What is Solution Focused Coaching? 

Introduction:

I’m glad you’re interested in coaching enough to be giving it thought and research, and deciding which coaching style is the best fit for you! In this blog I explain the primary coaching style I use with my 1:1 clients - Solution Focused Coaching. This is the style of coaching that I’ve found to be most empowering to my female clients, giving them a sense of ownership and self-efficacy over the healing journey from stress, burnout, lack of boundaries or low self-worth. 

"Identifying where your traumas and problems come from is not a requirement in order to find real, meaningful solutions to create change in your life."

1. Overcoming the Need to Find the Problem

After years of going to personal development seminars, reading books and coaching hundreds of clients, what I noticed in many people who come from a background of traditional talk therapy or the self-help world is that they are often focused on finding the problem behind the way they feel or behave. They want to find the “root cause” of their worry, stress or trauma in order to change and they look to me for help in doing this.

The interesting thing I’ve learned over the years - and the premise of Solution Focused Coaching and Solution Focused Therapy - is that you do not have to understand the root of your problems in order to overcome them. The beautiful, freeing understanding I gained after doing this work on myself and guiding clients through a solution focused approach is that while there can definitely be some value in understanding the specific events of your past and how they may have shaped who you are today - identifying where your traumas and problems come from is not a requirement in order to find real, meaningful solutions to create change in your life. 

2. We All Have The Capacity to Heal & Move Forward

In the book "1001 Solution Focused Questions", author and clinical psychologist Fredrike Bannink defines Solution Focused Coaching as being based “on the respectful assumption that clients have the inner resources to construct highly individualized and uniquely effective solutions to their problems.” In my own words, it is a belief that each one of us has the capacity to heal and solve any challenge by using the tools we have access to (one of those potential tools being 1:1 work with a trained, intuitive and trustworthy coach).  

We don’t need to rake our brain, go back to specific events of the past and rehash them in order to solve a fear, trauma or stress that might be living in the body now. What’s more, with more recent developments in somatic therapy research, we now know that some beliefs or character traits might be formed as early as young childhood or even when we were pre-verbal babies. Imagine waiting for your healing to arrive when you discover exactly what’s holding you back from your past, when in reality the root cause might be stemming from early childhood that can’t be accessed through your memories.

3. You Are Your Own Best Healer

What we can do instead of constantly looking to our past is start in the present moment, getting honest with who we are and what’s not working in our lives, and create a future-focused, goal oriented path to getting where we want to be in life. We have the capacity to figure out any life challenge, and I believe that fully - having seen dozens of people transform their lives thanks to their free will in a matter of months. An individual's free will is one of the most powerful forces in nature. 

After years of doing psychedelic assisted integration work with my assisted therapy clients, I also truly believe in the concept of the inner healing intelligence. The mind and body have the capacity to heal given the right inputs, and they are constantly looking to get back to balance and health. No one other than you knows best what’s best for you, and this is a belief that solution focused coaching honors. Sometimes we just need some support and guidance to help us walk the path to our ideal future self - free from the constraints of our past.

Whenever I get a word of thanks from a client I remind them that I’m just a guide - and they are the ones who chose to do the work. 

I hope you find a solution focused, as opposed to a problem focused, approach to coaching as freeing and empowering as I have. It’s an honor to work with every single person who trusts me to support them and if you’re curious what working together looks like, the best next step is for us to get to know each other on a 20 Minute Coffee Chat to define your goals and vision.

A Checklist of Steps That Can Help You Find the Right Coach:

• Decide if in-person or virtual options would work best for you. Do you prefer the face to face interaction, or is flexibility to meet with anyone who feels aligned with your values int he world work better?

• Do some research on Google & Social media on coaches in your area OR if local doesn't matter - make a list of coaches who feel aligned with you. Most will offer a free introductory call to get to know you and your goals. Carve out an afternoon to book the calls, gather information and see which coaching style aligns most with you. Choosing the right coach is a very personal decision and can be a huge stepping stone on your personal growth journey, so you want to be sure you're working with someone who can support you best.

• If you're interested in learning more about Solution Focused Coaching and connect with me, you can book your Free Clarity Call at this link <--.