(@
1998-2001, Dr. Yanina Shapiro)
Everybody
has problems. This is what life is about - challenging and stimulating,
and annoying and boring problems. Even the best fit minds are
sometimes overwhelmed with the problems of today and tomorrow,
and with good ideas and projects that need a very thorough sounding
out. We all could benefit from an objective opinion and/or another
point of view. A coach may help.
What
is Coaching?
Coaching
as Practiced at CPMF
How
is Coaching Different from Mental Fitness Training?
Executive
& Professional Development Coaching by Dr. Yanina Shapiro
What
is Coaching?
A
few years ago, in an article attempting to outline the fundamentals
of coaching, Dale D Buss wrote: "It is easy to be skeptical about
coaching. Even many of its practitioners don't seem to know how
to define it. Few academics have studied it. The names allusion
to the athletic world evokes images of detached exhortation, while
on the opposite extreme it may seem touchy-feely and overly personal.
.... But a clearer definition of coaching is emerging. It is more
than consulting, which generally is a finite arrangement confined
to business practices. And it is different from mentoring, which
almost always involves someone with a good deal of experience
in a position similar to that of the person whom the mentor is
advising." (Nation's Business., December 1998).
It
seems to me that the major problem of defining
coaching can be traced to the fact that it a profession
that requires no educational background over and above a
few hours of training., Anybody can become a credentialed
coach after paying a few thousand dollars to some such organization
as Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, CA, coachtrain@aol.com
or Coach University @ http://www.coachu.com/,
whose admission requirements do not even include
a college degree. Given that a standard coaching agreement involves
2-3 hours per month billed at the rate of $100 - $600 per hour,
the profession has become highly popular.
By
now, coaching is practiced by people whose backgrounds jump
the gamut between the college drop-out, the Ph.D.
level trained clinical psychologist on the run from HMOs,
management consultants, spiritual advisors, sport coaches,
and stay at home moms. Needless to say, that such variety of backgrounds
results in very different relationships between coaches and their
clients, which include the touchy-feely therapeutic
relationship, the 'in your face' management consulting
relationship, the "Jesus loves you" preaching relationship,
and any other relationship you can imagine.
Although
such widely ranging coaching services have a clear
advantage of letting the consumer find the type of coaching they
need, it also has an inherent danger. For example, a coach
that is not trained as a psychologist, is much less
likely to recognize a client who would be better served
by a medical or mental health professional (psychiatrist,
clinical psychologist, clinical social worker, etc).
Mental health problems do exist, and they cannot be wished away.
Many a mental health patient needs medical prescription
and therapy, not coaching. Coaching cannot help people who have
medical problems and need treatment. And in fact it can
possibly exacerbate such conditions as for example severe
depression.
Where
do all such considerations leave CPMF (Corporate Psychology &
Mental Fitness, LLC)? Please read about our brand of coaching
in the next section.
TOP
Coaching
as Practiced at CPMF
As
professional development and management consultants, at
CPMF, we practice coaching as a form of extended consulting, which
is personalized and tailored to individual and/or
organizational needs.
All
our coaches are Ph.D level trained psychologists who have undergone
a Harvard Business School training in coaching. We
specialize in custom tailored services, and will be glad
to discuss your and/or your company specific
needs . Contact us via phone 503-224-0363 or email
your inquiries to
services@brainflex.com, info@coaching365.com,
:info@corporate-psychology.com
,
or training@mentalfitness.org and
we will respond promptly, usually within 24 hours.
At
CPMF, we do not deal with problems nor undertake projects
that fall outside the area of our expertise. We neither
employ Clinical Psychologists nor offer therapy or drugs or any
other "treatment". Nor do we deal with mental
health problems. Nor accept insurance.
We guarantee complete confidentiality and high degree of professionalism.
Our
standard coaching contract includes 4 (four) 30 minute long
sessions per month plus some email exchanges. Those sessions are
usually conducted weekly over the phone. It is possible
to have coaching sessions conducted either via phone or via e-mail
or via a combination of phone and e-mail. It is possible
to schedule longer sessions twice per month or weekly.
It is also possible to have your sessions scheduled for evenings
and week-ends. Alternatively, you can also make
an office appointment.
Our
standard rate for individuals is $250 per hour. We offer
up to 30% reduction to non-profit organizations and
the US government. Project rates are also available. Please
inquire about our corporate and project rates.
TOP
How is Coaching Different from Mental
Fitness®Training?
You
engage a Mental Fitness®
Trainer if and when you wish to improve your cognitive potential,
sharpen your mental equipment, increase your brainpower.
Mental Fitness®
Training is about improving the cognitive skills you wish
improved. For example, Memory. Analytical Skills.
Risk-taking skills. Organizational Skills.
Productivity and Performance. Effective Listening
and Communication Skills. Public Speaking Skills. Self-control.
Self- Reliance. Self-confidence. Interpersonal
Skills; Emotional Intelligence.
