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FAQ
If your questions aren't answered below, please send me a message here >
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What is Life Coaching?A way of working that invites you to go beyond the way you usually think about your life and what you desire. It will enable you to access the natural creativity and problem solving capacity of your own brain whilst freeing you from old stories, and beliefs that are holding you back and getting in the way of your success so you can take action to achieve your goals. You can also find a definition of Coaching on the (International Coaching Federation) ICF website
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What is a Psychotherapy?A way of working that invites you to reflect on your life experiences in order to heal from past trauma or psychological stress that may be causing difficulties and mental health issues in your current life in order to address or treat these and move forward. It is also referred to as counselling and you can find another definition at the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy BACP website.
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What is a Therapeutic Life Coach?Someone who combines their training and experience as a psychotherapist with their practice as a coach. Blending both approaches to create the optimum support for individual clients regardless of their background and life experiences..
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What is the difference between therapy and coaching?Therapy focuses on how past experience is creating current issues in order to resolve and move towards better mental health; coaching focuses on optimizing the client’s own resources and ideas to create a life they enjoy more. See health spectrum diagram on The Process page In other words therapy focuses on the "Why" and coaching on the "What now". This is why when combined together they can provide a powerful way to move clients forward, no matter what their life stage. past experiences or current challenges.
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How do I know if I need a therapist or a life coach?Take a look at the diagram on The Process page of the website and think about where you feel you are along the spectrum of mental health. If you are unsure and would like to discuss your needs, in confidence and without commitment, book a free discovery call and lets see if we can work together to understand the best fit for you at this time
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What if we uncover something unpleasant or surprising during coaching and I want or need more psychological supportIf you decide that you would like to work with a therapist we can pause or discontinue our work while you work with a therapist or other mental health provider. If during our work I feel that you would benefit from working with a therapist I will let you know. It will always be your decision to continue or end the coaching service in this situation. Having built up a relationship and understanding with me some clients choose to continue to work with me more therapeutically for a number of sessions to focus on a specific area and then transition back to a coaching approach.
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Does it hurt?Therapeutic coaching is not a diagnostic service or medical treatment. You will not be provided with any medication or medical advice. There is no physical pain involved, however you may experience some emotional discomfort, particularly if you have been suppressing or ignoring your emotions for a long time. Just like starting at the gym when you use your muscles in a new way it may feel a little sore until you build the strength and resilience you need, which can be an important part of the work.
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Are there side effects?Therapy and coaching can seriously improve your wellbeing and lead to a reduction in frustration and unnecessary suffering brought on by anxiety, overwhelm and indecision 😉.
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Can I work with you if I am seeing a therapist?Yes, you can work with a coach and a therapist at the same time. You should discuss your intention with your therapist before beginning to work with a coach.
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Will you share what I tell you with anyone else?No. I keep full confidentiality for all clients and will not share any of your details or what we discuss during your coaching sessions. For accreditation purposes I need to maintain records of clients and sessions attended. These will be shared with the accrediting bodies only and in accordance with my Privacy Policy. The exception where by law I am required to break confidentiality is if I reasonably believe you are in danger or you may endanger someone else. Should this situation arise I will advise you of who I will notify and when. Please see Ethical standard for ICF and BACP here >
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Can I work with you if I am taking medication for anxiety or depression?Yes. You should advise your prescribing physician of your intention to work with a coach before you begin. Please be aware however that some medication can suppress your ability to connect with your emotions and may therefore make the work a little more challenging and impact your levels of motivation and desire which are an important part of the ability to take action and create change in your life. You should not stop taking medication at the prescribed dose without discussing your intention with the prescribing physician.
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How long is a normal coaching session?This varies by coach. At Unburden we find a 90 minute session is the most effective and this is our standard service, however if you would like to work for a different length of time we can discuss this during your free discovery session. For more information see our Fees and Services pages.
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How much does it cost?All prices are shown on the website. Fees are payable in advance.
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Can I try one session to see if I like it before I commit to a package?The initial 30-minute discovery call gives you the opportunity to meet with the coach and discuss your objectives. If you are both happy that coaching at this time is a good way to proceed, you will be able to book either a single session or a package. Coaching isn’t for everyone and so if it is your first time, we encourage you to book a single session to try it out before committing to a package. Many clients decide to book session to session, rather than a package. This allows flexibility to fit around changing schedules but does mean you may not always be able to keep the same day/time for your session.
