If you’re interested in my coaching, personal development courses or coach training, please see my specialist coaching website at www.coaching4positivechange.net
For details of my specialist coaching service for the medical profession, please see my website at www.coaching4doctors.com
What I offer
I’m good at helping people hear themselves more clearly and take their hopes for the future more seriously. Through coaching I can help you find and follow the purposes that call you, develop clarity of focus, stay on course, recover from setbacks, cultivate strengths, move through blocks and become happier. I am particularly experienced at helping people deal with stress, deepen motivation, improve mood, change habits and strengthen purpose in life. I do most of my coaching over the phone or Skype, with sessions usually lasting an hour.
How I work
My starting point is to explore what you would most like to gain from coaching, and also if there is anything you wouldn’t want. For example, what words naturally follow the following two starts to a sentence?
What I’d really like from coaching is…
What I wouldn’t be so keen on is…
Once we’ve identified the purpose or purposes you’d like coaching to serve, my role is to be an ally to you in this. So if you’d like to become clearer about your direction, or talk through a particular decision you face, or be supported in moving towards a particular goal, then our coaching sessions provide space for this. Coaching can be as short as a single session or can continue over a period of weeks, months or years, depending on what is needed. Sessions are often at monthly intervals, but can be more or less frequent; we design together a coaching plan to provide the support you require.
What I bring
With over twenty-five years experience of helping people find their strengths and follow purposes important to them, I draw upon a wide range of coaching tools and psychological approaches. As well as having well-developed listening skills, I draw upon motivational interviewing (for tapping into deeper motivations), positive psychology (for cultivating positive qualities and emotions), problem solving (for opening up new ways forward), story-telling (for strengthening creativity and our sense of purpose in life), resilience training (for dealing with stress and adversity) and eco-psychology (for deepening our feeling of connection with life and belonging in the world).
My background and training
After initial degrees in medicine and psychology, I discovered the personal development field in the mid/late 1980’s. I went on to train in humanistic psychology and a wide range of counseling and psychotherapeutic approaches. I’ve run personal development groups for over twenty-five years and have coached people in a wide range of settings.
In addition, I have worked as a GP, as an addictions specialist and as a freelance training consultant, particularly in the fields of stress management and workplace wellbeing. More recently, I have pioneered the application of positive psychology, setting up the Bristol Happiness Lectures and trainings to promote resilience in a time of uncertainty. I’ve worked closely with the Gaia Coach Institute in exploring how coaching can support us in developing positive responses to our current global situation.
Resources I’ve developed
My book Find Your Power – a toolkit for resilience and positive change (2nd Ed, Permanent Publications, 2010) introduces ‘the journey approach’ to change. It includes proven strategies for improving mood, building strengths and increasing effectiveness.
With Positive Psychologist Miriam Akhtar, I co-produced The Happiness Training Plan CD, which introduces positive psychology based strategies for mood improvement.
What my clients have said:
“Before I spoke to Chris, I felt like I was going round in circles with a life changing dilemma. Friends and family were supportive and offered their opinions but I was not making any progress. In just one session, through listening and reflection Chris gave me space to hear myself clearly and I came away with renewed clarity and purpose.” Dr Jessica Buchan (GP)
“Chris has been my coach for over three years; he is highly skilled, has extensive experience and applies real focus. I strongly recommend him”. Pete Rawlings, Director & Principal Consultant, Procounsel Associates Ltd – www.procounsel.co.uk
Courses I run
I run a range of courses that can support the coaching process, with regular workshops and talks on Positive Psychology, Resilience and other topics. With my colleague Dr Mark Atkinson of the Academy of Coach Training, I have set up a distance learning training in coaching for health and wellbeing. This includes modules on motivational interviewing, positive psychology and mindfulness. See my coaching website for more details.
The Coaching Contract
I charge £60 an hour, or a reduced rate of £300 for a course of six one-hour sessions. I charge a 50% cancellation fee if a session is missed or cancelled at less than two hour’s notice. I ask for full payment within two weeks of each coaching session, either by cheque or by direct bank transfer (details will be supplied). I am also able to arrange for payment by paypal.
I am a member of the Association For Coaching, and follow their code of ethics and good practice. This includes respecting the confidential nature of our coaching conversations.
Next steps
I welcome any questions about the coaching process and ways that we might work together. I am happy to offer an initial free half-hour consultation to explore how coaching might be useful and to clarify how we might best proceed.
If you’re interested, please email me: findyourpower (at) mac.com
More details on my coaching website.