DISCLOSURE

Coaching Information, Guidelines, and Agreement

Part 1

Welcome! To collaborate professionally, it is important that you be familiar with the following descriptions and guidelines.

What is Coaching?

I adopt The International Coach Federation’s definition of coaching (quoted in part), which is as follows: “Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their personal lives, careers, businesses, or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life. In each meeting, the client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into action. Coaching accelerates the client’s progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are now and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be in the future. Coaches recognize that results are a matter of the client’s intentions, choices, and actions, supported by the coach’s efforts and application of the coaching process.” You can expect that I, as your coach, will be honest and direct, asking straightforward questions and using challenging techniques to help you move forward. You are expected to evaluate your own progress, and if the coaching is not working as you wish, you should immediately inform me so that we can both take steps to correct the problem. As with any human endeavor, coaching can involve feelings of discomfort and frustration, which may accompany the process of change. Coaching does not offer any guarantee of success.

How does Coaching Differ from Psychotherapy and Clinical Counseling?

Psychotherapy and clinical counseling are health care services. Their primary focus is to identify, diagnose, and treat nervous and mental disorders. The goals include alleviating symptoms, understanding the underlying personality dynamics that create symptoms, changing the dysfunctional behaviors that are the result of these disorders, and helping patients to cope with their psychological problems. While psychotherapy may be reimbursable through health insurance policies, coaching services, at present, are not. It is understood and agreed to by both you and me that if either of us recognizes that you have a problem that would benefit from psychotherapy, I may refer or direct you to appropriate clinical resources in addition to, or in lieu of, coaching. In some situations, as a condition of my continuance as your coach, I may insist that you enter psychotherapy and that I have your consent to discuss matters that concern you with your psychotherapist. It is further understood that as your coach and not your therapist, I am not obligated to provide you with psychotherapy services.

Part 2

  In addition to the above descriptions, please read the following:

1. As a client, I understand and agree that I am fully responsible for my physical, mental, and emotional well-being during my coaching calls, including my choices and decisions.  I am aware that I can choose to discontinue coaching at any time.

2. I understand that coaching is a professional relationship I have with my coach that is designed to facilitate the creation and development of personal, professional, and/or business goals, and to develop and carry out a strategy and plan for achieving those goals.

3. I understand that coaching is a comprehensive process that may involve all areas of my life, including work, finances, health, relationships, education, and recreation.  I acknowledge that deciding how to handle these issues, incorporating coaching into those areas, and implementing my choices is exclusively my responsibility.

4. I understand that coaching does not involve the diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders as defined by the American Psychiatric Association.  I understand that coaching is not a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care, or substance abuse treatment, and I will not use it in place of any form of diagnosis, treatment, or therapy.

5. I promise that if I am currently in therapy or otherwise under the care of a mental health professional, I have consulted with the mental health care provider regarding the advisability of working with a coach and that this person is aware of my decision to proceed with the coaching relationship.

6. I understand that information will be held as confidential unless I state otherwise, in writing, except as required by law.

7.  I understand that certain topics may be anonymously and hypothetically shared with other coaching professionals for training OR consultation purposes.

8. I understand that coaching is not to be used as a substitute for professional advice by legal, medical, financial, business, spiritual, or other qualified professionals.  I will seek independent professional guidance for legal, medical, financial, business, spiritual, or other matters.  I understand that all decisions in these areas are exclusively mine, and I acknowledge that my decisions and my actions regarding them are my sole responsibility.