I have found from my time being a coach and psychotherapist, as well as a client in both, that it can be confusing and daunting to get started.
So to help with this I have put together some basics about both
Firstly, I am a qualified Coach and Psychotherapist and I am trained to work according to my client’s needs and wants. Having that broad, deep training and perspective allows me to help you understand and master your habits, thoughts and feelings that hold you back from achieving your most important goals.
Whether it's coaching or psychotherapy, I believe that you are the expert in your life. I believe that you are whole, not broken, that you are resourceful and capable of far more than you imagine. I believe in your capacity to change and pursue your ambitions.
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions that I get. If you don’t find the answers to your questions here, please get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I need to see a Parental Coach?
There are various reasons why working with a coach like me would be of benefit to you. For example:
Work on your plan and aspirations for maternity leave with your boss or organisation
Work on your strategy of return to work after maternity leave or extended leave from work
Career coaching can help you to refocus your career after having a baby, or two or three.
Strategies to deal with signs of parental burnout: feeling unproductive, inefficient and self-doubting, feeling emotionally distant or emotionally void from your children or partner, bearing the mental load constantly or decision fatigue.
Work on gaining control of your life after becoming a parent. Themes may include but are not limited to:
Creating more time to enjoy family life: structure and strategies for your week and weekends that work for you and your family
Feel great, not guilty about being a working parent
Stop worrying and start living: reducing anxiety as a working parent
Finding valuable ‘Me’ time; reclaiming yourself again after becoming a parent
Working parent challenges and solutions specific to your family
Grow your Confidence: understand what makes you the right parent for your family
You might see me for psychotherapy for:
Postnatal depression, anxiety and/or rage
PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) and /or birth trauma
Understand your experiences of becoming a mother or father and the integration of your new identity
Dealing with unresolved issues from one’s own childhood eg: abuse or difficult relationships with own parents
Parenting alone after a relationship breakdown or separation
Difficulties in the couple relationship in the transition to parenthood eg: conflict, roles, parental identity, resentment
Dealing with parental burnout: mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, boredom, despite having loads to do all the time, resentment, self-doubting, emotionally distant or emotionally void from your children or partner, irrational and irritated by minor situations and depleted of self-worth or value, inability to cope with everyday problems and feeling overwhelmed.
Difficulties arising in the attachment relationship with the unborn baby or infant due to gender preference
Managing crèche and back to work anxieties
What is Coaching?
The Focus: Your life and your potential (your unrealised ability, capacity or possibility), focusing on the present leading into the future.
The How: Leveraging your strengths, uncovering what’s in your way, and targeting the areas you are most interested in addressing to help you reach your goals more effectively. You will make a plan and work that plan in order to make the changes to attain that future you want.
I keep you focused on the goals through a mixture of support, challenge, and an awareness of self-sabotage. We will engage in powerful conversations that are intended to inspire new thinking, perceptions and behaviour that actualise your potential, improve your performance, create focus and directional clarity to support the achievement of your personal and professional goals, and enhance the quality of your life.
What is Psychotherapy?
You can benefit from therapy at any stage in your life. However, it is more usual that you are likely to consider therapy when you are seeking to deal with changes, events or transitions in your life, or when you are facing a personal crisis.
The Focus: Explore thoughts, beliefs, feelings and behaviours that affect your life negatively. Often referred to as the ‘talking therapy’ because it uses talking as opposed to (or in some cases in combination with) medication. This can equip people to cope with difficult situations in a more adaptive way.
The How: For some clients, just talking freely about an issue is relief itself. Within therapy you are given the support and safety to explore, understand and often, to change thoughts, beliefs, feelings and behaviours.
We will work together to find different ways of behaving, thinking and managing your feelings. This can allow more realistic and effective ways of improving the quality, contentment and satisfaction of your life.
The personal growth that can then take place can free you from the limitations of old patterns.
You’ll learn to distinguish between situations you can’t change and those you can. You will use this to focus on fixing things only within your control and to manage your life in a more positive way.
What’s the difference and what's the similarities?
This is a really great article to explain the commonalities and differences of both and should leave you pretty clear on which may suit you better at this time in your life.
Can coaching and psychotherapy actually change things?
Yes! I’ve seen many clients change in powerful ways. And they’ve likely had ambitions, goals, concerns and challenges that are similar to yours. Coaching and psychotherapy can be the catalyst to profoundly shift the trajectory of your life, enabling you to change the direction and quality of relationships, experiences and aspirations in ways you might not have thought possible.
How do you decide if I am the right person for you or your organisation?
Finding the right person to work with is a very important step and it can be helpful to talk to different practitioner’s before making a decision.
I offer a free initial assessment session of about 30 minutes for us to see if we want to work together.
I am not obliged to accept a client if I feel I am unlikely to be able to be of benefit to the client.
If we decide to proceed with either coaching or therapy then we will agree on a contract, outlining the responsibilities of both.
How long does coaching last?
Each coaching package is different and the time frame can vary depending on a wide range of factors: your goal(s), your commitment and openness to change, your capacity for introspection, your circumstances, how quickly and thoughtfully you complete homework assignments, and other unique factors. Coaching sessions are usually goal orientated and we therefore agree to a minimum of 4 sessions to begin with.Each session is usually 1 hour long and time between sessions are agreed at the end of each session.
How long does psychotherapy last?
There really is no single answer to this as it will depend on what issues you are experiencing. During your first session we can discuss and you can either leave it open-ended or decide to fix on a number of sessions. Often we would agree to work together for at least 6 sessions and then review whether to continue further.
What happens in a therapy session and how many sessions will I need?
That really is up to you. We generally have around 50 minutes for a session, and that time is entirely devoted to you. We will probably begin by exploring what has brought you to therapy and the concerns and issues that are uppermost in your mind. As we begin to discuss things it is likely that other thoughts and feelings will emerge which you might also wish to examine.
Generally speaking, sessions are held on a weekly basis. Through many years of experience and testing of different time frames, I have found that this frequency yields the greatest returns in terms of change. Meeting once a week offers time for reflection and application of learning between sessions, while maintaining the momentum of our work together.
How much does a session coast?
You can find out more about my services here.
Psychotherapy and coaching start from €69. Discounts may apply for students or anyone who is unemployed. Find out more here.
Is Coaching and Psychotherapy Completely Confidential?
What happens in our sessions stays in our sessions. However it is important to point out that in certain circumstances ethical and legal obligations must be considered, such as the Child Protection Act (protecting the rights and welfare of children and minors). I will fully explain confidentiality to you in the first session.
Where do I meet my Coach or Psychotherapist?
We work together in person or from the privacy of your own home or office (using your computer, tablet or smartphone via Zoom). I strive to make parent coaching and therapy as accessible as possible for you!
How Do I Begin?
Schedule a no-cost call and let’s talk about what services or packages might work best for you.