Coaching for Character: Building Integrity and Loyalty in Youth Sports

How can coaches instill character in young athletes. What are effective methods for teaching loyalty in sports. Why is integrity crucial in youth coaching. How to develop a team atmosphere in youth sports. What role does body language play in sports performance. How can coaches combat negative attitudes in young athletes. Why is gratitude important in team sports.

The Importance of Character Development in Youth Sports

In the realm of youth sports, particularly basketball, coaches often focus on skill development, practice planning, and game-day strategies. However, former college basketball coach Gary Waters emphasizes the critical role of character development in coaching young athletes. As the winningest coach in Cleveland State University’s history, Waters stresses the importance of teaching character, loyalty, and integrity alongside technical skills.

Waters, author of the upcoming book “Ten Principles of a Character Coach,” believes that coaches should serve as role models for their young players. He states, “As coaches we are supposed to be examples. I had character coaches who molded who I am today and when you establish that foundation with young players then they understand that good things will come from it.”

The Shift Towards Win-at-All-Costs Mentality

Unfortunately, the emphasis on character development has often been overshadowed by the pursuit of victories, trophies, and accolades. Waters observes, “Integrity has taken a backseat to win-at-all-costs.” This shift in priorities can be detrimental to the overall development of young athletes.

Waters argues that prioritizing integrity and putting others first can lead to positive outcomes. He explains, “When you have integrity within yourself, and you’re doing the right thing and putting another person ahead of you, only positive things will follow.” This approach not only benefits the individual athlete but also contributes to a healthier team dynamic.

Implementing Loyalty Scores in Coaching

To address the challenge of teaching loyalty, Waters suggests implementing a loyalty score system. This innovative approach allows coaches to rate themselves and their athletes on a scale of 1 to 5, focusing on key attributes of loyalty such as:

• Honesty
• Trustworthiness
• Support
• Generosity
• Commitment
• Reliability
• Sincerity
• Consistency

Coaches can customize these traits based on their specific values and priorities. Waters explains, “Every coach looks at it differently. So you list your traits of loyalty.” By tracking strengths and weaknesses in these areas, coaches can identify areas for improvement and focus on developing these qualities in their players.

Applying Loyalty Scores in Practice

The loyalty score system encourages coaches to reflect on their own actions and those of their players. Waters advises coaches to ask themselves, “Am I doing what is right with this player?” or “Is this player doing what is right?” This self-reflection and player assessment can lead to more targeted character development efforts.

The Power of Gratitude in Team Building

Waters emphasizes the importance of fostering a team-oriented mindset among young athletes. He believes that simple acts of gratitude can have a significant impact on team dynamics and individual player development.

One effective method Waters recommends is encouraging players to express gratitude to their teammates during practice. He explains, “One of the ways we did that was we pointed at the person who delivered the pass and said ‘thank you.’ And then they know that they have done something to help.” This practice helps players recognize and appreciate the contributions of their teammates, fostering a sense of unity and mutual support.

Cultivating a Supportive Team Atmosphere

Waters stresses the importance of consistently reinforcing supportive behaviors during practice. He states, “You want to make sure that each and every day that they help one another because the support out on the court is the biggest thing.” By prioritizing teamwork and mutual support in practice, coaches can create a positive team atmosphere that carries over into game situations.

This approach helps shift the focus from individual accomplishments to collective success. Waters notes, “We get so caught up in that it’s all about yourself and how well you do. But when you start supporting others now you feel good about what you are doing and that creates that team atmosphere.”

Addressing Negative Body Language in Young Athletes

One common challenge in youth sports is managing players’ reactions to mistakes or poor performance. Waters highlights the importance of addressing negative body language, such as hanging heads or visible frustration, which can impact both individual and team confidence.

To combat this issue, Waters advises against allowing players to say “my fault” after making a mistake. Instead, he encourages teammates to provide immediate support and encouragement. He explains, “When you see them putting their head down you have a teammate say something to them to lift them up. When a teammate comes over and pats them on the back and says ‘you’re ok’ or ‘let’s go after it’ or something like that it lets them know that they have someone supporting them.”

Creating a Positive Response to Mistakes

By fostering a supportive environment where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for growth rather than sources of shame, coaches can help players maintain their confidence and focus. This approach not only benefits individual players but also contributes to a more resilient and cohesive team dynamic.

Balancing Skill Development with Character Building

While technical skills are undoubtedly important in youth sports, Waters’ approach highlights the need for a balanced focus that includes character development. By integrating lessons on integrity, loyalty, and teamwork into regular practice sessions, coaches can help young athletes develop not only as players but as individuals.

This holistic approach to coaching can have long-lasting benefits beyond the realm of sports. The values and behaviors learned through character-focused coaching can translate into other areas of life, helping young athletes become well-rounded, responsible individuals.

The Long-Term Impact of Character Coaching

The principles of character coaching advocated by Gary Waters have the potential to create a positive ripple effect in youth sports and beyond. By prioritizing integrity, loyalty, and teamwork alongside skill development, coaches can help shape the next generation of athletes and citizens.

As youth sports continue to evolve, it’s crucial for coaches, parents, and organizations to recognize the importance of character development. The lessons learned through character-focused coaching can provide young athletes with valuable life skills that extend far beyond their athletic careers.

Implementing Character Coaching in Various Sports

While Waters’ experience is primarily in basketball, the principles of character coaching can be applied across various sports and age groups. Coaches in different disciplines can adapt these concepts to suit their specific sport and the needs of their athletes.

For example, in team sports like soccer or volleyball, coaches can implement similar practices of expressing gratitude for assists or successful plays. In individual sports like tennis or gymnastics, the focus might be more on self-integrity and personal growth, while still fostering a supportive team environment during training sessions.

Overcoming Challenges in Character Coaching

Implementing a character-focused coaching approach may face some challenges, particularly in highly competitive environments where the pressure to win can be intense. Coaches may encounter resistance from parents, administrators, or even players who are primarily focused on immediate results.

To address these challenges, coaches can:

1. Communicate the long-term benefits of character development to stakeholders
2. Provide examples of successful athletes who exemplify strong character
3. Incorporate character-building exercises into regular training routines
4. Recognize and reward displays of good character alongside athletic achievements
5. Collaborate with parents to reinforce character lessons at home

By consistently emphasizing the importance of character alongside athletic performance, coaches can gradually shift the culture of youth sports towards a more balanced and holistic approach.

Measuring Success in Character Coaching

Unlike athletic performance, which can be measured through statistics and game outcomes, the success of character coaching may be less immediately apparent. However, coaches can develop methods to track progress in this area, such as:

• Regular self-assessments and peer evaluations using loyalty scores
• Observing and recording instances of positive teamwork and support
• Tracking improvements in players’ reactions to mistakes or setbacks
• Gathering feedback from parents and teachers on behavioral changes outside of sports
• Conducting periodic team discussions on character-related topics

By establishing these measurement tools, coaches can demonstrate the tangible benefits of character coaching to players, parents, and administrators.

