Therapeutic Coaching

Unlike coaching clients, whose goals may target leadership skills, career changes, life stage transitions or a more fulfilling life, therapy clients come in because they are hurting in some way.

They are stuck in repetitive patterns of beliefs or reactive behaviours that interfere with their satisfaction in life, or that cause harm to their personal or professional relationships. Therapy clients are usually frustrated by obstacles they cannot overcome, habits they cannot break, relationship conflicts that keep resurfacing, or work issues impeding their career advancement. A host of crippling, often complex, emotional miseries can result that clients want resolved as soon as possible.

And who can blame them? In today’s fast-paced world, of course clients want value for money and a tangible return on their investment.

Thus from the get-go I focus on my clients’ needs, preferences and expectations, as well as how they prefer me to work with them. One person may simply be looking for a safe and confidential place to sort through some concerns, or evaluate options regarding an upcoming difficult decision and its consequences with a knowledgeable, experienced, and impartial psychologist.

Other clients may be seeking a more broad-based, directive style, in which case a therapeutic coaching approach may better suit them. With such clients I am typically a more active participant in treatment, guiding, challenging and encouraging progress with unfailing support. In therapeutic coaching there is quite an emphasis on the clients’ following through on action steps identified within the sessions.

Clients small and large goals are identified as I strategically help them resolve their presenting problems to achieve sustained results. I also assess, articulate and validate progress within each session so our direction remains clear, and am certainly supportive when setbacks in their lives arise.

A therapeutic coaching approach is also attractive to clients who have resolved their individual, personal, professional or relational issues and wish to embrace other goals such as being more effective in meeting career demands or harnessing changes in their life circumstances more successfully, increasing social or emotional intelligence, or enhancing their leadership skills, branching out into a new career or business, or getting in better physical condition.

Have questions or wish to make an appointment ? Contact Dr Melanie

Click below to read related articles from Dr Melanie’s blog:
•Recognising and Addressing Stress in the Workplace
•Premarital Coaching for a Strong Start That Enhances Connections & Preempts Disconnections
•A friend is not a therapist
•Changing lifestyle coaching