Initial Session - ipeccoachcommunity.com

1 Initial Session The Initial Session is the basis for the future . It is usually a longer-than-normal Session with the purposes of developing rapport with the client, finding out what the client wants, and designing the working alliance. Consider some of the following and how you plan on communicating and developing these, remembering that they are all ongoing processes: Clarifying what coaching is and isn t Confidentiality Trust Honesty Commitment Boundaries/working arrangements Flexibility Meeting client expectations Designing the alliance Finding the client s values Developing an Initial plan In an Initial Session , you will want to ask general questions such as: What experience do you have with either coaching or therapy? If any what did you get from it?

2 What do you know about coaching? How would you like to be coached? (Passive, aggressive, somewhere in between?) How do you feel about my challenging you? How should I handle commitments if not kept? What things may hold you back from realizing your goals? What should I know about your family or family history? What would you like to tell me about your career and/or history? What are your strengths? What areas of your life would you like to improve or are you concerned about? Note If the client doesn t know what to work on: If you could gain anything you could possibly dream of out of our working together, what would be that dream? Or, Imagine that our work together is completed. What would have to happen for you to say, I ve gotten everything I could possibly have imagined ?

3 And, What would you life look like then? Listen to your heart. Does your intuition offer you any hint as to why we ve connected at this time in our lives? (This also honors and recognizes the client s decision to contact you.) What do you see yourself doing five years from now? How will that feel? What other relevant factors would you like me to know? What questions do you have at this time? You may want to use the Wheel of Life to rate where they are in each of the following areas. Personal Development Career/Professional Development Family/Parenting Fun & Enjoyment Health/Aging Intimate & Social Relationships Personal Finance Spiritual Awareness Note: Ask them what area they would like to work on first. A client may not always want to work on the lowest rated area first.

4 Some additional questions you might want to ask in an Initial Session are: Who are you and what do you want? What are your gifts? If you had all the money you would ever need, what would you do? What would you like your legacy to be? What is your secret passion? How do you learn best? What do you find challenging? What, if any, is your spiritual or religious practice? What or who is your concept of God? In what areas of your life are you out of balance? Tell me about your sense of purpose? What is success to you? How do you measure it? What would you like to learn/experience? What is missing from your life? What is your self-concept? What do you do for fun? What types of relationships do you like/dislike? What kind of relationship do you have with yourself?

5 How do you make the world a happier place each day? Copyright 1999 2008 iPEC Coaching