The Role of Technology in Character Coaching

In today’s digital age, technology can play a significant role in supporting character coaching efforts. Coaches can leverage various tools and platforms to enhance their character development programs:

• Mobile apps for tracking loyalty scores and team interactions
• Video analysis software to review and discuss examples of good sportsmanship during games
• Online forums or team chat groups for sharing positive feedback and encouragement
• Virtual reality simulations to practice decision-making in high-pressure situations
• Social media campaigns to promote character-building initiatives within the team and community

By integrating technology into character coaching, coaches can make the process more engaging and relevant for young athletes who are digital natives.

Balancing Technology and Personal Interaction

While technology can be a valuable tool in character coaching, it’s essential to maintain a balance with face-to-face interactions. Personal connections and real-time feedback remain crucial in developing strong character and team dynamics. Coaches should use technology as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, direct personal engagement with their athletes.

Preparing Athletes for Life Beyond Sports

One of the most significant benefits of character coaching is its ability to prepare young athletes for success in various aspects of life. The skills and values developed through this approach can translate into academic, professional, and personal achievements.

Some ways in which character coaching prepares athletes for future success include:

1. Developing strong work ethic and discipline
2. Enhancing communication and teamwork skills
3. Fostering resilience and the ability to overcome challenges
4. Cultivating leadership qualities
5. Instilling a sense of responsibility and accountability
6. Promoting empathy and social awareness

By focusing on these aspects alongside athletic development, coaches can help create well-rounded individuals who are prepared to thrive in various life situations.

Long-Term Impact on Athletic Performance

Interestingly, the focus on character development often leads to improved athletic performance in the long run. Athletes who possess strong character traits such as perseverance, teamwork, and integrity are often better equipped to handle the pressures of competition and achieve sustained success in their sport.

Moreover, teams that prioritize character tend to develop stronger bonds and more effective communication, which can translate into better on-field performance. This symbiotic relationship between character development and athletic success underscores the importance of a holistic approach to coaching.

Creating a Culture of Character in Youth Sports

To truly embed character coaching in youth sports, it’s necessary to create a broader culture that values and prioritizes these principles. This requires collaboration among coaches, parents, administrators, and the wider community.

Some strategies for fostering a culture of character in youth sports include:

• Organizing workshops and seminars on character development for coaches and parents
• Incorporating character-based criteria into team selection processes
• Establishing league-wide recognition programs for exemplary character and sportsmanship
• Partnering with local schools to align sports programs with character education initiatives
• Engaging community leaders and role models to support and promote character-focused sports programs

By creating a comprehensive ecosystem that supports character development, the impact of these efforts can extend far beyond individual teams or seasons, potentially transforming the landscape of youth sports.

Addressing Systemic Challenges

Implementing a culture of character in youth sports may require addressing systemic issues such as over-emphasis on early specialization, excessive competitiveness at young ages, and the commercialization of youth sports. Coaches and administrators committed to character development may need to advocate for policy changes and structural reforms to create an environment more conducive to holistic athlete development.

The Future of Character Coaching in Youth Sports

As awareness of the importance of character development in youth sports continues to grow, we can expect to see more innovative approaches and resources dedicated to this aspect of coaching. Future trends in character coaching may include:

1. Integration of sports psychology principles into character development programs
2. Increased emphasis on emotional intelligence training for young athletes
3. Development of standardized character assessment tools for youth sports
4. Incorporation of mindfulness and meditation practices to enhance self-awareness and emotional regulation
5. Greater collaboration between sports organizations and educational institutions to create comprehensive character development curricula

As these trends evolve, the role of the youth sports coach may expand to encompass not only athletic instruction but also mentorship in personal growth and character development.

Preparing the Next Generation of Coaches

To ensure the continued growth and success of character coaching in youth sports, it’s crucial to prepare the next generation of coaches with the necessary skills and knowledge. This may involve:

• Updating coach certification programs to include modules on character development and holistic athlete coaching
• Creating mentorship programs pairing experienced character coaches with newcomers
• Establishing online communities and resources for coaches to share best practices in character coaching
• Encouraging research and academic study of the long-term impacts of character-focused coaching approaches

By investing in the development of future coaches, we can help ensure that the principles of character coaching continue to influence and shape youth sports for generations to come.

Character Coaching – National Alliance for Youth Sports

For Coaches

4/4/2019

By Greg Bach

At the top of youth basketball coaches’ to-do lists you’ll find teaching skills, planning practices and managing game day line-ups.

And former college basketball coach Gary Waters – the winningest coach in the history of Cleveland State University – reminds volunteer coaches not to overlook teaching character, loyalty and integrity amid those responsibilities.

“As coaches we are supposed to be examples,” says Waters, author of the upcoming book Ten Principles of a Character Coach. “I had character coaches who molded who I am today and when you establish that foundation with young players then they understand that good things will come from it. ”

Too often, these get lost in the chase for wins, trophies and accolades.

“Integrity has taken a backseat to win-at-all-costs,” Waters says. “But when you have integrity within yourself, and you’re doing the right thing and putting another person ahead of you, only positive things will follow.”

LOYALTY SCORES

Teaching young athletes the importance of loyalty – both to their team and in their daily lives away from the basketball court – can be done by employing loyalty scores, Waters says.

Coaches can rate themselves, and their athletes, using a 1 to 5 scale. Ratings can be related to key tenants of loyalty like honesty, trustworthiness, support, generosity, commitment, reliability, sincerity and consistency – or whichever attributes a coach finds most important.

“Every coach looks at it differently,” Waters says. “So you list your traits of loyalty.”

Coaches can then track strengths and weaknesses of players in these areas and focus on those that may be lacking.

“You ask yourself, ‘Am I doing what is right with this player?’” Waters says. “Or, ‘is this player doing what is right?’”

TWO POWERFUL WORDS: THANK YOU

Simple phrases said with meaning can produce powerful results, especially when it comes to team building and forging units that play together and support each other.

“What you have to help young athletes understand is that they have to put the other person ahead of themselves,” Waters says. “So when you are out there playing with each other you have to make a commitment to say, ‘hey, this person is as important as I am, and even more important.’ One of the ways we did that was we pointed at the person who delivered the pass and said ‘thank you.’ And then they know that they have done something to help. And it starts in practice – it doesn’t start in the games. You have to develop that behavior where they all work together and they all care about each other as one. When it starts at practice then it carries on to the game. ”

It’s crucial that those messages are relayed to players at every practice, too.

“You want to make sure that each and every day that they help one another because the support out on the court is the biggest thing,” Waters says. “We get so caught up in that it’s all about yourself and how well you do. But when you start supporting others now you feel good about what you are doing and that creates that team atmosphere.”

THE BATTLE AGAINST BAD BODY LANGUAGE

When shots aren’t dropping a young player’s head often does, along with his or her confidence.

