What is a Coaching?
Coaching is a unique professional service providing clients with an honest source of guidance, motivation and accountability.  People wanting to make changes in their life, find it difficult to self motivate.  Coaching is focused on their desire to make change and can and do motivate them to continue to take the action to achieve the results they want.  It is a living process constantly evolving and emerging.  

Coaching establishes an on-going collaborative partnership built on taking action.  In this relationship, clients find themselves

Coaching uses a process of inquiry and personal discovery to build the client's level of awareness and responsibility and provides the client with structure, support and feedback. The coaching process helps clients both define and achieve professional and personal goals faster and with more ease than would be possible otherwise.  

Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has.  

How are coaches different from a Counselor ?

Alcohol and Drug counselors are modeled on the roles of Psychiatrist, psychologist and psychiatric social worker.  They have a solid foundation in counseling theories and techniques, processes and content.  Primarily, Alcohol and Drug Counselors focus on teaching individuals about their disease and how to cope with it.  In a clinical setting they help the individual look to their past to resolve issues that are inhibiting the client to maintain sobriety.  The counselor has a specific agenda and methodology.  They are an authority figure whose time is limited during in treatment.  A coach is a trained professional who focuses on today and the future.  They do not have a specified agenda, but rather elicit that agenda from the client.  Their primary focus is to assist the client in taking ownership for their program and developing that program to give them the most benefit.  A coach is not an authority figure as much as a cheerleader, which is enhanced by the non clinical setting and use of alternative communication such as the telephone and web conferencing. 

How are coaches different from a Sponsor ?

Sponsors are primary stewards of a particular program or mutual aid society.  A sponsor’s initial responsibility is to help the new member to understand the particular recovery program and how it will work. This may involve explaining the practices and procedures that will be encountered when attending meetings, and dispelling the misunderstandings and fears that many newcomers have. It is easier to get an explanation, from one individual in private, why something is done a certain way, than it is to ask a room full of strangers.

A sponsor becomes a tangible link for the newcomer to the program. Sometimes newcomers encounter problems that cannot wait until a regular meeting for resolution, but need immediate attention. A sponsor is available to allow the member to share the problem and to provide guidance in its resolution. The sponsor’s role is to assist in the newcomer’s recovery, not to do it for them.

Coaching understands that many addicts have shut out everyone and everything while using. To recover from their addiction members need to let others in. Coaching supports and encourages expanding their community. One of the most difficult learning curves is asking for help.  It is extremely hard for most newly recovered people to ask for a sponsor, or to even see the value. Coaching works through these limiting beliefs, helping the client to reach their own conclusions based on quality understanding of what they are looking for in a sponsor and not initial perception. Getting a sponsor is only half the battle. Quality coaching helps the client to use their sponsor and build that relationship learning and expanding their program through the sponsor.

Does Coaching link with professional services and why do they need too?

This is an area that the coach has a great impact.  Coaches have a clear understanding of their boundaries.  They do not give advice or medical counseling.  These areas are referred to specialists.  Many individuals discontinue medications on their own, or begin to self medicate, leading to relapse.  Coaching helps the individual take responsibility for discussing these areas with qualified professionals.

Additionally, where the coach is monitoring change in an individual and working with their agenda, a coach can see areas surfacing that require additional support that the client oftentimes is unaware of.  An individual changes dramatically as they progress in recovery, and so do their needs.  Unresolved past issues surface in as we spend more and more time as sober men and women.

Psychiatric Support:   These issues may require professional psychiatric counseling.  Coaches recognize the past as impeding with the future, and support the client seeking professional assistance in dealing with these issues as they surface. 

Medical Support:  Clients often times chose to stop taking medications unaware of possible side affects.  Their coach helps them to see that this is an area that requires trained professional help.  Encouraging them to make the appointment and see a physician. 

Spiritual Support:  A coach is not a priest and is open to all choices of faith. Spiritual counseling in a specific doctrine may be an important part of continuing sobriety.  Helping the client seek spiritual guidance from the faith based ministry can be daunting in new sobriety.  Coaches help to give the client confidence in discovering their spiritual path and fully enmeshing with the culture of that faith. 

Health and Nutritional Support – A life skill that is often overlooked is taking care of one’s self.  In sobriety many find they do not know what their bodies need for continued health.  Within a coach's resources are many varied health and nutritional experts.  Through this network they are able to connect the client to the right resource.