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What is Integrative Coaching?
June 15, 2005
What is Integrative Coaching?
When I tell people that I am an Integrative Life Coach,
they often look puzzled and ask “What’s that?” Everyone is
familiar with sports coaches and knows that you don’t make
it to the Olympics without a coach, right? Well a life
coach is similar, but instead of coaching you in a sport, I
coach you in achieving your goals or desires.
There are many reasons for hiring a Life Coach. You may
have some goals that you are trying to achieve but you are
just not quite getting to where you want with them. These
could be small or major, but you are frustrated because you
aren’t making the progress you would like.
Perhaps you’ve wanted to organize your office or home, lose
that last ten pounds, seek a better relationship with your
mom or dad, find a significant other, change your career,
or be a better manager of your finances. Are you having
fun in your life or are you all about work? Do you live in
your ideal home, or if you can’t afford that yet, is your
home truly as beautiful as it could be and a reflection of
your personality? Is there a creative pursuit you’ve put
on hold until you have more time, the kids are gone or you
are afraid you don’t really have the talent for it after
all? These are all the kinds of goals that a Life Coach
can support you in achieving.
Others look to a Life Coach to help them accomplish their
vision or dreams. I believe that we all have dreams. They
may be our day dreams or the things we longed to be when we
were young. For some of us, well meaning parents
discouraged our dreams as being impractical or unsuitable.
For others, life experiences made seeking our goals more
difficult than we could manage when we were young. Many
people find their dreams coming to them in later life when
they are more mature and have more experience.
What’s your dream that you’ve put aside, or labeled as
unrealistic or impossible, or longed for but haven’t
reached?
Close your eyes and ask yourself the question “If I knew
that I could succeed at something - that there was no way I
would fail - what would I do?” Or, “If I could do whatever
I wanted and money, (substitute my husband, kids, job,
parents, etc.) were not a factor, what would that be?” Be
sure to write down your answers.
Now ask yourself “what is keeping me from doing this?” Did
you get an answer? If you did, that’s great. You may now
be able to see what you would need to do to move towards
your desire. If you didn’t, an Integrative Coach can help
you find out what’s in your way.
Why do we settle for less or make do with what comes our
way instead of going for the brass ring?
What does your inner voice say when you say “I want to be a
…?” Or, “I want to do …?” Do you hear, “Go for it, you’d
be great!”? Or is that quiet, but determined voice yelling
at you, “What do you mean you want to write songs for a
living? There’s no money in that. You’ll never be a
success. You don’t have what it takes. You don’t look
like Faith Hill.” And so on and so on and so on. It
doesn’t take too long before you start to believe that
voice is correct and put away your dreams and choose a nice
safe career or one that is really “suitable” for someone
like you.
Or let’s say you really want to make a contribution to the
world. This could be either on a large scale as some of us
dream, or in a really small, but meaningful way to us. Is
this you? Have you done it yet or are you still waiting
for inspiration or to figure out what it is you could do?
What is the difference between a Life Coach and an
Integrative Coach? A Life Coach may or may not be trained
in coaching methods. They can help you define and
implement your goals and help you to stay accountable as
you work on these goals. An Integrative Coach is a life
coach who was trained through The Institute for Integrative
Coaching by Debbie Ford.
As an Integrative Coach I guide clients to access their own
inner wisdom and specialize in helping clients focus on
hidden beliefs and commitments that have sabotaged their
past success and would keep them from getting the results
they want. I can help you identify the excuses you use for
why you don’t have what you say you want and see the truth
that lies underneath those excuses. Then the doors are
open and you can choose another way of being or doing that
is more productive.
My job as your coach is to see and hold you in your highest
vision for yourself and then help you make that possible by
uncovering what has been keeping you from reaching your
goals on your own. I am trained to lead you in processes
designed to create the ideal vision for your life for the
next year and what you can accomplish of that in an initial
four month relationship. I also use techniques to help you
get support from yourself in ways that you couldn’t before.
Integrative Coaching is about action – taking steps that
will bring you closer and closer to what you desire for
yourself, therefore, a big part of my job is to hold you
accountable for what you said you were going to do.
Some people mistake coaching for therapy, so let’s get
clear that it is very different. Integrative Coaching is
for people who are self directed, goal-oriented and focused
on the future. We only focus briefly on what hasn’t worked
for the client in the past in order to clear the way for
different kinds of action in the present and future. I
believe in the benefits of working with a trained therapist
and would recommend that the client choose another option
if therapy seemed more appropriate.
Integrative Coaching sessions are held over the phone, and
therefore you have the convenience of not having to get a
babysitter, get dressed up, or have access to
transportation. Sessions last approximately 45 minutes and
I make notes during the call and then email them to you.
You'll have actions to take and journaling to do over the
week that may take an additional hour or two.
I am blessed to have Debbie Ford as my trainer in
Integrative Coaching. Debbie is the New York Times best
selling author whose books include The Dark Side of the
Light Chasers, Spiritual Divorce, The Secret of the Shadow,
The Right Questions and The Best Year of Your Life. She’s
been on Oprah and Good Morning America, among other shows.
Debbie is an inspirational teacher and mentor, and she has
spent her life learning to look for the gifts in all of
life’s experiences and integrating all the positive and
negative traits that we possess as human beings.
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