“When I coached that was one of the things that I tried to never have a player say was ‘my fault,’” Waters explains. “When you see them putting their head down you have a teammate say something to them to lift them up. When a teammate comes over and pats them on the back and says ‘you’re ok’ or ‘let’s go after it’ or something like that it lets them know that they have someone supporting them. ”

Coaching

Gary Waters

Character

Integrity

Practice

Teaching

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Shouts from the Stands: Character-Based Coaching

SwimSwam welcomes reader submissions about all topics aquatic, and if it’s well-written and well-thought, we might just post it under our “Shouts from the Stands” series. We don’t necessarily endorse the content of the Shouts from the Stands posts, and the opinions remain those of their authors. If you have thoughts to share, please send [email protected]

This “Shouts from the Stands” submission comes from Kevin Pierce, head swimming coach at Ridley High School. 

Coaches are more than just sports-focused leaders who see their student-athletes a few hours every week. They play a vital role in athletes lives — as role models, as teachers, as someone to talk to and as mentors.

A swim coach’s influence is felt well beyond practices and meets and can shape their student-athletes lives. That’s why it’s vital that coaches understand their impact and use it to foster a positive learning experience both in and out of the pool.

Character-based coaches provide and create important life lessons into their programs, with less of a spotlight on the concept of winning and losing. A character coach emphasizes the importance of the journey rather than the first place medal, successfully balancing both. The results in real life surpass the results on the scoreboard.

Inspiring Positive Change in Your Student-Athlete’s Life

One of life’s most crucial lessons is the concept of self-improvement. It’s within the coach’s power to help student-athletes to be willing to devote themselves to positive change. This isn’t just about improving athletic skills — it spills over to character change as well.

Coaches who use positive reinforcement lead to student-athletes who are more likely to be open to constructive criticism and suggestions for self improvement both in the pool and the classroom. Student-athletes whose coaches focus on their weaknesses are less willing to make a permanent behavior change.

Positive reinforcement helps student-athletes realize their strengths and weaknesses and how to improve upon them, an important skill in school, work and interpersonal relationships.

Create a Team First Mindset

Coaches coach teams, not just players. A team first attitude — whatever is best for the team is what’s best for me — has plenty of positive and lasting effects on character development in young student-athletes.

But it’s not just about being a team player. The sense of inclusion and belonging motivates student-athletes to do their best. It’s up to the coaches to create situations that allow student-athletes to develop imperative communication skills. In fact, students who play sports are less likely to develop social anxiety.

Inspire Confidence in Your Student Athletes

Poor self-esteem is destructive, especially for teenagers. Anxiety, stress, loneliness and even depression are just some of the symptoms associated with lack of self-esteem. Character building coaches help players become aware their potential, inspiring positive self-esteem.

Through the sport of swimming, student-athletes have the chance to develop both self-confidence and emotional control. This pushes those student-athletes to believe in themselves and try new things, both in the present and in the future.

Moral Guidance in Tough Situations

What if someone on the other team portrays unsportsmanlike conduct? A character coach shows athletes that retaliating isn’t the right answer at any time. Rising above and doing the right thing is the way to go each and every time. This should be an expectation of a character coaches program.

These lessons translate to the real world, too. Instead of lowering themselves to the levels of their peers who show bad sportsmanship or attitudes, student-athletes will hopefully remember the lessons they learned from their coach and their time in the program and take the high road. This will help student-athletes long after they are done participating in sports.

Emphasize the Importance of Hard Work

Character coaches know that there’s more than just swimming in a meet. More important than the meet is the preparation for the meet. Successful student-athletes must put in a lot of hard work during practices and the offseason. Game time is all the time, and student-athletes must strive to be their best out of the pool just as much as in the pool. Learning this habit of hard work spans to other aspects of the student-athletes’ lives — a lesson that improves character for years to come.

Wanting your team to win is normal. But, those who value positive development over winning provide student athletes with a better chance of succeeding in life than those who make winning their only goal.

About Kevin Pierce

Kevin Pierce has been has been the Head Coach of both the boys and girls swimming teams at Ridley High School since the 2015-2016 season. Pierce brings over 17 years of coaching experience at the high school, club and college level to the Green Raiders. Pierce has had previous stints coaching at Cabrini University and the Ridley YMCA and has coached swimmers to the PIAA Championships and YMCA Nationals. The Ridley Girls Swim Team has been named NISCA Academic Team Scholars the past five years in a row.

Coaching, Character, and Youth Sports

Such behavior is driven by many things, but I think that when it is driven by the attitudes and actions of coaches, the potential for problems is the greatest. Players and parents often imitate or reflect what their coaches do. If the coach continously complains to the referee, players often do the same. This can be true of many parents as well; they often follow the lead of the coach. Coaches have a special responsibility to attempt to foster sportsmanship and other virtues in their athletes, in part because of the power they possess as coaches.

Many coaches will bench a player for making a mistake on the field or court. I think, at least at the youth level, that this is a mistake. It can undermine the athlete’s confidence and freedom on the field. Young athletes are developing athletes, and should not be punished for mistakes. Youth coaches should use the power of the bench to encourage good character. As a youth soccer coach, I benched a very good player for disprespectful behavior towards her teammates. I’ve also benched players for not working hard on the field. Nothing sends a message that you value something as well as tying it to playing time. My hope is that in these instances, the players learn something about the importance of respect and perseverance.

This works for parents as well. Parents who seemingly cannot control themselves will quickly calm down if you inform them that their child will not play until they do so. They may end up leaving the team, or they may change their ways. Either possiblity is a win for the coach who takes such a stand, and for his or her team.

When I’ve engaged in behavior as a coach that I’ve later regretted, it is usually because I’ve let how the team performs become a matter of my personal ego. There is nothing wrong with taking proper pride in a job well done, but when the game becomes about the coach (or the parents) rather than the athletes, something is wrong. When this happens, there is still an opportunity for a teachable moment. Apologizing to players for lapses in respect or sportsmanship can have more of an impact than any lecture on these topics. This is another way that a coach can have a lasting influence on the character of young athletes. And this, to me, is one of the greatest things a coach can do.

Twitter: @michaelwaustin

The Allrounder: http://theallrounder.co/

Photo: Microsoft Office

Implementing Character Development in Coaching

News » Implementing Character Development in Coaching

14 May 2020

In our latest coaching webinar, we explored how coaches can take action to implement character development in their coaching. This webinar followed the recent Sport NZ’s Balance is Better webinar with Andy Rogers and Ralph Pim on Transforming Character Strengths into Productive Results. 

Attendees heard from the coaching team at Sport Wellington about what character development through coaching can look like, as well as real examples and ideas from local coaches of how they intentionally coach character.

