Life Coaching is not psychotherapy

Counseling and psychotherapy examine what has happened in your past, helps you come to terms with it and look to the future free of baggage. Coaching establishes where you are today, and helps you clearly define your goals for the future and then helps you to devise a plan of action that you can follow with confidence. Life coaching is goal oriented and very practical.

Personal Life Coaching will focus on . . .

  • Where you are going now, not where you have been in the past
  • Solutions, rather than problems
  • Expanding your life and growing in new arenas
  • Identifying obstacles and challenges in a setting that supports changing the patterns that block you from full manifestation of your hopes and dreams
  • Specific feedback and encouragements

How I Coach Clients

I get great joy watching my clients make changes in their lives. I feel honored to work with each of them and assisting them in developing the personal and professional lives, they desire. Hiring me as your coach signals that you are ready for change. Our relationship will provide a format for you

  • To set goals
  • Examine what is and is not working
  • Decide what the next action should be. Defining 3 to 5 action steps you can take between sessions will help you stay focused and provide the groundwork for change and growth.

I make specific, direct requests from time to time.

  • I may request that you accomplish a specific task within a particular period. You can accept the request, counteroffer (say what you can do), or decline (rare). If it is too much or not enough, say so. Honesty is the coaching relationship is very important.

Accountability is an important dynamic in coaching relationships. I will ask about your progress during our sessions. Together we will monitor your progress at each stage.

You are the “master artist” of your life.

I will give you positive feedback and help you resolve problems along the way. Review and reflection affords you an opportunity to examine what strategies may or may not be working.

I am an excellent listener and tracker. If you are open to it, I will share my hunches, and intuitions with you. Please let me know if you are not open to this approach. It is your life and you decide what rings true for you and what you want to discard. With a genuine heart, I will ask about silences or changes in your tone of voice. These moments can offer insight into your life patterns, patterns that may be blocking you from full manifestation of your life dreams. Responses are always handled respectfully.

Our sessions are confidential. I am here to talk with you when you have insights, breakthroughs, or when you just made a mess of things. I serve as your partner, your sponsor, in our co-creative partnership so I am 100% committed to helping you. I hold your dreams and desires in the highest regard. Because of this, I offer compassion, empathy, understanding, honest feedback, encouragement, and presence.

Personal Life Coaching can be successful for people who . . .

  • Want direction in dealing with life and/or business transitions (Life-Transition Coaching)
  • Want spiritual direction and personal growth (Spiritual Mentoring)
  • Want to explore their creativity in new and different ways (Creativity Coaching)
  • Want more fulfilling relationships and intimacy (Relationship Coaching)
  • Want to overcome chaos and create a simpler, more organized life
  • Want to develop more satisfaction and balance in life when “success” isn’t enough
  • Want feedback and motivation while struggling with time management issues
  • Want to reduce stress and have a more balanced life
  • Want to more efficiently navigate the issue involved in caring for aging parents (Generational Coaching)

The Coaching Process

  • Via telecommunications: phone, fax, and/or e-mail
     (This allows for creative scheduling)
  • Face-to-face: office, lunch, dinner, etc.
     (Occasional meeting allows for flexibility and personal contact.)
  • Negotiable plans: weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, etc.

The Next Step

For more information on Life Coaching, please call or email

Ellen Hitchcock
The Center For Well-Being
865-482-9252, ext. 1
ehitch@comcast.net