To oversimplify it, therapy or counselling focuses on the past, while coaching focuses on the future. Therapy is a good fit for addressing trauma and mental health concerns, while you could say that coaching is about putting an ‘OK’ life into high gear, so that it becomes an ideal life. We do this by defining a goal, and putting a plan in place to get there!
Teenagers face challenges on a daily basis, and this is only natural, as they’re going through the most awkward growth stage of their lives.
During this time, teens are dealing with hormonal changes, as well as pressures from school, friends, and parents. The most common teen problems include:
Stress and anxiety Low motivation and low confidence Body image issues Conflicts with friends and family Schoolwork struggles
Coaching provides an opportunity for teenagers to talk to an objective outsider about their thoughts and feelings, as well as hopes and dreams. A good coach will help teens to cope with their challenges—before these challenges get too big.
Of course, teenagers are smart, and they know what they want. But they may need a bit of help to find the answers to their problems. By asking the right questions, we get teens to think about their problem, and uncover a solution—when they finally figure it out, the credit goes to them!
We don’t teach teens what they should be doing. Instead, we meet them where they’re at, and work with them to develop intrinsic motivation, in order to create plans that they can execute to achieve their goals.
What we're really helping them to do is to shift their focus, from past problems to the limitless possibilities of the future. Most teenagers have wants, desires, hopes, and dreams. But many find it hard to translate these into achievable goals.
When we work with a teen, we spend a lot of time untangling any roadblocks that may be standing in the way, and these could be internal or external obstacles. Our emphasis is on sustainable and practical change, with both short- and long-term benefits.
We are very passionate about preparing children for their school journeys, and for life. We have focused a lot on equipping children with life skills, such as resilience and confidence, from an early age.
But as the children we work with grew up, we saw that things started to get challenging for them. In fact, we noticed this with our own children too! And we were surprised, because we’d set them up so well when they were younger—what had gone wrong?
This was when we realised how much teenagers needed support and guidance. And we wanted to devote our lives to getting teens on the right track. The reward is seeing teens make changes in their lives, or simply see life from a different perspective.
The most challenging part of my work happens when teens and parents share different goals, or when parents hold different expectations for their teens. It takes a little longer to get results, but with effort and open communication, we almost always get through it!
The results are different when your child gets to speak to a ‘neutral’ person. Although we are coaches, and specialise in teenagers, we don’t coach our own children! They work with other coaches, who have helped them tremendously.