The webinar focused on sharing practical ideas and tools to help coaches enhance their coaching. We discussed the impact and practicalities of: 

• The coach’s identity
  • How to get clear on the character strength behaviours that connect to your WHY as a coach
• The team’s identity
  • How to get clear on the character strength behaviours that connect your team’s shared purpose
• Turning words into actions and behaviours
  • How to get clear on what you will hear and see on the field & off the field

Watch the full recording: 

Coaching character isn’t an add on to your coaching practice; it is how you coach. After all, coaching is all about the person(s) in front of you and helping them to be the best that they can be.

Download PDF for The Coach

Download PDF for The Team

Coaching for Character Pilot Study

Sport Wellington is one of three Regional Sports Trusts currently participating in a two-year Coaching for Character pilot study with regional secondary schools.  Coaching for Character aims to provide secondary school coaches with tools and resources to intentionally target character development through their coaching. 

Find out more about the pilot study

Additional support:

Upcoming webinars that are open for registration, as well as a content archive of relevant webinars hosted by other organisations are listed on our Online Support – Webinars hub. 

You can also view the full recording and summary notes of the first webinar in our Coaching through COVID-19 series on connecting with athletes and teams during the lockdown here. 

SEE OUR ONLINE SUPPORT – WEBINARS HUB

Mindfulness and Character Strengths in Coaching

Registration is currently closed. Sign up now to be notified when registration opens for the next Mindfulness and Character Strengths in Coaching course, or contact us with questions about the course.

Weaving the ancient, research-based practice of mindfulness with character strength interventions produces powerful coaching outcomes. This 8-week course combines both—to facilitate self-knowledge, deepen the coaching relationship, and build the coach’s toolkit for positive change.

Coaches are tasked with getting to know their clients on a personal level and cultivating a relationship of trust and honesty. Understanding a client’s character strengths—the core positive aspects of their personality—is a crucial step. Character strengths provide a common language for the coach and client to use when building the relationship and working together on self-efficacy and goal attainment.

Mindfulness is a vehicle for helping coaching clients understand and use their strengths. It’s defined by scientists as the self-regulation of attention with an attitude of curiosity, openness, and acceptance.

Ultimately, the mindful approach to character strengths in coaching serves and nourishes both the coach and the person being coached. As you create a strengths-based practice and apply these concepts and practices to boost your self-awareness, self-care, and well-being—personally and professionally—you become more confident, competent, and comfortable in your own skin as a coach.

This course shows you how to:

• Apply mindfulness and character strengths to yourself as the coach, helping you develop a better understanding of how your strengths support and enliven your work
• Use mindfulness and character strengths concepts and exercises to support those you coach, helping them become more aware of their strengths, explore them more deeply, and engage the power of strengths more mindfully and skillfully to reach meaningful goals
• Create a coach-coachee relationship steeped in mindful presence, honoring the best in people and building a zone of psychological safety to support goal attainment.

Mindfulness and Character Strengths in Coaching is an eight-week course with live classes held weekly. Participants complete a final project that demonstrates the application of the course’s main principles.

This course offers 17 ICF CCE units in Core Competencies and 3 ICF CCE units in Resource Development.

Key Principles and Topics

• Core concepts of mindfulness
• How autopilot mind is pervasive and normal, even among helping professionals, but can be improved
• Character strengths research and practice
• How and why to integrate mindfulness and character strengths
• Developing “strengthsight” in coaching
• Building relationships—with yourself and others—in MBSP
• Coaching towards signature strength awareness, exploration, and application
• MBSP as a “well-doing” tool and as a way of “being” as a coach
• How to lead mindfulness and strengths exercises embodying the principles of MBSP
• Goal-setting in coaching with MBSP

Course Outline

Phase 1: Foundations
Session 1: Introduction to Mindfulness and Character Strengths
Session 2: Integration of Mindfulness and Character Strengths

Phase 2: A Personal Exploration of Mindfulness and Character Strengths for the Coach
Session 3: Coach, Know Thyself
Session 4: Your Relationship with Yourself

Phase 3: Embodying Character and Mindfulness
Session 5: Building the Coaching Relationship
Session 6: Enhancing the Ingredients of Good Coaching

Phase 4: Building and Deepening Your Toolkit for Clients
Session 7: Mindfulness and Character Strengths—Core Applications, Part I
Session 8: Mindfulness and Character Strengths—Core Applications, Part II

Who This Course Is For

• Primarily coaches—life coaches, health coaches, wellness coaches, parent coaches, executive coaches, management coaches
• Other helping professionals
• Managers who coach employees
• Teachers/professors who coach students

Click here to learn more

Technology

Our live webinars utilize user-friendly Adobe Connect technology that facilitates lecture, videos, breakout sessions for small-group exercises, chat, and interaction with the facilitators.

Students will connect to live sessions by webinar (audio and video). The full webinar (with exception of breakout sessions) will be recorded and posted following each session for those unable to join a particular session live, or who would like to review the material again. Live attendance is strongly encouraged for maximum benefit.

Links will be provided for students to listen to recorded meditations as part of the homework exercises. In addition, an optional part of the course will involve peer-to-peer video/audio calls (via Skype, for example) for students to discuss the concepts and practice skills such as leading meditations and strengths interviewing. Students should have (or be willing to learn) rudimentary skills involving these platforms.

Schedule and Time Commitment

This is an 8-week course with weekly live webinar classes. Students are expected to attend the sessions live each week. Classes will be recorded for those who miss a session. In order to receive a Certificate of Completion, students must view all eight sessions in their entirety. Live attendance at all sessions is strongly encouraged by the instructors for several reasons: Interactive exercises will be used; the material builds from week to week; group synergies among participating students develop from week to week; and past participants report that they get more out of the sessions when they attend live. We understand that sometimes schedules do not allow full attendance and, in such cases, students are asked to listen to the recording as soon as possible so they can participate in homework material and group work, and to be prepared for the next session.

In addition to the 90-minute class sessions, there will be suggested pre-work each week that includes strength exercises, mindfulness meditation practices (designed specifically for this course), and readings that accompany and enhance the class experience. To get the most from this course, students will put in approximately one to three hours outside of class.

Optional Peer Work

To practice leading meditations and conducting strengths interviews, and to discuss questions catalyzed by the live sessions, students will have the opportunity to participate in dyads or small groups between live lessons, either by Skype or conference call. This peer work is optional but encouraged. Participants frequently report that peer work is a valuable learning opportunity with character strengths material. Note that there will be breakout sessions for discussion/practice during each webinar as well.

Assignments

Weekly reading assignments consist of material from current literature on mindfulness, character strengths, positive psychology, and coaching. Weekly exercises, meditations, and journal prompts aim to deepen students’ engagement with the material, and help them gain insight into their personal and professional development as coaches.

Final Project

Students will complete a final project that involves the application of the principles and/or practices discussed in this course. The impetus of this project is to bring benefit to yourself and others (pay it forward) by applying mindfulness and/or character strengths. Examples of previous projects from students will be provided. You are empowered to be creative in deciding on a project that fits best for you.

