Why: why we believe professional certified coaching is the best form of support for most of life’s difficulites

Coaching is gaining in popularity. People are no longer viewing coaching as it relates to fitness & sport. CEOs of large corporations & institutions, small business owners, career minded people, college students, couples’, stay at home parents, young adults, middle aged and the elderly are all hiring personal coaches to assist with everything from transitions of life, break ups, work performance to couples coaching. Coaching is quickly becoming a much sought after support system due to the fact that hiring a professional coach works. The proof is in the fact that coaching moves you through wherever you are and helps you get to where you want to go!

What is important to know about coaching is that professional /certified coaches are not taking some weekend warrior course on life coaching. Professional coaching is so much more comprehensive and skilled than that. So check the credentials of your coach before you move forward.

Professional /certified coaches have to go through extensive training from an ICF recognized school that includes theory, coursework, mentoring, observations, and over 100 hours of active “hands on” coaching before they even embark into the field. ICF, the International Coaching Federation is a governing body that has its own criteria that needs to be accomplished before the coach can be certified by ICF. There is a significant /important Code of Ethics that coaches are required to follow as well as one must prove competence in the core competencies outlined by ICF by submitting video footage etc. A comprehensive, timed final exam is also required. Coaches are also trained to know where clients may benefit from other therapies and are required to refer clients on if this is the case. The thing is most people do NOT need therapy. There are people who need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, but coaching is quickly taking people helpers to the next level. Coaching is a very empowering process when administered from highly accredited and certified coaches.

George and Lesley are certified coaches though Canada Coach Academy, ICF (International Coaching Federation) and Christian Coach Institute. George & Lesley “each” have 30 years teaching, coaching, counselling and working in the area of advanced Educational Psychology experience and education. Both George and Lesley hold advanced post graduate degrees in Ed. Psychology so the “learner mindset” is prevalent in the work we do as coaches. Life is viewed as lessons to learn from and making plans with new thinking.

So why did George and Lesley decide to get into coaching? Why not social work or psychotherapy etc? Both George & Lesley have advanced graduate work in Educational Psychology and each of us have a total of 16 years combined in University course work. So why did we pursue the coaching route that parallels many of these helping professions? The answer is compelling, but not difficult to figure out.

At times in our personal lives we had reached out to therapy styled professions in the past and the results were disastrous. Here are the reasons we decided we could offer people something above and beyond the poor supports that we experienced. We knew there had to be a better way.

1. Often we left more discouraged than prior to walking into the session. We believe this happened because of a “deficit” model. Essentially in other models the therapist is acting as the “expert” and the client/ patient is seen as someone who has a deficit that needs to be fixed. We believe that with significant psychiatric concerns this model has a place, but for most people who are relatively mentally stable and not suffering from an organic untreated mental illness this model falls extremely short. The model we use is one that sees the client as a whole person who can benefit greatly for the opportunity to have a safe space to think out loud and be guided through an extremely powerful & creative process. With strategic questioning, a safe space, and a trusted relationship with the personal coach the client then leaves the session with feelings of self empowerment and self determination. Walking out of an office should never feel as though you are deeply flawed. You are human and you have what it takes to work through your concerns with the right support. At Waypoint we won’t let your negative self talk cause you to feel inferior with us and we will never act as superior towards you. Instead we will continually remind you of the truth so you can kick that negative self talk to the curb.
2. Other times we felt as though the therapist was injecting themselves, their biases, and their solutions into our story with catastrophic results. Your story is your own. No one has walked in your shoes. It is unprofessional for anyone to inject their biases into your situation. At Waypoint the only advice you will get are honest observations that you allow us to share at your discretion. We ask permission to share our observations and we respect your space as it is yours alone. We will poke holes in your unhealthy beliefs as you will discover they are getting in the way of what you want. We will do so respectfully as we are highly trained to “stay in our lane.” At Waypoint you can know you matter and we will observe without judgment, and ensure you are the designer of your path forward.
3. Other times the “times up” which typically cued the end of the session was implemented with terrible timing. Either the therapist wasn’t able to move the conversation to where we would be able to leave on a definitive note with steps of action or the session was terminated at a significant point of vulnerability. Because we want our clients to make progress and we don’t want our clients to feel cut off after they leave a session we have created unique ‘in-between” session coaching at no extra charge. Waypoint coaching does not end at the end of your session. You can always reach out to us in-between your session. We also develop ongoing in-between session work where necessary and we do hold you accountable to meet your goals. No one leaves a Waypoint session in tears.
4. Other times trauma was completely mistaken for drama. If you are experiencing any trauma whether at work, home or in any area of your life we have the expertise and training to identify it and support you in a way that is often overlooked by other deficit models of therapy. When a therapist appears to be watching your life the way they would watch a drama unfold on TV it is time to get out. We won’t allow you to blow up your life if you are experiencing trauma, but instead will guide you through the appropriate self-regulation strategies you will need to get yourself back from the aftershocks of your traumatic experience. This way you can move forward informed thus making solid decisions from a place of stability and consideration. At Waypoint we won’t let you blow up your life when you’ve been traumatized. We’ve got your back!

With extensive educational backgrounds in Educational Psychology and years of experience both George and Lesley are able to create curriculum that enhances coaching during the in-between sessions. That is, you get more support than you ever would with another type of counselling or therapy. These assignments are therapeutic in nature as they are tailored to the unique needs of every client. We use assessment tools to help identify your strengths, and we help you put your strengths to work. Coaches help people in the area of mental health, relationships, careers, business, and yes, also fitness pursuits in such a way as to give the client the level of respect that is second to none. We don’t pathologize clients (we do not diagnose clients or find flaws that need to be fixed). We do not set ourselves as above our clients, but we do know that we can walk our clients through a process that is empowering which develops self determination at its core.

With a professional/certified coach all of the addictions, trauma, and pain from life is handled in a much different way than with other strategies that have fallen short. We do not blame you, yet we hold you accountable to the plan that YOU create. We develop curriculum/assignments/reflections that are unique to your own learning style. We deal with shame from a place of self discovery while fostering life changing self-compassion. Coaching is a strength based, client centred approach to supporting you in whatever place you find yourself. The philosophy and paradigm for coaching is the belief that you have everything you need inside you to make the decisions you need to make to plan a way forward. We take you through a process at your pace, and support you to find the strength you didn’t know you had. It takes time to change thinking, and to overcome the hard things that you have endured in your life, but we are here to show you that the best is yet to come. It is a privilege to come alongside you to work together in whatever place you find yourself.

We offer a no-charge 40 minutes over zoom consultation so that you can determine if coaching is right for you. After that initial consultation you have the choice of meeting over zoom or in person at our office located in Steinbach, Manitoba. If you are reading this article then perhaps the time is right for you to get started.

So why did we go into coaching? We decided to be the kind of help we would want for ourselves, our loved ones, and for those in this world who are hurting, ready for change, traumatized, tired, and/or just ready to be inspired. Please feel free to read our reviews both on google and on this website.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

We look forward to working with you,

George & Lesley