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Do you have a license?There is no licence requirement or licensing body for Life Coaches. It is important to me that I work to the highest standards and I adhere to the Ethical standards of both the ICF and BACP. You can also find details of my qualifications, credentials and insurance on the website
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Are you insured?Yes I have Professional Liability Insurance you can download and view a copy of my policy below.
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Can I get my money back if I am not happy?If after a single coaching session you are not happy with the service you received please let me know via email within 2 days of the session and I will, at my discretion, give you a full refund.If you paid for a package and you are not happy after the first session let me know via email within 2 days that you wish to cancel the rest of the program and I will, at my discretion, give you a full refund. For all other situations please see my full cancellation and refund policy within the Coaching Agreement
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Do you have a privacy policy?Yes. I adhere to the privacy requirements of Ohio, USA and the requirements of GDPR covering the UK and European Union. You can find my terms & privacy policy on the website.
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Where can I get a copy of your service contract?You can download a copy of the standard Coaching Agreement from the website. If you wish to work with me you will be issued with a personalised contract outlining the services you have selected. You can also view the Website Terms & Privacy information here
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Where did you train as a Life Coach?I trained with the International Coach Academy - this is a global online coaching program.
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Where did you train as a therapist?I trained in Bedfordshire in the UK at Barnfield college from 2006-2008 and then with the wonderful Lorna Marchant at Independent Counselling Training from 2011-2013
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Do you provide faith based coaching?No, I am happy to work with people of all faiths but if you are looking for a faith based service then I will not be the right coach for you.
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Do you have experience working with people from the LGBTQ community?No. If you are looking for someone with experience working with this community please refer to the ICF register of Coaches or BACP register of therapists
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I don’t live in the US can I still work with you?Yes I can work with you via Zoom wherever you live, provided you are able to speak English. It is unusual but there is a possibility prices may be subject to an increase to cover local sales tax.
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What currencies can I pay in?Prices and Invoices are in US Dollars. By arrangement I can accept Sterling and Euros by interbank transfer. Contact me to discuss your needs. Payment will be required to be received into the Unburden bank account prior to services being provided so please check processing times and fees with your bank.
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Will you appear as an expert witness in a court case?No.
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Do you coach couples?Yes, couples are welcome.
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Do you coach families?Yes, families are welcome.
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Do you keep client records?Please refer to the privacy policy to understand the data I hold about clients in order to provide the service. I may keep brief notes about what was discussed in the session and any further reflections I may have. These are for my personal use only e.g. to help in identifying themes across sessions. These are stored in line with the privacy policy and prevailing Ohio data protection legislation.
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Do you record sessions?Not usually. However some clients like to be able to review the session later and I am happy to record Zoom sessions, strictly for the client's personal use upon request.
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Can I record my session with you?Yes. If you choose to do so you will be solely responsible for storing and protecting the recording files.
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Do you provide training courses?We are developing an online course for people who prefer to work on their own or are not yet ready to start working with someone else. We have no release date for this yet.
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Who took the photos of you on your web siteMy very talented and patient friend Dianne Bordonaro Bunis
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Who created your website?The wonderful team at SETDesign London in the UK
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Can you coach in other languages?I only speak English if you prefer to work in another language please refer to the ICF for other coaches who will be right for you
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What is involved in the free 30 minute discovery call?We will have a conversation via Zoom to discuss what you want to achieve through coaching and what particular challenges you would like to address. Every conversation is different but may cover what experience you have with coaching, mentoring or therapy; how you like to work and learn; what concerns you have, your availability and level of commitment and motivation. You will have the opportunity to get to know a little more about me and how I work and ask any other questions that will help you make a decision about whether coaching is the best approach for you at this moment in your life.
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What is your cancellation policy?You can end coaching whenever you choose. If you have future sessions booked please refer to the Coaching Agreement for the cancellation policy.
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What preparation is needed for a coaching session?You don’t need to do anything, however you will find you can optimise the benefit of coaching if you spend a few minutes thinking about what you want to achieve overall - long term goal and what you want to achieve within an individual session that moves you towards the larger goal. Reflecting on what challenges you face and what thoughts and feelings you have about this.
