The International Coaching 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."
Often this "partnering" takes the form of a free-flowing coaching session, where the client (you!) has some objective and we have a conversation to work toward that objective without a predetermined structure. And it usually works wonders!
However, I want you to know that I also have a bunch of structured coaching tools, exercises, and assessments in my back pocket that might be useful to you depending on what you are hoping to accomplish with coaching. I offer three types of tools and exercises:
- 1STANDARD COACHING TOOLS: These are tools and exercises you can incorporate in your live or email coaching package without any extra costs.
- 2MBTI® AND STRONG INTEREST INVENTORY® ASSESSMENTS: These assessments require a live session and there is an extra cost due to the price of the assessment.
- 3APPLIED MBTI® SESSIONS: Once you know your MBTI® personality type, an applied MBTI® session can be incorporated in your live coaching package at no extra cost.
Please read on to find out what your options are in each category!
standard coaching tools and exercises
These coaching tools and exercises can be incorporated in your live or email coaching package without any extra costs. Just let me know if you feel like any of them would be helpful in your situation!
clarity session:
Overwhelmed and not sure where to start? A Clarity Session is often used as a starting point of the coaching process when you have many competing goals and you are not sure what to focus on first. You'll complete an assessment that helps you see the big picture of your life, evaluate your satisfaction in 10 life areas, and identify competing priorities. During your Clarity Session, we'll discuss your assessment and decide on next steps.
hsp needs assessment:
The HSP Needs Assessment is another great way to hone in on how to prioritize your goals and decide what to work on. You'll complete the assessment and get clarity around your biggest pain points. We'll then consider and decide together on a way forward that is likely to make the biggest difference in terms of your overall wellbeing and life satisfaction.
values exploration:
Sometimes people get stuck in life because they either have an inner values conflict or their own values are in conflict with the values of people close to them. These kinds of conflicts are especially common among highly sensitive people, because our personal needs and preferences tend to differ from what is seen as "normal" in the mainstream. Through Values Exploration Exercises, you can gain greater clarity around what matters most and be able to more confidently navigate competing priorities.
passions exploration:
"Passion" is just another word for "interest". Your passions are those things that interest you or energize you. When you are looking for a new career path or when you are just looking to add some more enjoyment to your life, getting clear about what your passions are at the moment is crucial. And that's exactly what Passions Exploration Exercises can help you do!
talents exploration:
Having talent in something simply means that it's relatively easy for you to learn. You have an innate aptitude for a given skill area. This is another thing it's good to have clarity around if you are considering a new career path. Talents Exploration Exercises can help you figure out which skill sets are going to be relatively easy and enjoyable for you to acquire and which skill sets you will have to work harder to attain.
archetypes exploration:
We all engage in certain behavior patterns that we've learned over time. These behavior patterns are called archetypes. An archetype is a word that describes your role or "who you are being" in a given situation. Some archetypes are particularly common among the HSP population. For example, you might identify yourself as an Accommodator or an Achiever. Through Archetypes Exploration Exercises, you can learn to recognize not only what your main behavior patterns are, but also the ways in which they might be helping you and the ways in which they might be holding you back. This increased self awareness will increase your effectiveness as you pursue HSP alignment. You can choose to turn to an archetype that will be the most helpful in a given circumstance.
pattern recognition:
The Pattern Recognition Exercise is another coaching tool for increasing self awareness and helping you shift thinking and behavior patterns. This tool can be useful when you want to change the outcome in a situation that keeps coming up over and over again. You'll see how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are related to each other and how "changing the pattern" might help you change the outcome.
belief shift:
We all hold on to unhelpful or "limiting" beliefs about ourselves and about the world that hold us back in life. In coaching, you can systematically work on identifying what these beliefs are for you and on shifting from disempowering to empowering beliefs.
parts conflict:
Decision making can be extremely difficult, especially for highly sensitive people who like to process deeply and really think things through. Sometimes decision making is so difficult that you get stuck and stop making progress toward your goals! When the difficulty is caused by an internal conflict, we can use the Parts Conflict Process to work through the issue so that you are able to move forward with confidence.
pros and cons analysis:
Pros and Cons Analysis is another decision making tool. This exercise will help you identify the road blocks that are stalling you as well as potential motivators that will help you move forward. You will then be able to leverage the "pros" and minimize the "cons" when moving forward.
dreamstorming:
Dreamstorming is an exercise that will help you solve a difficult problem or turn a vision in reality. You will think through your problem or goal from five distinct points of view, making sure that you are considering the issue holistically and in a balanced way.
