How We Listen

Person-Centered

This approach focuses on maintaining a facilitative relational environment where a person or group can develop a way of being that reflects, or is expressive of, being truly authentic. The coach is a partner in dialogue, where the person or group is truly the expert of their own situation.

Gestalt Principle

This approach acknowledges how a person or group in the moment naturally looks for patterns, how they see the whole, when presented with fragments. The emphasis on self-awareness and emotions may lead to the embrace of the objective present to possibly start to form a new reality.

Cognitive-Behavioral

This approach treats thoughts as hypotheses that need to be tested. This involves identifying and challenging a person’s or group’s unfavorable thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs and also aiding in generating alternatives that are favorable.

This approach focuses on tangible outcomes byway of goal setting. Specificity and granularity is essential when establishing client or group accountability for the completion of “what” by “when”.

This approach focuses on the personal values of a person or group in order for harmonious actions to take place. When values are identified this may lead to greater committed action or taking action with greater confidence. Taking committed action often aids acceptance when things may not go as planned.

This approach moves away from the problem and towards the solution. The person or group is encouraged to think, leveraging collaboration, about what is possible by considering solutions that lead to goals that want to be achieved. This may also enhance what the person or group feels while striving for goal attainment due to a decreased tendency to blame.