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Will there be homework between coaching sessions?Only if you choose to set yourself some!
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Can you help me understand my dreams?We can work with anything that is on your mind, dreams included. These are often a rich source of information from our unconscious if we learn how to listen to them. Only you will know what your dreams mean or the meaning you give them and exploring them is another way to raise your awareness and tap into your creativity.
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How will I know if you are the right coach for me?The only way to know is to start working together. Hopefully you will have a good sense of who I am and how I work from our discovery call and we can discuss any doubts or concerns you may have. There is also no commitment from you to carry on working with me after the first session. If you are confident that we can work together to help you achieve your goals after that then you can book one of the packages or continue to book sessions one at a time.
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Will I have to share very personal information with you?What you choose to share is totally up to you. I will ask questions that may be challenging and require reflection and thought. I will invite you to share what you are thinking and feeling as this is part of the process required to build your awareness of your inner world and how this may be impacting your results and getting in your way. However you decide what you want to share. You also decide if there is something you don’t wish to discuss and you can let me know so we can avoid that.
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How do I know I can trust you with sensitive information?We can only work effectively if we both have trust in the coaching relationship we create together. In accordance with the Ethical guidelines of both ICF and BACP I will not share with anyone else anything that we discuss in our coaching sessions without your express permission. The exceptional circumstances which would require me to break that confidence for legal or safety purposes are set out in the guidelines. What you choose to share with others is for you to decide.
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Does a coach have to have personal experience of the issues I am facing in order to help me?No. It is not necessary to have similar experiences or background to coach effectively. Even where we do share these our individual experiences will be different and the focus of the work is on you, your experience and what this means to you. That said, many clients do feel they will be able to relate better to someone who shares similar experiences and backgrounds.
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If I am still unsure about coaching what should I do?Accept that you cannot know if it will work for you unless you try it and give yourself permission to both have doubt and try something new. Book a 30 minute free conversation with me and just see what happens. Your only commitment is 30minutes of your time that might just change your life.
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Do you take medical insurance?No.
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Do you offer discounts for Veterans, Senior Citizens etc?"Yes there are discounts available for some clients. Please refer to the Services and Fees pages
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What will I do if our work uncovers past trauma or triggers anxiety?If this happens and you wish to address this then you may choose to work with a licensed psychotherapist (US clients). You may also choose to pause, continue or end our work whilst you do this. UK clients who would like to continue working with me to address trauma, anxiety or other causes of emotional distress can do so. We would revisit your goals and agree an approach before proceeding with this. You are always in control of the work we do together and can choose to change direction and review your goals at any point.
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Do you have a coach or therapist?I am committed to my ongoing learning and development and to working safely and effectively with my clients. I therefore work from time to time with a coach. I do not currently have a therapist but as part of my psychotherapy training I undertook many hours of therapy, over several years, with a wonderful therapist in the UK, Mary, who passed away a number of years ago.
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How does it work?Before you can move forward in life you often need to let go of something such as an idea, a feeling or a belief and it's not always obvious. Coaching can help you identify what that is, understand how that is getting in your way and enable you to access your own insights and creativity and energy to take action to unburden yourself so you can achieve your goals and enjoy life more.
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Can I meet with you in person for sessionsAs we work with clients across the world most sessions are over Zoom, however if you live in the Cincinnati area of the USA we now have two locations in which we can arrange in-person sessions, one close to Montgomery (45242) and one in OTR (45202). Due to logistics there will be fewer session times available for in-person coaching.
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What time zone are you in?USA - EST (Eastern Time)
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Where do you live?Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
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Are you currently offering therapy sessions?I can provide therapy sessions to clients in the UK and other countries that accept the same standards and accreditations as the UK. For US clients I offer therapeutic coaching - which is a coaching approach informed by my therapeutic training and experience.
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What are your dogs called?Molly is the Greyhound, Remus is the Golden Retriever and Jess is the Mini Dachshund.
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Why are all your dogs the same color?So they match the carpet this means less time vacuuming and more time playing with them… and coaching! 😀
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Do you accept digital currency?No.
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How can I leave a Review about my experience working with you?Please use this link to leave a Google Review to help others find Unburden and enjoy their life more: https://g.page/r/CZr_nJvBaNrAEAE/review
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