Certificate of Completion

Students who complete the full course (active course participation; viewing of all sessions in full; submission of final project) receive a personalized Certificate of Completion signed by the course instructors and the leaders of Wholebeing Institute. Please note that this is not a certification in MBSP, mindfulness, coaching, or VIA strengths.

Program Faculty

 
 
Ryan M. Niemiec PsyD, education director of the VIA Institute on Character, develops VIA’s courses, reports, and programs, and helps professionals around the world apply character strengths personally and professionally. He is the author of Mindfulness and Character Strengths: A Practical Guide to Flourishing (with 10-track CD) and co-author of Positive Psychology at the Movies and Movies and Mental Illness. Ryan is an award-winning psychologist, certified health coach, international workshop leader, and faculty member for Xavier University in Cincinnati and the University of Pennsylvania. He is the creator of Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP), the first structured program for building character strengths, and an adapted MBSP for a track on the web/app-based platform Happify, called “Awaken Your Potential.”

Donna Mayerson PhD, director of practice at the VIA Institute, uses her deep knowledge of the VIA strengths as a framework for individual and organizational change, working with education administrators and teachers, leaders of youth-serving organizations, coaches and practitioners, and individuals and families. She is also a member of the product development team for VIA. Donna is a certified coach and a licensed counseling psychologist, specializing in child and family therapy. She was cofounder and chief coaching officer for Hummingbird Coaching Services, LLC, which was purchased by Humana in 2010. Donna serves on the board of directors of the Mayerson Family Foundations and oversees a number of operating programs.

ICF CCE

This course offers 17 ICF CCE units in Core Competencies and 3 ICF CCE units in Resource Development. Please note that you must register and pay the $30 fee for CCE units prior to the course start date.
Registration Information

Registration is now closed.

Please sign up above to be notified when registration opens.

Tuition for this course is $595.

A Coaching Metaphor—Character Strengths: Nurture and Grow Them

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Coaching is Teaching — CSCAA

As our swimming championship season moves into March, and we overlap with basketball, we know it is the National Championship season for both sports. Hail to thee, March Madness!

One of the things that strikes me as I watch (too much) basketball this month is listening to tv commentators refer to a coach who is talking to a player, usually one who has just come out of the game, as someone who is “always teaching.”  Of course the coach is “always teaching.”  That is what coaching is.  Coaching is Teaching.

In swimming and diving, we have similar “always teaching” moments too, even though we may not always think of them that way.  As our swimmers head to the blocks before a race, don’t they often stop by their coaches for a “word” before the race?  And after the race, don’t the same swimmers usually stop by their coaches for another “word or two?”  Of course they do. Those coaches are “always teaching.”  Probably no coaches are more consistent about “always teaching” than diving coaches.   Every dive, every day is analyzed for what happened and what can be done better next time. Always teaching.  Even when diving coaches can’t talk to their divers, we often see them sending hand signals back and forth: over, short, twisted, etc… Always teaching.

As I think about those “built in” teaching moments in our sport, I think I probably should have made better use of them. I can imaginemyselfnow planning ahead about what to say to each swimmer before each race: something short, simple, positive, direct.  In what sounds it could be a Nike sentence, I would want that pre-race teaching moment to be a “just do this” moment. And then following the race, I can imagine myself now wanting to be disciplined about making sure I followed up on that pre-race instruction, looking wherever I could for a chance to notice even a little bit of improvement.  Psychologist Daniel Pink reminds us to pay attention to little victories and little bits of improvement. Making progress towards a larger goal, he says, is one of the things that keeps us motivated, focused, and working hard every day.

So, Coaches are Teachers; athletes are students – students of the game, to be sure, but also, they are students of much more than the game.  What they learn, in addition to the skills and movements and strategies of their sport, goes far beyond the dry erase board and video world of X’s and O’s.  Students not only learn about their own game with a small “g,” they also, and at the same time, learn about the big “G” Game of Life. No wonder then that they often look to their coaches as teachers, guides, role models, and mentors. 

Dr. Kevin White, Athletics Director and Vice President at Duke University, reminds us that all college athletes, in his words, “double major.”  Their academic major is one major; their athletic major is the other. In addition to this “double major,” college athletes are also young people growing up, entering adulthood, and trying to figure out just who they are, and why they are here, and what they are supposed to do with their lives.  And this doesn’t even begin to count the pressures and expectations associated with living on a college campus, or the cultural complexities of having a social media life, or even the joys and the trials of falling in love, etc., etc., etc.  Did I mention looking for a job, or an internship, or admission into graduate or professional school? All of that is in there too. And when they are swimmers and divers, they do a lot of it on very little sleep.    Whenever I think seriously about it, I wonder how they do it. But they do do it. We all know that.

College athletes are also young people growing up, entering adulthood, and trying to figure out just who they are, why they are here, and what they are supposed to do with their lives.  And when they are swimmers and divers, they do a lot of it on very little sleep.    Whenever I think seriously about it, I wonder how they do it. But they do do it.

Having a coach they can trust helps them to do it. Their coach is often their one constant figure throughout all four of their college years.  Their coach is there every semester, every week, and is often there during summers and vacation periods too. In the course of their four years, they will almost certainly spend more time with their coach than they will with any other teacher on campus, and probably more time than they spend with their parents and families also.

It is inescapable, isn’t it. Coaches are teachers. Coaches teach not only by what they say, but also, and often more powerfully, by what they do.  Coaches are representatives and role models of the adult world. This is not optional.  Being such a role model for college students is a large part of what it means to be a college coach.  What a major, beautiful, and special responsibility it is to be a college coach!    

Coaching, seen in this light, is an extremely high form of teaching.  When we coach, we coach a whole person.  It is the whole person, after all, who stands up to race or to dive. When something is “not right” with this whole person, their performance shows it. We’ve all seen it; we all know it.  All of life is relevant to the students we coach; therefore, all of life is relevant to our coaching. They need our respect, and our trust, and our good example. In our sport, they also need to know how to race, and train, and start, and turn, and improve their technique. They need to be resilient; they need to be good teammates; they need to develop their time management skills, learn to listen and communicate, and to care about and help people who need help.  All of these things we teach and model when we coach.  And we do them because we care about and love the students who are on our teams.   Thank you, Coaches, for what you do for our students.

Coaching is Caring; Coaching is Teaching.

90,000 20 qualities of a coach who has become a mentor

One of the possible ways to develop a career in coaching may be the profession of a mentor in coaching. Its essence lies in the ability of the mentor (mentor) to analyze the sessions of the mentee (student) based on the competencies of the ICF coach. The coach receives an additional profession, the opportunity to expand the client base through mentoring services and, at the same time, experiences a strong growth of his own coaching competencies. How this happens:

mastering the competencies of the mentor, which differ from the competencies of the coach;

acquaintance with markers of competence manifestation;

practice of analysis of sessions of mentee allows you to look at your practice in a different way.

In order to understand what kind of coach you will become, having mastered the additional specialization – mentoring in coaching, we invite you to get acquainted with 20 personality traits of a professional coach-mentor.

