Why coach
young people?
Effective coaching can help children and young people develop a healthy perspective as well as personal attributes that will aid them as they mature, including:
Authenticity… Agency… Self-awareness… Resilience… Stress management… Confidence... Creative problem-solving… Curiosity… Openness… Collaboration… A growth mindset… The ability to reflect deeply… Be considered in their thinking…
The ripple effect continues!
Coaching normalises emotions!
It helps children and young people understand that our emotions do not define us. We all have bouts of bad habits, self-doubt, anxiety, procrastination issues, insecurities, and imposter syndrome. These things are perfectly normal. It’s how we recognise and manage them that is key. It’s about preventing them from becoming huge barriers to our personal growth and life.
It helps young people understand that achievements don’t always equal happiness.
Getting the highest test score, winning that contest, or getting first place in the sports game is a great feeling and exciting experience. But what many adults who outwardly tick all the success boxes will agree on, is that happiness isn’t all about the winning. Coaching can help children to understand that yes, winning is great, but it isn’t the only measure of success or way to feel fulfilled.
Coaching can help young people explore why emotions arose and separate them from their experiences.
This can be particularly beneficial if, for example, they lose a competition or get a low mark.
It helps to develop a better understanding that everyone’s strengths and interests are different, and that’s GOOD.
By not pigeonholing children to be interested in just one thing, or only the things that we ourselves are most interested in, we allow them to develop a greater understanding for the wide remit of interests and passions that exist and learn that there are no ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ things to enjoy or ways to be happy.
It keeps a focus on authentic character-building.
Coaching can help children learn who they are and what really makes them feel happy. It helps young people stay true to their character and principles instead of chasing each and every passing trend, setting their own standards, standing up for what they believe and following their passions. It will earn them the respect of others, as well as boost their own sense of self-worth.
It can help young children learn that life is ultimately about the journey, not the rewards.
Coaching is a set of techniques and tools to help shape attributes and good habits, in fun positive ways. This, in turn, can help young children learn that life is ultimately about the journey, not the rewards.
Children and young people will learn to live life with intention.
Through the coaching experience, children and young people will learn to live life with intention, purpose, and a vision for what they want in their lives.
What is the difference between Coaching, Counselling, Mentoring and Consulting?
While there are certainly overlaps between Coaching, Counselling, Mentoring, and Consulting, there are also very distinct differences and benefits to each. One is not necessarily better than another; they are each useful for different situations, goals, and needs.
Coaching:
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking, reflective and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential.” Coaches guide you toward finding your own answers to overcoming your challenges and meeting your goals.
Counselling:
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), counselling involves “helping people with physical, emotional, and mental health issues to improve their sense of well‐being, alleviate feelings of distress, and resolve crises.” Counselling Psychologists also provide “assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of more severe psychological symptoms.”
Mentoring:
World Education Services (WES) offers a helpful definition of mentorship as “a relationship between two people where the individual with more experience, knowledge, and connections is able to pass along what they have learned to a more junior individual within a certain field.”
Consulting:
Consultants, at least in a traditional view, are often engaged explicitly to give answers based on defined expertise. With Consultants, the expertise you seek is their skill and knowledge in working in your field, with people like you.
All the approaches involve interpersonal relationships, although the focus of these relationships and conversations varies.
Each also varies along a spectrum from more directive/prescriptive telling and advice- giving on one end to more open facilitating of introspection and reflection on the other. In addition, each relationship has a different purpose and will tend to be more appropriate and useful in some situations over others.