Frequently Asked Questions
If you can't find the answer to your question, send me a note. New questions will be posted whenever they are frequently asked. And sometimes, when they are infrequently asked too!
Q: Why did you decide to become a coach?
A: You can read about my journey here, but the short answer is that I believe everyone deserves to experience the kind of meaning and purpose they truly desire in their life and work. Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out what that takes and how to do it. It's good to have a partner.
Q: Should I choose coaching or therapy?
A: Coaching is not an alternative to or replacement for therapy. Therapy is the correct choice for those seeking to uncover and recover from past or present trauma, dysfunction, addiction or mental illness. Therapists diagnose and treat disorder to restore normal functioning in their patients’ lives.
Coaching is ideal for healthy individuals seeking to discover and cultivate present and future wellness, wholeness and purposeful living, both personally and professionally. Coaching is a collaborative, co-active partnership that holds the client in unconditional positive regard as they grow, learn and turn life challenges into victories.
Q: Do you take health insurance?
A: Coaching is not a service covered by health insurance, in most cases. In order for insurance to be billed, there must be a patient diagnosis and treatment plan. In the practice of mental health and wellness, this means that a practitioner must diagnosis you with a mental health disorder and engage you in therapeutic treatment of that condition in order to bill your insurance. Rarely, coaching is covered for smoking cessation or weight loss when prescribed and supervised by a medical doctor, although this typically occurs in a clinical setting rather than private practice.
Some therapists utilize coaching techniques during the course of therapy, however, in order to bill your insurance, there will always be a mental health diagnosis. Coaches, on the other hand, work with healthy individuals and do not diagnose.
Q: What should I look for when choosing a coach?
A: The coaching profession is largely unregulated, so it is common to wonder what to look for when deciding to work with a coach. Anyone can obtain a business license and call themselves a coach, but it's important to find a professional who knows what they are doing before you commit to working with them.
First, make sure that your prospective coach has credible education and certifications as a professional coach. University educated coaches have been held to a higher standard of learning and competency than those who completed a short online certification course. Also, check that your prospective coach is a member of a credentialing/governing body that includes an Ethics Oversight Committee. The most reputable and respected organization is the International Coach Federation.
Next, ensure that your coach carries malpractice insurance (sometimes called "errors and omissions"). This indicates that your coach is committed to professionalism and serious about their business practices.
Finally, ask your coach how they maintain their coaching credentials and keep up with industry best practices. A high quality, professional coach will not struggle to answer these questions, and should be able to provide you with information on how they accomplish continuing education requirements within their credentialing organization.
Q: What are your credentials and education?
A: I am university educated in Professional Coaching and Organizational Behavior. I attended graduate school at the University of Texas at Dallas, and completed my graduate program with a 4.0 GPA. I also hold both a Master's degree and PhD specializing in psychosocial development. In 2014, received the Provost Achievement Award in my doctoral cohort. I hold memberships in the ICF, the ICF Washington State Charter Chapter, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISCP). I am a certified Social and Emotional Intelligence coach, and I am also greatly honored to have been a member of the very first cohort of The Daring Way--a training and certification program based on the research of and founded by Dr. Brené Brown.
Q: What is The Daring Way™?
A: The Daring Way™ is a methodology based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown. The goal of The Daring Way is to help men, women and adolescents develop a courage practice that transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. You can read more about it here.
Q: Will you link to me/tell your readers about my idea/promote my new
