Frequently Asked Questions

What is coaching?

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work. Coaches also believe every client is creative, resourceful, and whole.

Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:

  • Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
  • Encourage client self-discovery
  • Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
  • Hold the client responsible and accountable for their solutions and strategies

This process helps clients improve their outlook on both work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their unique potential.

Is coaching therapy?

No, coaching is not therapy. Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.

What can I expect from a coaching partnership and what is expected of me as the client?

The roles and responsibilities of coaches and clients are as follows, as outlined by the International Coaching Federation:

THE COACH:

  • Provides objective assessment and observations that foster the individual’s or team’s self-awareness and awareness of others
  • Listens closely to fully understand the individual’s or team’s circumstances
  • Acts as a sounding board in exploring possibilities and implementing thoughtful planning and decision making
  • Champions opportunities and potential, encouraging stretch and challenge commensurate with personal strengths and aspirations
  • Fosters shifts in thinking that reveal fresh perspectives
  • Challenges blind spots to illuminate new possibilities and support the creation of alternative scenarios
  • Maintains professional boundaries in the coaching relationship, including confidentiality, and adheres to the coaching profession’s code of ethics

THE INDIVIDUAL:

  • Creates the coaching agenda based on personally meaningful coaching goals
  • Uses assessment and observations to enhance self-awareness and awareness of others
  • Envisions personal and/or organizational success
  • Assumes full responsibility for personal decisions and actions
  • Utilizes the coaching process to promote possibility thinking and fresh perspectives
  • Takes courageous action in alignment with personal goals and aspirations
  • Engages big-picture thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Takes the tools, concepts, models and principles provided by the coach and engages in effective forward actions
Is coaching right for me?

Coaching might be right for you if you are feeling stuck on a problem; if you feel you are mentally covering the same ground over and over. Coaching can be right for you if you are ready for personal growth. Coaching might be right for you if you want a thinking partner that is not invested in the outcome, but rather invested in helping you achieve the outcome you desire and design.

If you are ready to be in the driver’s seat and make the changes you want to make with a caring and compassionate partner at your side, coaching is a great vehicle.

How can I benefit from coaching?

In a recent ICF global study, of those surveyed that were in a coaching relationship, the top three outcomes of coaching were reported as:

  • improved communication skills
  • increased self-esteem/self confidence
  • increased productivity

Other reported outcomes included:

  • optimized individual/team performance
  • improved work/life balance
  • increased well-being
  • improved business management strategies
  • expanded professional career opportunities
  • accelerated on-boarding into a new professional role
Can I see a sample coaching agreement without committing to coaching?

Yes, please click here to see a sample coaching agreement.

Are there ethical standards for Coaching?

Yes, all members of the International Coaching Federation must adhere to the ICF Code of Ethics. Coach Carol Locke is a member of ICF. You can view the ICF Code of Ethics here.

What are my payment options?

Prism Coaching, LLC can accept all major debit and credit cards. Checks should be made out to Prism Coaching, LLC.

Payments for coaching and training services will be invoiced through CoachAccountable, where clients can login to make payments directly. As part of the setup for a coaching engagement, you will receive a personal login.

How can I login?
If you already have a personal login to CoachAccountable, you can sign in below with the username and password you selected when you were first invited to CoachAccountable.

CoachAccountable Login