1. Clients pay for the coach’s time and experience, while the coach is internally free from client stories.

2. The coach is passionate about the practice of coaching and provides clients with the space to create the life they enjoy.

3. The coach sees clients as the experts of his life – natural, creative, resourceful and holistic.

4. The coach perceives change as both complex and exciting process. He helps clients overcome obstacles and gain access to the joy and excitement of life!

5. The coach encourages, supports and believes in his clients, even (especially) when they do not believe in themselves.

6. The coach realizes that he has shortcomings, therefore, welcomes feedback from clients.

7. The coach acts from the position: the Coach-Client relationship is a relationship of mutual respect.The coach accepts his clients as they are and does not seek to remake them.

8. The coach helps clients learn to trust and be friends with themselves, get rid of negative baggage.

9. Confidentiality is key to a coach’s practice. His clients share thoughts, fears, feelings, failures and secrets.

10. The coach thinks about possibilities, not about probabilities. The coach helps clients find innovative solutions, try something new, take risks, get out of their comfort zone and create!

11.The coach is not intimidated by internal criticism of clients. The coach sees clients as strong, kind, courageous, inspiring, unique people.

12. Feelings, beliefs, thoughts and needs are what drives the life of a coach. The coach loves to listen and study requests with clients!

13. The coach holds clients accountable for what they say they are going to do.

14. Clients lead full lives, and the coach helps them to prioritize so that they do not put other people or less important tasks ahead of themselves.

15. The coach supports and challenges clients to see themselves and the world in a positive light.

16. Coaches can celebrate victories and help clients think, pause, and take action to celebrate and celebrate successes.

17. The goal of a coach is to help clients focus on what they love, value and want from life.

18. The coach never stops learning. Growing up in knowledge, experience and self-awareness, he knows how to clearly separate professional roles.

19. The coach works to see himself and the world in a positive light, while taking into account the reality and problems of life.

20. A coach falls in love with his job even more when he is professionally improving himself!

90,000 Parenting session based on the “Sowing Character” coaching approach – Coaching in Education

1.

Greetings. Acquaintance.

Hello! I ask everyone to sit down, make yourself comfortable. Begin!

I invite everyone to get acquainted.To do this, now, we will pass a ball (soft toy) to each other. Your task: to introduce yourself, say whose parents you are and finish the next sentence by naming a positive trait of the child: “My child is very (very) … (kind, cheerful, sympathetic, etc.).

/ Each time the ball goes to a new competitor until everyone gets the ball.

Educator starts first /.

Familiarization of parents with the rules of working in a group.Obtaining their verbal consent to continue.

“ Rules for working in a group”

– confidential communication style;

– communication according to the principle “Here and now”;

– statement rules;

– sincerity in communication;

– confidentiality;

– active participation;

– respect for the speaker.

2. Identify the problem. Challenge (motivation for action).

The educator offers the participants to view film fragment. “Office romance” / a scene in which Novoseltsev parries the character traits called by her boss, changing them to the opposite /.

Educator: As you all already understood, today we will communicate on the formation (upbringing) of the character of our children.

The topic of the lesson is announced.

Questions to parents:

– How would you rate your child’s character quality currently on a scale of 1 to 10?

– What does 10 mean to you in relation to the character of the child?

– What’s stopping the situation from changing?

/ Parent Query Problem Detection /.

Caregiver: Identifying positive and negative character traits can help, for example:

– when choosing a profession;

– when applying for a job;

– upon appointment:

– when choosing a life partner (defining criteria that are valuable to a person).

Institute of Psychotherapy and Counseling Harmony

Working with organizations »Coaching

The foundation of the coaching process is the client’s trust in his coach, therefore, the most important, in our opinion, is the coach’s ability to build relationships in which the client can honestly and openly explore his opportunities and limitations, as well as withstand the stress of the coaching session. Also, the coach must possess special professional skills aimed at increasing the awareness of the client’s actions and his motivation in the formulation and achievement of goals.Since the Harmony Institute has been working in the field of consulting since 1988, and is also well known as a training center for consulting – since 1995 we have been running programs for training consultants, then among our specialists there are real masters in the field of consulting, including a coach -consulting.

We offer two forms of work: individual and group coaching.

Coaching for a leader

Personal coaching is a joint work of a coach and a client, aimed at the fastest and most effective achievement by the client of his goals.This work involves defining the client’s objectives and goals, researching the current situation, available resources and limitations on the path to the result, developing and analyzing opportunities to overcome obstacles, as well as the formation of ways and means of achieving goals. Such work helps to realize the potential inherent in each individual. No other teaching method takes into account a person’s personal history to build on their best qualities. With coaching, new ideas take on a personal character, and this produces a consistently positive, sustainable outcome.

• As a result of working with a coach, the client has a clear vision of the situation and prospects, correctly set priorities, a more objective assessment of risks and impacts, a better understanding of his own resources and capabilities, but most importantly, the client learns to set and achieve his goals.

• Coaching does not provide “valuable advice” but provides the client with real methods and skills. Their use will allow in a specific situation to independently find the necessary, working solutions that are optimal for a person and a company.This technology reliably adapts the organization and personality to the highly competitive market.

• The frequency and duration of the coach’s work is determined by the client’s goals:
  – if the goal is “situational”, i.e. is associated with the resolution of a difficult situation, work or life, then this requires more dense work – several sessions in a short time (for example, two coaching sessions daily for a week),
  – if the goal is “strategic”, i.e. is not connected with the solution of any specific problem, but concerns the building of more distant prospects, then meetings can be periodic, but less frequent, for example, at the beginning of work – every week, and then – once a month or less often.

Individual coaching may be helpful:

• managers of different levels who need to improve the ability to build goals and objectives of their activities, as well as plan ways to achieve them

• people whose activities are related to public speaking, self-presentation, the ability to negotiate, be a convincing interlocutor, withstand a high level of psychological stress and withstand stress

Group or team coaching

A type of counseling aimed at optimizing the interaction of people in professional relationships.Determination of actual goals, objectives and desired results from the coach’s intervention is a structural part of the coaching process, on the basis of which the current situation, available resources and limitations are studied, the development and analysis of opportunities to overcome existing difficulties, the formation of ways and ways to achieve the goals.

One example of a challenge a coach can help with is building an effective management team.Effective communication within the team is facilitated by well-defined goals, clearly articulated roles and responsibilities, and well-structured tasks. Clarity of purpose and structure also reduces the likelihood of conflict and creates a conducive environment for creating a shared vision of how the team operates and the environment in which the team operates, which facilitates communication between team members. In addition, the higher the dependence of team members on each other, the greater the need for frequent contacts within the team.Teams need both business communication (information and guidance on tasks and procedures) and personal communication (to develop a unified conceptual framework, build trust, and maintain social cohesion).

