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FAQ

What Coaching Is

What is coaching?

Coaching is a type of interaction in which a coach helps a coachee have useful insights.

Coachees reach a new level of clarity. They see exactly what they should do and why. But they don’t reach this clarity through any advice the coach gives them. Rather, the coach leads the coachee to see things more clearly for themself.

There is nothing mysterious or esoteric about coaching. Coaching works through creating the conditions for useful insight, and by prompting the coachee to commit to the best course of action they can think of.

This works best through a structured process:

  1. The coach uses tools such as attentive listening and open questions to sustain the coachee’s attention on areas of their life where fresh insights might be useful.
  2. When the coach’s questions can’t be answered from within the orbit of habitual thoughts, the coachee is forced to think in bold new ways. They make new connections. They have fresh insight.
  3. The coach uses tools such as reflection and exploring the impossible to shape the exploration, and they guide the coachee to think things through in terms of the best course of action to follow.
  4. At the end of every session, the coach helps the coachee commit to the best course of action they can envision.

Teachers take on the role of expert. As they teach, they pass on their skills and knowledge to the learner.

Coaches, in contrast, never play the role of the expert. They assume that the coachee is already an expert in the most important areas of their life. The coach’s role is to guide enquiries in which the coachee has useful insights — insights that will make the coachee more expert still.

Therapy and counselling are both rooted in a medical model in which symptoms are to be overcome by curing some kind of dysfunction. They are aimed at people who are suffering because of problems in their past.

Coaching, however, works with healthy people. It helps them discover and follow the best courses of action available. So it tends to be more forward looking than therapy or counselling. It focuses on the possibilities ahead and what a coachee must do to realise the best possibilities. Every session finishes with action commitments.

The best therapists and counsellors use some coaching tools and strategies with their clients.

Mentors are people who work in the same field as the mentee, but have much more experience. They guide the mentee’s progress and help them make sound decisions.

The best mentors adopt a coaching approach and, rather than giving advice, help mentees have insights of their own. So we advise mentors to take our level one and level two courses.

Consultants work for businesses. They analyse the business as a whole and make recommendations. Whereas a coach would focus on helping people in the business build up their own understanding, a consultant’s contribution comes through the quality of the recommendations that they make.

Coaching from Wiselines

What issues can coaching help you with?

Our coaching can help you arrive at a clarity where you know exactly what to do and why. It can help with any issue that you can impact through the actions you take.

Common issues include workplace dilemmas, family frustrations, leadership challenges, health ambitions, relationship struggles, and a general sense of life being overwhelming.

We can also help you become more strategic, more organised, and better able to perform well in the arenas where performing well most matters.

The (free) introductory chat lasts 20 minutes.

Coaching sessions last 60 minutes. You can book packages of 1, 3, 6 or 9 sessions.

You will normally have some post-session ‘homework’. How long that takes will depend on your needs and your level or commitment.

We default to Google Meet, but we are happy to use Zoom, Teams, or any other video chat app.

If you live near Edinburgh, you can also get in-person coaching, normally in a café, in a meeting room, or while walking.

  • Single session: £80.
  • 3-session package: £210 (save 13%).
  • 6-session package: £360 (save 25%).
  • 9-session package: £450 (save 38%).

We offer discounts for people on a low income.

For our full pricing details, see our Booking page.

We can’t refund your payment, but we will make every effort to reschedule your coaching for a time that will work for you.

You can turn up to the free introductory chat as you are, with no preparation at all, though it helps if you’ve thought a little about your options and about any questions you’d like to ask. See our Your Process page.

From then on, your coach will make sure that you know if there’s any particular preparation to do.

Yes. 100%. We follow GDPR and coaching ethics codes. Nothing will ever be shared without your permission.

Just book a free 20-minute call.