Welcome to coaching!

This Agreement outlines key information and principles to lay the foundation for a strong and professional Coach-Client relationship, along with the Terms and Conditions of the Coach-Client relationship.

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. Coaches honour the Client as the expert in their own life and work, and 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​

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How is Coaching different from other forms of development?

Coaching: In addition to the above ICF definition, the Coach uses active listening and powerful questions to help Clients “dig deep” into an issue, all within a safe space. This empowers Clients to develop their own action plans for successful professional development.

Therapy/Counselling: Therapy/counselling deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or a relationship between two or more individuals.  The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past, which hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present and improving overall psychological functioning.

Mentoring: Mentors provide advice and guide others by sharing their own experience in a specific area of industry or career development.  Mentors can use a Coach approach when working with a Mentee; however, Mentors usually focus on giving advice or sharing their own experiences.

Consulting: Consultants may be retained by individuals or organizations for the purpose of accessing specialized expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, there is often an assumption that the Consultant diagnoses problems and prescribes/sometimes implements solutions.

Training: Training programmes are based on the acquisition of certain learning objectives, as set out by the Trainer or Instructor.  Training also assumes a linear learning path, which coincides with an established curriculum.

Athletic Development: The Athletic Coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behaviour of individuals or teams based on their own greater experience and knowledge.  Athletic Coaches focus on behaviours that are being executed incorrectly to improve/guide an Athlete’s performance.

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What are the Coach’s and Client’s Roles?

Coaches use active listening and powerful questions to help explore the Client's objectives, challenge the Client's assumptions, foster courageous conversations, identify challenges, focus the Client's energy, and develop action plans to achieve the Client's professional goals.  The Coach will not do the actual work for the Client – achieving the results the Client wants requires the Client's commitment to do the work.

Coaching assumes a Client is capable of generating their own solutions, with the Coach supplying a supportive, discovery-based approach and framework.  The primary focus of this type of Coaching is creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's personal and professional life.

Clients will be open to and curious about fresh perspectives and will utilise the time with their Coach to promote possibility thinking and the development of forward actions.

Session Commitment: The Coach is committed to each one-on-one and/or group session being meaningful and productive for the Client.  The Coach and Client will select a time(s) for coaching session(s) that works optimally for their mutual schedules.  If a time no longer works for either party (the Coach or the Client) due to an unforeseen change in their schedule or an emergency, one party will contact the other party as soon as possible in order to reschedule the session.

Nature of Partnership: A Client enters into Coaching with the understanding that the Client is responsible for creating value and achieving results by committing to the process, which includes identifying what to address in each session and providing feedback about what works or does not work for the Client.  Coaching is a strengths-based approach to human development.

Confidentiality: The Coach-Client relationship, and all information (documented or verbal) that the Client shares with the Coach as part of this relationship, is bound by the principles of confidentiality set forth in the ICF’s Code of Ethics.  Your Coach agrees not to disclose any information from Coaching conversations without the Client's explicit consent.  Coaching is a confidential relationship, and the Coach agrees to keep the Client's information strictly confidential, except in situations where such confidentiality would violate the ethics of the Client's organisation / institution, the law, or potentially threaten the safety of the Client or another person.

Liability: The Coach is not liable for any injury, loss or damage suffered by the Client as a result of this Agreement.

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Terms and Conditions

By purchasing this Coaching package, I confirm that I have read, understood and agree to the terms and conditions listed below (points 13 and 14 are relevant only for clients funded through Access to Work arrangements):

1. I understand that payment for my Coaching package is due prior to my first Coaching session. I understand that my Coaching will not occur until my payment is made and failure to make a payment may forfeit my scheduled appointment day and time.

2. I will be on time for my session to the best of my ability and will call and give 24 hours’ notice if I need to cancel my session and/or reschedule. I understand that if I am more than 10 minutes late or miss a session without 24 hours' prior notice, I will be charged for this session, and it will not be made up.

3. As a Client, I understand and agree that I am fully responsible for my physical, mental and emotional well-being during my Coaching calls, including my choices and decisions.  I am aware that I can choose to discontinue Coaching at any time.

4. I understand that “Coaching” is a Professional-Client relationship I have with my Coach that is designed to facilitate the creation/development of personal, professional or business goals and to develop and carry out a strategy/plan for achieving those goals.

5. I understand that Coaching is a comprehensive process that may involve all areas of my life, including work, finances, health, relationships, education and recreation.  I acknowledge that deciding how to handle these issues, incorporate Coaching into those areas, and implement my choices is exclusively my responsibility.

6. I agree to keep an open mind, be willing to try new behaviours, and experiment with new ideas, and I give my coach permission, to be honest, direct, supportive, and challenging me during our coaching.

7. I understand that Coaching does not involve the diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders as defined by the World Health Organisation.  I understand that Coaching is not a substitute for counselling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care or substance abuse treatment and I will not use it in place of any form of diagnosis, treatment or therapy.

8. I promise that if I am currently in therapy or otherwise under the care of a mental health professional, that I have consulted with the mental health care provider regarding the advisability of working with a Coach and that this person is aware of my decision to proceed with the Coaching relationship.

9. I understand that information will be held as confidential unless I state otherwise, in writing, except as required by law.

10. I understand that certain topics may be anonymously and hypothetically shared with other Coaching professionals for training or consultation purposes.

11. I understand that Coaching is not to be used as a substitute for professional advice by legal, medical, financial, business, spiritual or other qualified professionals.  I will seek independent professional guidance for legal, medical, financial, business, spiritual or other matters.  I understand that all decisions in these areas are exclusively mine and I acknowledge that my decisions and my actions regarding them are my sole responsibility.

12. I give permission for Lisa Kerr (the Coach) to list me as a client including the number of hours of Coaching received.  I understand that this information will be held in the strictest confidence and used solely for the purpose of the Coach’s credentialing by the International ADHD Coach Training Center (www.iactcenter.com) and/or the International Coaching Federation (www.coachingfederation.org) and will not be shared with any other individuals or agencies.

13. Access to Work clients only - I commit to submitting claim forms to Access to Work promptly on receipt of the Coach's invoice and timesheet.

14. Access to Work clients only - I understand that if my Coaching package is funded through Access to Work and Access to Work do not pay the invoices in full within 45 days of the claim being confirmed in the portal, I will be responsible for payment of the balance outstanding to the Coach.

15. ​I understand that this Agreement shall be governed in accordance with the laws of England.

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