I know that embarking on the journey of counselling or coaching can be daunting. I would like to give you some insight about my practice so that you can decide whether we will be a good match and whether you resonate with me, my style and methods, so that you can manage your Life Coaching or Counselling expectations. Firstly, I am a certified Life Coach and NLP practitioner, and certified Counsellor… so I take a multi-disciplinary approach.
I practice from home and in terms of my personal core values, empathy, unconditional positive regards but also congruence/ honesty/ genuineness and authenticity are very important Core Values I strongly embrace. I have (for years) seen myself as a “voice for the voiceless” animal and child advocate…. More recently I consider myself more as GIVING a voice to the voiceless. As such my passion is to help people who are out of touch with themselves (and life vision), who feel disempowered (or perhaps feel out of control in some aspect of their life) to FIND, listen to and then express their inner voice and life vision! Rapport and honest, open communication is thus vital in my practice . I acknowledged and embrace the courage it takes to search for that inner voice and to leave your comfort zone in order to embrace personal transformation and express yourself by becoming your best version of you. I positively believe you have all the resources, potential and intuition to fulfil your destiny and that I am there merely to help you to explore your path ahead, travel your road, and stay on track. I am passionate about dedicating my time, vision, skill and experience to people who are brave enough to fully explore and LIVE life to their fullest potential! If you stop growing, changing and striving, you start shriveling, dying and decomposing. I am a HUGE supporter of bravery and courage, without it you will never be free or able to exercise your own free will and find your own unique destiny, instead you will stagnate, trapped in your little rut. Many (if not most) people do not really want to leave their comfort zone, they are content and secure there…. it is not for me to tell anyone how to live their life or exercise their own choices…. If however, you decide to venture on this exploration and journey (despite the risks, obstacles and challenges) I would be honoured to join you on this voyage of discovery where you are DARING TO BE EXTRAORDINARY! If am a Vegan and animal advocate and have been involved in animal rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming. I have four rescues of my own, and they may choose to sit in on counselling sessions. (I do lock them up if a client is canine-averse or allergic to dogs). Until recently I had a Paws for People Therapy dog and was a therapy dog handler for over 10 years. I recognise the immense therapeutic value of companion animals and my dogs have free reign in my house. Dogs instinctively pick up on energy and (non-verbal) behaviour, I have found them to be a pretty good judge of character too. So often they provide comfort, unconditional acceptance and just a calmness to the clients and visitors to my home. I am very real, authentic and energetic, perhaps some may consider me a little larger than life. I am (if necessary) likely to challenge you on your blindspots, your self-sabotaging habits or patterns, your self defeating ideas and immobilizing emotions… I shall endeavour to jolt you out of your apathy or anxiety into living a full and rich life in the here-and-now. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift (and our only true reality exists in this 'present'). One of my Favorite quotes is from Theodore Roosevelt “’Tis better to dare mighty things and fail than live in that grey twilight where there is neither victory nor defeat”…. I wholeheartedly endorse that making mistakes is better that faking perfection. YOUR RIGHTS AS MY CLIENT:
As my client, you have the right to my professional, honest and unbiased help at all times;
to be treated with professional courtesy, respect and fairness, regardless of your race, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability;
to privacy and counsellor-client confidentiality (subject to the terms listed in our Contract);
to agree to the type of service you can expect and receive; and to clear explanations in terms you can understand;
to find out from the start of the consultation what you are hoping to achieve through this coaching process, with the clear aim to make sure that your expectations are realistic;
to know that you are the driving force and have the resources, choices, decisions and responsibility to become who it is YOU wish to become;
to an explanation of the cost implications and how the costs are calculated and when when/ how payment is expected;
you have the right to terminate Coaching/ Counselling and find an alternative source of help and I endeavour to refer you or make suitable suggestions which may aid you in this.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS MY CLIENT:
As my client you have the responsibility to treat me with respect and courtesy, honesty and appreciation;
to behave with manners and self-control and show consideration for my pets, possessions and home;
to treat my time with respect and arrive on time and provide sufficient notice if you need to cancel a session;
to be transparent and honest regarding your own experiences and expectations;
to recognise that you have all the necessary resources, and that your vision for yourself is achievable;
to have an open, receptive and positive attitude and invest in the coaching process; your empowerment, change and growth are your own responsibility, and you are accountable for making the choices, decisions, changes, and taking the actions necessary, to help you become your optimal version of yourself;
to treat yourself with kindness and patience, with the knowledge that personal transformation will take you out of your comfort zone;
to commit yourself to the homework and tasks I assign you as part of your leaning/ growth experience;
to enquire about the cost implications ensure your payments are timeous; not to direct unnecessary enquiries (outside your scheduled session times) to me. I may charge consultation fees for these enquiries, which would increase costs unnecessarily.
My terms and conditions are in more details in my Life Coaching/ Counselling Contract