chasuble equanimity: Coaching Model: SAS self-awareness, action, self-sufficiency ...

STAGE ONE: Self-Awareness

Coaching holds massive value in how it can help people change for the better. This first stage is of the greatest importance for anyone who wants to change their life. Without the awareness of how we interact with people, our relationships, our thought processes, values and beliefs, we cannot start the process of positive change.

At this stage the client is invited to describe themselves and their behaviour through both speaking with the coach and writing an initial description of themselves and their behaviour. This should ideally be completed in a direct Q&A format with questions specifically designed to direct the client into clarity around their behaviour, recurring thoughts, values and beliefs. For example, some questions may be: Do you have recurring thought during the day that cause you stress? What are they? How would you describe your interactions with your family, friends, co-workers, yourself? What are you great at? Describe the inner dialogues you have with yourself.

The client may, if appropriate, also be directed to other resources (books and online) to complete various ?get to know yourself? activities.

It is vital during this stage that the coach fosters an environment that is supportive, open and non-judgmental in order for the client to feel comfortable in describing themselves, even if these descriptions are negative.

At the end of this stage, the client is able to clearly see themselves as they are ? not who they want to be or how others may want them to be. Once some clarity has been gained here, they are ready for the stage of action.

STAGE TWO: Action

Action is absolutely crucial for change. When action is informed by healthy decisions, we change for the better.

At the beginning of this stage, the client will be asked to define what areas in their life are not working for them and why. This is somewhat of a continuation of the first stage of awareness. For example, the client may discover that they do not treat their partner as well as they would like to. The client is then asked to come up with an action step in order to change this aspect of their life. An example could be anything from talking to their partner about their realization to changing their language or behaviour in the home. However, the more specific the client can be in what exactly they can do to change their behaviour, the better. It should be emphasized that ?be nice to my husband all the time? would not be as useful as ?when my husband says something that irritates me, I will take 3 deep breaths and respond in a calm voice?. The client is encouraged to create specific change with specific action steps.

The Action stage will most likely take up the majority of the coaching sessions due to the emphasis placed on behaviour change, which can be extremely challenging. This stage will include talking about and dealing with mental and emotional blocks, motivation and self-sabotage. In addition to the usual support and enthusiasm offered by the coach, the client should be regularly and consistently acknowledged for the awareness they have developed from stage one and encouraged to reward themselves for any positive action taken as a result of this awareness. Doing so will help them to acknowledge their achievements and encourage them to keep moving, creating momentum and more action.

At the end of this stage, the client is able to make real change through their action steps and will increasingly be able to achieve more and more of their goals. Once the client is satisfied that they are consistently aware and can consistently create healthy action when needed, they approach the stage of self-sufficiency.

STAGE THREE: Self-Sufficiency

The ultimate goal of this coaching model is for the coach to be able to leave the client either temporarily or permanently with the knowledge that they can continue to find ways to support themselves without being coached.

Building on the awareness of stage one and the positive action of stage two, the client will now recognise what they need in order to function more effectively and joyfully in their life. Not only will they know how to go about this but during these final sessions, they will discuss with the coach their own ideas for self-improvement and how they are going to achieve it. This stage is the shortest of the three stages as once the client becomes more self-sufficient, the coaching may come to close, whether temporarily or permanently.

The key to this stage is in the client?s ability to use their inner resources (the tools they have learnt throughout the sessions) and outer resources (knowing what or who can help them if necessary). It should be made clear that this does not mean that the client cannot or should not seek help if they need it. It is about the client knowing when and how they can receive support or guidance and actually taking this step themselves. The client will actively and regularly engage in resourcefulness that supports their growth. They will be asked to identify specific resources they can utilize. Some examples could be a friend, books, classes, internet forums, teachers and so forth. The will also demonstrate that they are using these resources when they need them.

At this stage, the client may start to view the coaching process more and more as one of support and a sounding board rather than a process to lean on in order to make change. Once both the client and coach feel that a suitable level of self-sufficiency has been achieved, the coaching process can, if desired, be stopped altogether or paused for a period of time, depending on the preferences and agreements of the coach and client.