You're in! :) If you're reading this, then we either had an initial conversation, we both really wanted to work together and I decided to offer you this special deal; or you're here because you're a coach-in-training.
Chances are you won't need any convincing at this stage so please feel free to skip over what follows and jump straight to the next step by clicking "continue" at the bottom of this page. As soon as you do, you'll find a coaching supervision agreement to read through, a questionnaire to get you started and monitor your progress as well as instructions on how to pay. You'll also find my calendar there where you can book in your sessions. I recommend to book in all your sessions in advance, roughly 2-4 weeks apart (depending on how many clients you work with) as I can get booked up quite quickly at times.
And that's it really. We're good to go and I look forward to working with you!
In case you would like to refresh your memory on what you're signing up for or you've landed here as a result of what I'm offering to coaches-in-training, please do read on.
First of all: Congratulations!! Because at this point it's safe to assume that you've made the decision to work with a coaching supervisor and you're at the very least exploring your options. That tells me that you're taking your practice seriously and that you're willing to invest in yourself to be the best coach you can be for your clients and yourself. Let me take a few minutes to tell you what my approach to supervision is about and how it can benefit you.
I believe supervision is a crucial part of effective coaching practice and every professional coach I respect highly values the space it creates for reflection, learning and professional development. Our work as coaches can be incredibly challenging with an unlimited number of decisions to make during the course of a single session and few people who really understand the complexities of such a conversation and responsibilities they carry. We all have some challenging clients but even the more mundane ones offer remarkable opportunities for learning and growth once we zoom in a little closer. In my three years as Programme Leader of the MSc Coaching Psychology at the University of East London I've seen coaches grow tremendously over short periods of time and those in regular 1:1 supervision consistently stood out.
Below I've wrote a little (okay, well, a lot) more about how I see supervision and what it can add to your practice.
Cheers Yannick
The aim of this supervision relationship is to provide support for your professional practice so that you can be the best possible version of yourself. As your supervisor I will be a fellow traveler on your professional development journey and provide a safe space for you to reflect on the work you do with your clients. My role in this relationship is that of a supervisor (helping you explore your work with your clients) but may at times go beyond to include elements of coaching, training, consulting or elements of counselling or therapy (as appropriate within the context of your professional development goals).
The desired outcomes of the supervision vary from client to client and we will agree on this before we start. The role of a supervisor may range from being merely a sounding board to ensure continued best practice (for those who have already established a preferred, proven and effective style without any desire to “change a running system”) all the way to facilitating a transformative dialogue during which the practitioner’s approach may change in profound ways in order to give way for a more suitable and authentic style to emerge in the process.
Given my belief that every practitioner will achieve best results when practicing their own authentic style rather than trying to mimic best practice of others (“who you are is how you practice”) I will not tell you what to do during supervision or provide solutions to your professional dilemmas. However, at times I may draw on my experience as a coach, coach trainer and supervisor of many years to illuminate potential blind spots or brainstorm solutions with you. The understanding is that you will evaluate all and any input that I may provide and take full responsibility for your own actions as well as inactions.
While supervision is focused on your professional development, I believe that it is impossible to separate you-as-a-professional from you-as-a-person. Therefore we may also talk about personal matters, but always in relation to your professional practice.
From my experience, possible outcomes of supervision include heightened (self-) awareness, clarity of worldview (your personal as well as professional values & beliefs); knowledge of your strengths, blind spots and triggers; a better understanding of the impact you have on your clients; more effective coordination of professional action; a host of practices and strategies to draw on aimed at being a more effective practitioner; deriving greater satisfaction from your work; a greater sense of authenticity, meaning and purpose and the ability to confidently take decisive, ethical action in moments of doubt.
The supervision relationship between us is founded upon mutual respect and trust. I will hold everything we say during our conversations confidential and will not reveal any aspect of the supervision to any outside party without your express permission (The only exception being a situation in which your supervisor firmly believes that you or any third party is at serious risk of harm and you insist on going forward with a certain course of action despite being challenged during the supervision. Please note that this has never happened with any of my clients).
During supervision you may be faced with aspects of yourself that you had not been aware of. Experience tells us that any such new learning may be uncomfortable. Entering into a supervision relationship and developing your professional practice may therefore require leaving familiar shores and venture into uncharted waters. The journey may be challenging and your supervisor at times be the voice of such challenge. Rest assured that I will support and guide you through this process and that I have your success and wellbeing as well as your clients’ as my highest priority, yet the process and the results belong to you.
I look forward to going on this journey with you :)