MBTI® and strong interest inventory® assessments
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator® and the Strong Interest Inventory® assessments can be used for self discovery with multiple applications for career exploration and beyond. One or both assessments can be added to your live coaching package, but there is an extra cost due to the cost of the assessment. Just let me know if you are interested and want more info!
mbti step 2® self discovery session:
Want to supercharge your level of self awareness? For many people, finding out their Myers Briggs Personality Type and where they fall on the four personality preference pairs (STEP 1) is hugely eye-opening. But the MBTI STEP 2 assessment® goes even further! When you sign up for the MBTI Step 2® Self Discovery Session, you will take the official MBTI® assessment online and find out not only where you fall on the four preference pairs (STEP 1), but go deeper with MUCH more information on the unique way in which you express your type in the form of 20 facet pairs (STEP 2). During your 90-minute coaching session, we'll discuss the assessment results and your Best-Fit Type. You'll receive a 16-page report describing your personality type and tips for reaching your highest potential in the areas of communication, conflict management, change management, and decision making.
STRONG INTEREST INVENTORY® CAREER EXPLORATION SESSION:
Looking for the right career path for you? The Strong Interest Inventory is an assessment that will help you get clarity and articulate your work-related preferences as well as let you know what careers people with similar interests and preferences to yours find satisfaction in. When you sign up, you will take the Strong Interest Inventory® online and then schedule a 90-minute Zoom-session with me to discuss your work personality, your specific interest areas, your personal work style, and specific career options. You'll also receive a 10-page report with a wealth of information on your career preferences, a list of occupations that might potentially be a good fit for your interests, as well as instructions for accessing a database with additional closely related occupations.
mbti career® + strong interest inventory® career exploration SErIES:
If you want to maximize your career-related self awareness, you can combine the MBTI® with the Strong Interest Inventory® to thoroughly articulate your work related preferences and identify suitable career matches. You will take both assessments online and then schedule a series of three coaching sessions to receive an interpretation of both sets of results as well as discuss the take-aways. You'll receive two reports with a wealth of information on where and how people similar to you have found career satisfaction.
applied mbti® sessions
The MBTI® has many applications beyond identifying potential career matches. Once you know your MBTI® personality type, any of the applied MBTI® sessions described below can be incorporated in your live coaching package at no extra cost.
mbti® type clarification session:
Already pretty familiar with the MBTI® but conflicted about your Best Fit Type? The Type Clarification Session is for people who already have clarity on most of their preferences but can't decide between two similar types. During your coaching session, we'll confirm your "known" preferences, discuss typical reasons for type confusion, and spend the majority of the time focusing on the differences between the two types in question.
type development:
Want to reach your full potential? In this 60-minute coaching session, we'll discuss the typical growth trajectory for your personality type, determine your current status, and define concrete steps you can take for personal development moving forward.
your type and stress:
Want to improve your ability to manage stress? In this 60-minute coaching session, we'll discuss your type's typical stress triggers, short-term and chronic stress reactions, and ways to regain equilibrium. We'll define concrete action steps you can take to better manage stress moving forward.
your type and habits:
Having a hard time following an exercise program or establishing other wellness habits? In this 60-minute coaching session, we'll discuss what typically works for your personality type and discuss concrete ways in which you can apply type knowledge to achieve successful habit change.
your type and relationships:
Having a hard time getting along with certain individuals or just want to improve your relationship skills in general? In this 60-minute coaching session, we'll discuss your type's typical relationship struggles. We'll then define concrete action steps you can take in the future to communicate more effectively and manage conflict more productively.
your type and decision making:
Facing a big life decision? In this 60-minute coaching session, we'll discuss your type's typical decision making style and then consider perspectives that your type is less likely to consider. You'll learn what questions to ask yourself in order to make sure you are making a well-rounded decision.