Professional Development
Coaching is a creative process that helps people to achieve goals, maximize personal and professional potential, and navigate life transitions. Most coaching is focused on developing your ideal future self, improving family life, health, personal development, life satisfaction and/or ideal career or vocation.
Professional Coaching
Professional coaching is similar to personal coaching in many ways, but the focus is more on professional goals and effectiveness. Professional coaching involves a partnership between the coach and the client. It involves helping generally well-functioning people achieve their professional goals. The coach helps the client to discover, to create, to clarify and align what their desires and goals are for the future. Professional coaching may include aiding the development of new skills, improving effectiveness at work, learning to maximize key strengths, and assisting in change and career transition.
What Dr. Bisignano Does as a Coach
Dr. Bisignano partners with her clients in a creative process where you discover, clarify, achieve goals and maximize professional potential. She collaborates with her clients, trusting that their inner wisdom and intuition will help guide the coaching process. She asks provocative questions, gives suggestions, and provides focus to keep her clients moving forward.
Dr. Bisignano begins with a conversation about developing a coaching agenda. She will generally take clients through a series of questions and assessments to help clarify what your objectives will be. The assessment process might involve:
- clarification of values
- identification of strengths, gifts, talents
- articulation of the client’s professional goals
- identifying ideal career
Dr. Bisignano encourages and supports her clients to engage in life-long learning. This may look like developing and strengthening current talents or gifts, deepening their knowledge in a particular subject or topic, or furthering their education or training in an area. Additionally, she helps clients navigate obstacles and challenges that are getting in the way of them achieving their goals. Along with her client, Dr. Bisignano will assess energy draining situations or relationships that may be interfering with their ability to move ahead. You will discuss what changes may be needed. She also acts as a cheerleader standing alongside her clients celebrating successes.
How Long Will Dr. Bisignano Work with an Individual
The amount of coaching varies depending on the person’s needs and goals. Typically Dr. Bisignano will work with people between three to six months. Other people may find it more beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period of time. This can be determined by assessing goals, the frequency of meeting, work preferences and financial resources available. You will discuss this in your first coaching session.
To determine whether professional coaching is right for you consider whether a collaborative effort is appealing to you in regards to achieving your goals or maximizing potential. Is accountability or a different perspective and other viewpoints of value to you? If you are intrigued by this idea and think it could be helpful try asking the following questions:
- Do you want to start a new business but lack vision, a set of goals or a clear path?
- Are you struggling to maintain a work-life balance?
- Are you feeling isolated or frozen in your current career?
- Are you looking to transition into a new field or career?
- Do you have a life dream, mission or purpose, but not sure how to go about achieving it?
- Are you uncertain of your core strengths and how to best leverage them?
- Do you desire to accelerate results?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then professional life coaching may be the next step for you. Call Dr. Bisignano today for a complimentary phone consultation to see if professional coaching is right for you.
What Types of Coaching Dr. Bisignano Offers
- one-on-one coaching in her Palos Verdes or Manhattan Beach office or by phone
- workshops
Why Psychologists Make Great Coaches
Psychologists have:
- insights into human motivation and behavior
- a broad perspective on the breadth and depth of human experience
- in-depth understanding of human development
- ability and experience in assisting people manage crises
- knowledge and understanding of life transitions and stages of life
- a strong ethics code that values the dignity of all human beings
- extensive training in assisting people communicate more effectively
- an understanding of the need to balance work, personal life and family
- extensive training in the use of assessments to aid people in understanding their personality type preferences, strengths, and needed areas of development
- extensive education, training, and experience in working with people.1
- Adapted from Auerbach, J. (2003). Why Therapists Make Great Coaches. In Personal and Executive Coaching (3rd ed., pp18-19). Ventura, CA: Executive College Press.