Group coaching is conducted in sessions of at least 4 hours. The total duration is determined by the coaching tasks and can be several training days (8 academic hours).

Coaching

You can search for answers all your life, but you never ask the right question.Look for a game worth playing. If it seems to you that life does not offer you such a game, invent it, invent it. Robert De Ropp.

Coaching is unleashing a person’s potential in order to maximize his effectiveness.

When I was studying coaching, I realized that about a third of client requests are not psychotherapeutic at all and coaching is much more effective in solving them. It often happens that after successful psychotherapeutic work, a person begins to think about the future and asks for the continuation of psychological sessions.But with the future, as practice has shown, it is better to work with coaching strategies.

People learn to plan their future and solve pressing problems themselves, while the psychologist does not become the client’s “back mind”, which one can constantly hope and look back on. Almost all coaching is based on the concept of Ericksonian therapy and NLP techniques. But, a significant difference is that in the coaching system there is no rigid conduct, if pressure from the coach is allowed, then only in isolation on the activation of the resource forces and the creative potential of the client.The coach is neutral and does not bring anything of his own or someone else’s for the client, he just correctly and clearly puts the necessary questions, which is the key to success.

Coaching is often referred to as a type of counseling. This is not entirely true. The coach does not advise or advise. On the contrary, he asks questions. This is a technique that allows the client to clearly define their goals and objectives, determine what is required to achieve them and, as a result, get excellent results in the shortest possible time.

It would not be entirely correct to call coaching a type of assistance. Rather, it is helping the client achieve his goals. At the same time, coaching does not enter the field of psychotherapy. But, quite often, in the process of coaching, one has to retreat into the zone of psychological counseling, since it is sometimes impossible to move forward due to unresolved old problems of a psychological nature that have been discovered.

My psychological education and experience make it easy to combine coaching and psychotherapeutic work.Coaching can uncover repressed desires and emotions, but it is not his job to solve them. Having worked out the psychological problems, you can return to the coaching work and successfully complete it, having achieved the desired results.

Coaching is professional assistance to a person in defining and achieving his personal goals in business and in life.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines the coaching process as follows:

“Coaching is an ongoing collaboration that helps clients achieve real results in their personal and professional lives.Through the coaching process, clients deepen their knowledge, increase their efficiency and improve their quality of life.

At each meeting, the client chooses the subject of the conversation, the coach listens and contributes in the form of clarifying remarks, effective questions, providing feedback, etc. This interaction clarifies the situation and encourages the client to act. Coaching accelerates the client’s self-improvement process by opening up more choices. Coaching focuses on where the client wants to be, where he is at the moment and what he is willing to do to get where he wants to be tomorrow. “

Coaching is a kind of mirror for the mind. Just as with the help of a mirror we can put our appearance in order, so with the help of coaching we can put in order what is in our mind, put everything “on the shelves”, find something new that will allow us to look at the situation differently, find the most effective solution.

There are many types of coaching, here are the main ones:

Life coaching is one of the most “basic” types of coaching and nuances can arise only depending on the motivation of the client himself.If a coach-trainer works with a client who, due to, for example, difficult life circumstances, is not at the peak of his abilities and “energy”, then he will need to feel the person so that he does not “close”, instill in him self-confidence and raise a low level of self-esteem, unleash its potential and find new opportunities for successful development.

Career coaching is a technology for self-planning of future careers and the realization of a person’s career potential.Such coaching helps to identify the full range of personal resources to achieve the set career goals and plans.

Business coaching – this type of coaching is aimed at conducting coaching in a company for employees of different levels. The main goal is to help the development of the employee as an independent person, as well as a member of a group / organization, in order to achieve high business results and increase personal efficiency.

Personal Effectiveness Coaching has many overlaps with other coaching options.Here we are dealing with a person’s desire to increase professional or other efficiency, improve time management, sports performance, balance different directions of life for the maximum development of the desired areas.

Family Coaching is a systematic work both with the values ​​of an individual family member and with the values ​​of the whole family as a whole. A family coach helps to solve problems that arise in the family circle – with a spouse, with children, brothers or sisters, grandparents, parents, relatives.The result of working with a family coach involves improving relationships, both with a loved one and within the family as a whole.

Personal coaching is a one-on-one work taking into account your individual characteristics, abilities, personal experience, inclinations, strengths and weaknesses, your state of affairs at the current time.

Benefits from coaching

The goals that a person sets for himself are achievable. Since in this case there is an internal motivation to achieve and start activities.The goals set for a person by others can come into conflict with inner values ​​and aspirations, which leads to the appearance of an internal subconscious unwillingness to act. This, in turn, lowers work efficiency.

In the process of coaching, a person sets goals and chooses ways to achieve them himself. This is the absolute plus. The goal, person and all resources are balanced and do not conflict. There are no internal obstacles to the implementation of the plan.

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Coaching is based on the methods used by psychologists in crisis situations. It allows you to quickly relieve panic, anxiety, assess the situation and develop an effective plan for the near future.

The philosophy of coaching is based on the fact that Man is naturally infinitely talented and has enormous potential that he does not fully realize. There are answers to all questions in his head.

Coaching is used in those cases when you have a certain goal (in the future) that you want to achieve, but do not yet know how. In this case, it is coaching that will be the most effective and fastest method to get you the desired result.

The solution to a specific problem. Coaching in this area helps to clarify the problem, find the most effective ways to solve it, allows you to correctly prioritize and find all the necessary resources.This is especially true for business coaching, when you need to find the optimal solution to a specific business problem.

Improving personal efficiency. Here, coaching is primarily aimed at removing behavioral and mental limitations that interfere with achieving success in life or in any particular business. In the process of coaching, a person significantly expands the boundaries of what is possible for himself, develops a new model of behavior and communication, which is most consistent with his goals.In addition, coaching allows you to discover hidden resources and make full use of them.

Achieve vital balance. A lot of people do not know what exactly they really want, do not realize what is really important to them and what is not. This causes an imbalance in a person’s life, which in turn leads to other undesirable consequences. Coaching allows you to identify true life goals, clearly prioritize, balance life. Moreover, this can apply to both life as a whole, and its individual aspects, for example, career, business, and so on.

Situations of choice and decision making. Habitual thinking often does not allow you to go beyond the typical ideas about the current situation. Coaching facilitates this outcome. The coach helps to comprehensively and carefully consider all possible options for action, their possible consequences and choose the option that best suits the achievement of the goal and existing opportunities.

Search for a new algorithm for solving problems. In the process of coaching, the client, in addition to solving his main task, also receives training.As a rule, he learns for himself a new, much more positive outlook on life, on others, on the situation. He learns a new algorithm for solving problems that arise in his life, which he will now approach not as problems, but as problems that have a very specific solution. This approach in itself significantly increases the efficiency of a person in any field of activity. This ensures long-term sustained benefits from working with a coach.

