HeartSmart®

I have just come from visiting a networking site that I am member of and I was astonished by the amount of people offering their advice, their help, their comments  through blogs, workshops, seminars, speeches, websites etc. Now, this is a good thing because that means there are people who are taking advantage of some of these services. In other words, people are asking for help. Fantastic. But, it is overwhelming; how and what do you choose?

You have come to this site probably because of an awareness that you or someone important in your life wants to or needs to, make some changes. You have come to the internet to do some research so you can make an informed decision.  You are possibly looking for someone who might be able to help you make the changes or you have heard of me and you just want to check us out or you are just doing some research on coaching and biofeedback.  Whatever the reason I will try to answer some of your questions and hopefully help you out a little. The following might be somewhat wordy so if you want some basic information about various topics just go directly to the buttons.

In your search you have probably become aware and are amazed by the amount of coaches available offering a variety of services as I was in my networking forum.  You maybe even more confused than when you started out and are now overwhelmed by the amount and variety of information available.

When I first became a coach, approximately eleven years ago, here in Switzerland there were very few coaches. It is interesting and wonderful how coaching has become so popular. The positive aspect of the phenomena is that people are prepared to make changes in their lives and are willing to ask for help. I think people want more than what has been offered by the traditional methods. People are looking for a positive experience rather than something that is painful and prolonged. A new awareness in field of personal development and growth is that training and practice rather than talk can be more beneficial, although, talk, where someone expresses or learns to express their feelings and thoughts is very important

There are literally thousands of coaches like me, therapists, counsellors,  psychiatrists, medical doctors and religious leaders all offering services to the point that the market has literally become saturated. As a result it has become very competitive. Books are being written, courses and workshops are offered with promises and even guarantees for a better life. Promises that programs or suggestions will help you, fix you and change you within a relatively short period of time.  Naturally, in this day and age when immediate results are looked for, people are buying into these promises. Many if not most soon find out that there is no easy quick solution. Unfortunately,  they give up for good or get involved with another program that once again makes the promises.

So what makes me so different and what should you be looking for. I would like to feel that I am offering something that is somewhat different than the mainstream.

The following is a list of things that you should consider when choosing someone to help you. I have added a comment or two at the end of each topic about what I have to offer.

Look for someone who is committed to coaching.

I am committed to coaching and I enjoy my work tremendously. I became a neurofeedback and biofeedback coach 12 years ago because I was fascinated by the approach and became very hopeful.

I have an office and colleague that I am committed to on a full time basis.

Look for experience and wisdom; experience in coaching, in the area you are interested in and if possible in the lives of the person offering services.

I now have 11 years of experience working with people as a biofeedback and neurofeedback coach.

Find a person that you can identify with. Having someone who can understood what you are experiencing is a  key component to the growth  and development process. A coach who can identify and understand will not make unrealistic expectations. I will not coach a person if I do not have experience in that area because it is just too hard for me to understand. Knowledge is just not enough and sometimes maybe more of a hinderence.

I have a great deal of life experience. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I have had numerous hard life experiences which have been invaluable to me. I have learned how to be resilient and how to be strong. I am not special but I have been lucky to survive. Everyone can learn how to be resilient, survive and be happy. This is what I share with the people that I work with. I and people like me can help you learn how to survive and flourish through challenging times. (Go to my bio for a more in depth bio)

Last but not least I am 50 something years old.   I hope that I have some experience by this time and some wisdom.

Look for someone with education, training, knowledge and wisdom.

I have taken numerous courses and workshops in my field.(Go to my bio page for information)

Ask for a interview. Most coaches will give a free short introduction. In the interview do not be afraid to ask questions.

It is important to me that the client and myself meet and get to know each other. It is important that we like each other and trust each other.

Be careful of promises and guarantees.

I will not guarantee and promise you anything. What I can say is that many of my clients have worked our program and have changed their lives. Everyone can do it if they want to.

Some years ago, I worked with a medical doctor who guaranteed that a person would feel better with a certain time period. The person did not and actually got worse as a result.

Look for something that is practical. Be careful of complicated schemes and programs.

My colleague and I have developed a program that will help ourselves and our clients to keep focused and on tract. It is not a scheme. It is based upon the experiences of our clients and ourselves. It is a simple, logical, down to earth program.

I am not going to tell you that my program or the way I work is the best and only way. I would like to believe that it is but there are lots of people who can do as good work as I can or maybe even better.

Keep it as simple as possible. Many of us have a habit of making things more complicated and as a result becoming overwhelmed and confused. Many people do this as a way of sabotaging themseleves.
 

Be careful of the spin, the pitch.

No spin. I practice what I preach. I am not perfect but I do live a better life.

There is a lot of spin and it really is difficult to know who is being honest and who is not. I was told about a speaker who makes a lot money each year advising people how to have a relationship and he himself has had 4 divorces. Then, there is the stressed out executive of a company who sells and promotes equipment and workshops promoting stress management.

Eighth

Look for someone who is authentic

I like to believe that I am open. honest and down to earth/authentic. I do not try to be perfect.

Do not expect a coach to be perfect. They make mistakes and have challenges like everyone. What makes them different(hopefully) is that they have a more healthy response to the challenges. This is what they have learned and hopefully will pass onto you.

Ninth

Look for a program that will help you to grow and develop.

Do not get hung up on changing who you are. Rather look at changing how you act, react and behave.

Tenth

Don’t go with the program that tells you what you want to hear

Eleventh

Look for a program that is active. Look for a program that will teach you skills.

Being able to share your thoughts and feelings is very important but but more is needed for  your growth. Look for a program that gets you active in you growth process.