model in order to provide a structure to follow.

Because my client in many ways is still mostly doing well and in action, what I plan on proposing is a maintenance and tune-up coaching plan with a set number of one-on-one coaching sessions for six months, including unlimited support via email or text messages. My goal is to continue to support my client and help her stay on course, to hold commitment for her, to discuss the necessary adjustments to the plan or the vision, and very much supporting my client to navigate life’s uncertainty and not lose sight of her North Star . After the expiration of the six month program, we would review where she stands, where she wants to go, how deep the gap is, and she could then opt to renew with another 6-month coaching maintenance contract or explore other options such as a more intensive coaching program with weekly or bi-weekly calls.

[Kim Gilchrist]

Nadine – I always appreciate how straightforward you are and am sure your clients do as well! Even though you haven’t met with this client in a bit, you really have a clear picture of what would work for her. And how to put a plan into action that will ultimately help her get to her 5-year deadline. Even with that you are holding space for where she may be at after what the world (and she) has been going through so it sounds like you’re ready to be flexible with what you see as her plan.

As you noted in your reply to me, it’s about collaboration to gain greater commitment with our clients. So true! And a theme that am seeing throughout everyone’s responses.

[Sheri]

Nadine -You opened my eyes to this “opt to renew with another 6-month coaching maintenance contract or explore other options such as a more intensive coaching program with weekly or bi-weekly calls”. I had been struggling with how do you decide how long to set up LTC for. But this takes the pressure off because you can simply introduce the idea of what would happen if you want or need to continue when the time is up. Especially as you point out that things change, COVID, etc. Plus the fact that you bring up the idea of the sessions not only decreasing but the possibility of picking up the pace if need and getting more intense if the situation calls for it.

I am liking the idea of an initial 3 mo LTC contract with the idea of adding a month, or more, as you go. So the initial commitment financially does not seem so steep and overwhelming. I think I would roll the added month, so not really waiting until the end of the contract but rather after 2 months offer the month extension so you can keep them on your books at the rate you offer and keep the flow going. If they decide to wait until the end of the 3 months then extend, it may incur a price increase or schedule change based on other patients filling your calendar.

[Matthew Nannis]

INITIAL POST
My approach to the materials in this past intensive is focused around the lens with which I approach my clients. Primarily, I do not have the honor of spending much more than 3 months with any given client in my groups; and, occasionally, those groups only meet once a month, so that is only 3 engagement opportunities. As I mentioned during the intensive, I allowed these previous experiences to create a barrier of sorts to the applicability of this material. Fortunately, when we started to dive right in, it was immediately clear how this way of approaching and engaging with the groups I facilitate allows for a more expansive container within which healing might have the invitation to occur.
While nearly all of client engagement is front-loaded, I still have ample opportunity to explore and often challenge what all participants are bringing along on our outings. Most of the time, my groups are kinda sorta mandated by house rules and expectations they signed upon entering the sober/transitional living programs where I meet them. This can provide a juicy source of access points into the engagement and collaborative efforts – either a client or group of clients are pissed that they “have to” participate; or they are subtly and passively oppositional – either way, their amplified emotional state often results in amplified engagement with the initial check-in we run, which is always designed to provide all participants/facilitators with a base line for the experience we are all setting out on. It is often a welcomed situation as it brings more information to the table to work with in comparison to individuals in the group who are just psyched to be out of the house and go explore a new-to-them area in our region.
It has been essential, from the outset, to allow space for an organic unfolding of our sessions. This is where I found the applicability of long-term coaching to initially be confusing. I have found that, in the outings I have facilitated since, thinking long term while allowing the session itself to unfold in its own time, creates added motivation and insights for my clients. We can sidestep the almost scripted expectations they have expressed that I am only there for a few short interactions, that myself, or my guides, are only invested for the next 6 hours when we pick them up until we drop them back off at their program. By incorporating long-term engagement frameworks and bigger picture questioning, there has been a notable response from our clients that we may only be seeing you for the next 3 months; however, we are talking about how you are going to continue to invest and re-invest into yourself and that we are hopeful that this momentum can continue for the rest of your path…
When considering incorporation portions of the outings we lead, long-term coaching is something that has always had a presence and now exists in a more formalized capacity. I am inviting my clients to set some actionable goals for the week ahead (or month, depending on which program I am working with at the time) and we can take a further step back and consider how goals for the rest of the day/week/month fall in to place in a larger picture. While this has had the effect of cultivating amped up motivation, as I said earlier, it also has brought up acute fears and doubts (which, in light of Partswork 2, I find SO VERY relatable!!). My dedication to approaching each outing as potentially the only time I might have to explore the internal landscape while running around in the woods, allows for a sacred quality to our shared time. And where I once hesitated to use that word in my facilitations, I now name it as such and in repetition. That establishes a space for us to either explore what arises as it does, or to at least work towards naming it with the invitation and suggestion (at times, depending on what’s coming up) that such topics be unpacked in their IOP sessions the following week. Sometimes, I ask, privately and individually, if they would like me to reach out to their clinician and relay this simply as a topic for discussion, leaving the details to be explored between the client and their therapist at a later date…more of a bookmarking gesture on the client’s behalf.
There is also some fun overlapping of our organization’s hope to leverage any and all of our offerings into the foundations of environmental stewardship. The parallels between this beacon/marker for us as an organization and the pillars that I perceive as essential to long-term coaching engagement are a fun connection to play around with. It is something that we have done previously with our work; and, like so much of this curriculum, have now been gifted with more formalized processes, procedures, and examples with which to fine-tune!

[Melody Rose]

Thanks Nadine. I’m glad that was helpful for you.

[Melody Rose]

Taylor I like the three tiered option approach. I’ll have to figure that out and think with my first long term client discussion I just wanted to get something out there, now!
I really like the idea os having a sit spot with a client for sessions.
I too need to work on my directive guidance. I was listening to myself talk to my daughter today and realized I do they same thing with her as I do clients in that I am asking them to do something instead of directing them to.
I too would like my clients, or at least the majority of them, to be long term. I know that 1 session can be insightful but real change would need more.

[Melody Rose]

Kim I think a lot of clients have that same stress of feeling “broken” if they need long term coaching and like how you put it as an ongoing check point

[Melody Rose]

Sheri when you said Parts Work lends itself to long term coaching it reminded me of Michael saying “you can’t kind of do Parts Work”. This is so true, and excites me because I can see my self using Parts Work a lot with my clients. Talking about front loading the long term coaching idea had me thinking about my contract/liability form. I send it to all clients, even if they’ve gotten a free 1 hour session and am thinking that as they look at that that the way it’s worded and the detail would at least let them know this isn’t usually a one time thing without me even having to say anything which I like the idea of.

[Sheri]

Yes, Mel! I like the idea of planting that seed of long term coaching in your initial paperwork. Will be taking a look at mine too!

[Melody Rose]

Nadine I’ve been long term coaching some clients too without formalizing it too. I think that puts less pressure on the clients who are apprehensive on signing a contract right from the get go. I know for me though that 1 in particular who’s life got turned upside down by covid I now wonder if she will return.