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Why do you need business coaching ?: Damian Sinaisky’s blog

Opinion about business coaching often comes down to the fact that such an activity is not the most useful. However, this is the reasoning of people who do not know the meaning of this phrase. The main purpose of business coaching is to convey to an entrepreneur the opportunity to correctly formulate career goals, identify possible prospects for the development of his business, and inspire new achievements.

What is business coaching?

Business coaching is about rebooting a person’s personal and professional goals. It is worth contacting a business coach in the presence of the following circumstances:

• If there is a failure of life goals.
• Lack of personal strategy and understanding of purpose.
• Lost interest not only in the performance of their work duties, but also in communication with other people.
• Fears and phobias are present.

The specialist uses a variety of techniques to improve personal efficiency, as well as to build relationships not only between a coach and an entrepreneur, but also to increase the efficiency of work in a team.

The work of a business coach is aimed at ensuring that an entrepreneur can rethink his mission, as well as set realistic goals in business and build a detailed plan to achieve them.

Types of business coaching

Business coaching can be divided into two areas: corporate and for the leader.

Coaching of a corporate nature implies the work of an expert not only with a manager and management team, but also with line personnel. It is usually called team or group.

Group coaching is challenged by the need to set a clear goal. It is this goal that contributes to the development of the business and determines the degree of understanding and focus in achieving these tasks for each employee, including the head of the structural unit.Corporate coaching activities are aimed at developing a clear plan for achieving goals, as well as identifying tactics and strategies for business development. At the same time, an important role is played by building a competent system, according to which there will be a relationship between managers and subordinates, thinking over motivations and stimulating line workers. Coaching for executives is convenient because it allows you to:

• Assist in starting a new business;
• Reorganize the business or plan the development of a new direction;
• Achieve specific target results in the existing business;
• Select business partners;
• Choose an optimal advertising and marketing strategy;
• Develop a line personnel management system, etc.d.

Business coaching is carried out both in all of the above areas and in a specific one. Its effectiveness will depend on the characteristics of each business process, as well as on the leader’s ability to build an effective system for solving problems in the company.

Article “A coach-psychologist as a kind helper and loyal friend” Ӏ Author: Igor Vagin

In the traditional sense, coaching is a comprehensive psychological counseling program.However, a coach-psychologist has to solve issues of a broader subject than purely medical problems such as eliminating the consequences of stress, treating various phobias, and social orientation of a person. Personality-oriented coaching is aimed at the all-round development of the individual. In this case, the main task of the psychologist (coach) is to reveal the abilities, talents, and predispositions of a person to one or another type of occupation.

Whoever says anything, but acting alone is much more difficult than when you have an ally and like-minded person.Even when it comes to self-development and improvement of character traits. You can see your mistakes and wrong actions through analysis, detaching yourself from what is happening. The coach-psychologist looks at the actions of the ward as if from the outside, without being emotionally involved in the situation. Thanks to this, as well as the methods and techniques of influencing the patient that have been developed over the years of practice (in this sense, the psychologist and the coach are almost related concepts), he manages to change some of the student’s internal attitudes, and, ideally, completely his worldview, forcing him to look at the circumstances in a fundamentally different way. Psychologist-coach advises on almost all issues related to personality and its manifestations in every typical life situation.

Today, professional psychologists and coaches use a variety of techniques and methods developed by them personally or based on proven psychotherapy programs. To a certain extent, all coach psychologists use the best practices of gestalt psychology, quantum and transpersonal psychology, neuro-linguistic programming, and repathering.The use of different approaches in working with a client gives a higher percentage of response to the influence of a psychologist. The coach seeks not so much to demonstrate his comprehensive knowledge, but to find a more adequate and appropriate approach to the problem, while the client should not experience unnecessary discomfort during the coaching sessions. The mastery of the mentor also lies in the correctly selected “keys” to the personality, in the correct finding of pain points that cause psychological or mental dissonance.

As practice shows, clients rarely come with “ready-made” problems – sometimes a coach-psychologist has to explain for a long time and push a person to realize the true reasons for his failure and indecision.A good mentor, worried not only about his reputation, but also about the success of the ward, makes every effort to establish contact and gain the client’s full, unconditional trust. Then communication is easy and productive, and the person who seeks help finds an ally and a faithful friend in the person of the coach-psychologist.

Igor Vagin is a well-known Russian business coach and coach with a higher medical education, a PhD in medical sciences, several official titles in the field of medicine and business education.This is one of the recognized experts, whose opinion is considered by authoritative people, organizations, communities. In addition to conducting multi-topic trainings and seminars, Igor Olegovich provides consulting services, qualified psychotherapeutic assistance, and coaches with clients in an individual way for each mode. For more than 40 years of his career, Igor Vagin has worked with many well-known public figures, large companies and corporations resort to his services. When contacting Igor Vagin’s training company, you will be offered the most convenient option for working with a psychologist, business consultant, and personal mentor.

Why Coaching

Choosing a coach to develop your own productivity is an important decision. In the first place, you shouldn’t choose a coach if you don’t like his lifestyle. You cannot be moved by a person who has not inspired you with his achievements and performance. Study the biography of this person, look at reviews and recommendations on the Internet.

Also, your choice of a personal trainer (coach) should be based on the coincidence of values ​​with the person who will accompany you.

Nikolay Smirnov in work and in life will apply Milton Erickson’s principles, which largely determine the values ​​and style of his work. Milton Erickson’s principles are part of the “gold standard” of coaching endorsed by the ICF International Coach Federation.

Milton Erickson’s Five Principles

Everything is very good with everyone

Everything that surrounds you and your loved ones is good. Every phenomenon is normal and everything is fine with every person.

We are very accustomed to looking for flaws in our environment and in the people around us. And the person who seeks always finds. Why find something that doesn’t lead to performance?
Having discovered a bad character in your interlocutor, you begin to think about it, and act in accordance with your opinion. As a result, you are encouraging the other person to have a bad character. What for?
All is well with everyone

Every person has all the resources he needs
Every person comes into the world with all the resources he needs to be happy.However, society dictates values ​​to us that do not bring us joy and satisfaction.

An example of public recognition: “You must earn a lot and be successful.” Not all people really want to be successful with other values, like family or love. What to strive for where it is not comfortable?

Find out your core value and immediately become clear about the necessary resources and possible ways to achieve it. Choose your Path and resources will come.

A person always makes the best choice possible at the moment
We are faced with a situation of choice every day! Everyone has their own completely unique experience on the basis of which we make our choice.Remember, evaluating situations before making a choice, we see “hypothetical” possibilities that did not happen, and they seem more interesting to us.

This is not true! If the choice is made, then this is the best possible option, since all other choices have not happened. We do not know what would have happened in case of alternative elections, this is fiction. Why worry about the illusion of our mind? The choice is made and this is the best possible option, because it is!

Every action is based on a positive intention
What is good and what is bad? The question of the morality of each society, the question of the eternal dispute between religions and states.Despite the severity of the consequences of our actions, deep down there is a reason why we do our job.