You
hire a coach to help you deal with a particular problem or project.
Coaching is about helping you reach the goals you set for yourself.
For example, Becoming an Effective Manager.
Finding your Dream Job. Starting a Business.
Dealing with such Changes and Transitions as
Graduations, Promotions and/or New Jobs, Retirement, Downsizing
Lay-Off; Bankruptcy, . Moving within One's Own Country;
Culture Shock and Adjustment to a New Culture. Writing
an Effective Resume. Improving Your Interviewing
Skills. Improving your Study Strategies and Knowledge
Finishing Big Writing and Research Projects (dissertations,
books, etc).
Whereas acquiring a new skill is akin to taking a personalized
course that also requires a lot of home work, coaching
is more like like a problem solving session,or a series of problem
solving sessions, Sometimes, an hour or two of coaching
is all the help you need.
Everybody
has problems. This is what life is about - challenging and stimulating,
and annoying and boring problems. Even the best fit minds
are sometimes overwhelmed with the problems of today
and tomorrow, and with good ideas and projects that need
a very thorough sounding out.
Suppose
you have a problem with your boss and cannot figure out how to
solve it. You know that you could not share your thoughts
and frustrations with your boss and colleagues (who in fact
are perceived as a cause of your UN-ease).
You may not want to impose on your friends or perhaps do not feel
like sharing with them your half-baked thoughts and opinions. And
you know that your problem has not been caused by your poor mental
health and will not be solved via diagnosing/labeling and
medication or other treatment. You may even think
(or so you should) that we simply do not know enough about the
long-term effects of Prozac to speculate that it is a totally
harmless long-term modifier of neuro-transmitters in your brain.
Nor do you want the problem to endanger the state of your brain
and mental health. Where do you turn?
A
coach may help. We all could benefit from an
objective opinion and/or another point of view Everybody needs
a coach, a sounding board that asks thought provoking questions,
keeps track of your answers and goals, holds
you accountable for your decisions, and delivers, upon your
request, straightforward and honest opinions.
TOP
Executive
& Professional Development Coaching by
Dr. Yanina Shapiro
As
a coach, I help my clients take their life to the next level,
move from where they are to where they want to be. Each one of
them has the potential of getting there on their own; my assistance
just simplifies and speeds up the process. Still, my clients have
to work hard. There is no easy way for getting where one wants
to be in life. Prozac cannot get you there. Nor the deepest and
most thorough analysis of your past traumas and misfortunes. We
cannot get to where we want to be in life by sifting through the
past. The past is no blueprint for the future. It knows nothing
about today's choices and risks and tomorrow's changes, which
is what coaching is about.
As
your coach, I will help you set reasonable goals and focus on
achieving them. I will analyze your missteps and brainstorm with
you. Ask you to do more than you would have done on your own.
Provide support, structure, and safety you need. Will be your
sounding board and ask you questions that will make you see more
choices and better weigh their outcomes. I will give you my honest
feedback, will expect the same from you, and will hold you accountable
for your plans.As a coach, I do not work on such issues as why
and how you have become who you are and how your past traumas
continue to affect your present. All such issues are outside both
my expertise and the realm of coaching. If necessary, they should
be resolved with a therapist (psychiatrist, clinical psychologist,
or social worker) before one begins coaching sessions.
My
coaching is about empowering my clients to live the lives of their
choice, to live their dreams here and now, not in some distant
future or afterlife, and not in the past. This of course does
not mean that your life before meeting me is irrelevant or UN-illuminating.
It just means that, as a coach, I do not deal with childhood traumas
and the pains of your past. We just want to make sure that you
will have a much better future.
As
a coach, I usually suggest an initial commitment of at least 2
months, because after that, we will know each other well enough
to make, if necessary, an effective use of a shorter series of
consultations. But it all really depends.
My
last client, who was facing the downsizing at a big SW company,
needed only around 2 hours time, half of which was her free consultation
(rather longer than I usually grant). She told me that our time
was her very best investment in life and that she was offered
another job at her company. No doubt, my client was a very talented
professional. I have no magic and could not do it without her.
active involvement. She probably would have done fine without
me, in a long run. But in short run, I was there to help her just
when she needed my help.
As
a coach, I give a free 30 minutes session, for us to decide if
we want to work together. I would very much appreciate it if that
session does not last to infinity, which is what happens rather
more often than I like.
My
clients
are
busy
professional people and executives working for private industry,
federal and state government, and in academe; writers and other
creative individuals.
I
have done what they are doing and been where they are. I coach
in the areas in which I have academic training, research, and
applied experience (see
About
CPMF and CEO'S
Resume )
My
Fees vary
dependent on whether my clients are individuals, corporations,
or non-profit organizations and on a particular project.
I offer a few pro-bono spots to the financially disadvantaged
individuals who would particularly benefit from coaching.
I will consider bartering my services in exchange for those
of, for example, a good business attorney and
a reliable CPA.
