Frequently Asked Questions

Clean Language coaching is a reflective process of discovery. The truth is that I will not know what is right for you, and you do not know yet. So I will be asking questions to direct your attention inwards and to aspects of your experience where new learning and insights can come from. The fundamental belief in this way of working is that each person knows exactly what is right for them, even if they don’t have conscious awareness of it yet.

This is a very effective way of clarifying your thinking and figuring out what you need to do. We all need this kind of support from time to time to get the clarity we need to more forward!

Clean Language is a questioning method developed by psychotherapist David Grove to help people explore their inner experience without adding any ideas, assumptions or suggestions from the therapist, coach or the facilitator. This is the a very person-centred and holistic approach that fully respects the client and their unique experience.

Symbolic Modelling is a technique developed by Penny Tompkins and James Lawley, which uses David Groves Clean Language questions and the metaphors and symbols that naturally occur in language to model out the experience of the client. These naturally occurring metaphors often hold deep wisdom about the current situation and client’s desired changes.

For example, if you describe feeling “stuck at a crossroads” we would explore that metaphor in detail - what kind of crossroads is it? What’s in each direction? Where is that crossroad as you’re stuck there? What kind of stuck are you? And when stuck what would you like to have happen? Through this exploration new insights and possibilities usually emerge.

In psychology, individuals are viewed as complex interconnected systems where our biological processes, thoughts, emotions and behaviours interact dynamically. Meaning that we are one connected whole mind, body and psyche - with feelings, memories, emotions, sensations, aspirations, etc. What makes us unique individuals is the interplay of this ‘mind-body-psychic system’ in the present, our aspirations for the future and what our system holds from the past in the form of experiences, habitual patterns and even ancestral traumas.

Are you:

• Scared that you will fail the exam and the shame you will feel?

• Always second guessing yourself and worried you might get things wrong?

• Putting up with unfair, sexist or racist treatment at work and feel you can’t speak up because there might be consequences?

• Feel like you have to work harder than your male colleagues to prove yourself?

• Panicking in the exam and either freeze or over explain?

• Loosing sleep with the stress of full time work and exam prep?

If this is you, give me a call. You have come a long way and you are an expert in your field, what’s letting you down is all the internalised sexism that’s impacting your confidence. It doesn’t have to be like this! Now, lets get you passed that exam threshold!

I help women in medicine own their expertise, embody their confidence and pass their exams so that they can take their rightful place at the consultant table.

No. Coaching is different to therapy, although it can have therapeutic effects, the focus of coaching is different to therapy.

In therapy, the focus is on the past and healing or recovering from past events.

In coaching the focus is on the now (the current situation) and the future (what you actually want). And during the coaching process you can find out how to get there.

No. Coaching is different to counselling and they have a different focus.

Counselling is typically focused on the past and talking through difficult emotions or experiences.

In coaching the focus is on the now (the current situation) and your desired future (what you actually want). This makes coaching an outcome-focused process, with the aim of getting you from where you are now to where you would like to be.

Every person’s situation is unique. The number of sessions required will depend on the complexity of the situation and your own system. You will be the best judge of how many you will need.

Absolutely not! I will never tell you what to do, because I will not know what it right for you. Instead, I will support you by asking appropriate questions so you can find out for yourself what you need to do.

I might suggest a task in between sessions that I think might support you in your process. This is just a suggestion and almost always related to something that has come from you in the session. It’s your choice to take it or leave it!

I am not an advisor and coaching is different to advising or mentoring. I will not know what is right for you. My role is to support you to find out for yourself what will work for you. If you need specific advice I suggest that you seek professional advice from a qualified person.

If you are experiencing acute depression, anxiety, intrusive or suicidal thoughts or struggling with daily tasks such as personal hygiene, homemaking, connecting with friends and family please seek professional help. Your first port of call should be your GP followed by an experienced and qualified therapist. Keep your friends and family updated and ask for their support.

If we start working together and it becomes apparent that you need more support than I am able or qualified to provide, I will discuss a referral with you.

If you are interested in booking a session with me, the first step is to book a 30 minute discovery call, which I offer free. This call is an opportunity for us to connect, to find out more about you and your situation, to tell you more about how I work and answer any questions you might have. And if we are a good fit and you want to proceed we can arrange that on the call.

I offer block programmes of 6 × 90 minute sessions, at £1500

After our initial greetings, I will ask you, “What would you like to have happen?”

Since coaching is an outcome oriented process, this question is a gentle invitation for you to consider what you really want. This then sets the direction of the session, because the aim of the session is to get you from where you are now to where to want to be.

I will then ask you questions that are designed to direct your attention inwards so you attend to your own experience. This is so that you get to know more about yourself, find your inner resources and gain insights about the situation.

Clean Language sessions can get deep and you might need some time to process afterwards, so be kind and gentle with yourself.

I will explain all of this and more details in the discovery call and you can ask any questions you might have.

I offer one to one sessions in-person as well as online via zoom. My London location is perfect if you are London-based and prefer to meet in-person. If you are based elsewhere in the UK, the world, or prefer to meet online, I offer sessions via zoom.

Yes! I work with people from all over the world. Our sessions would be via Zoom at a time we schedule that’s convenient for both of us. Please get in touch! It would be pleasure to support you in your transition journey!