Global Focus Coaching

The International Coaching Federation “defines coaching as defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential”. Learn more about our approach to coaching (and what falls outside the scope of coaching) by taking a look at our Frequently Asked Questions.

What is the difference between coaching and counseling/therapy?

There are defined ethical delineations between coaching and counseling or therapy, and in some cases, such as mental health coaching relationships, there may be overlaps between the two. Both coaching and therapy can support a client’s mental health and wellbeing. Coaching tends to focus on the future and usually involves visioning, an emphasis on what’s working, and setting goals for the short and long term future. Therapy tends to focus on healing trauma, using the past to understand the present, and building skills for managing emotional issues. Coaches are not qualified to provide therapy and the ICF provides clear guidelines on when to refer a coaching client to therapy.

What is the difference between coaching and mentorship/consulting?

Consultants and mentors both provide subject matter expertise in different ways. A mentor often provides many of the same types of a support that a coach might offer, but would also give guidance from their own life experience in the same field as the mentee. A consultant is often engaged to offer guidance based on their expertise in a specific field. While coaches may be subject matter experts in some areas relevant to their clients’ lives, the coaching relationship does not involve offering advice to clients.

Guess what? All of these skills are a part of the program learning outcomes! Want to learn more about our coaching curriculum? Download our program syllabus.

If you're looking for something fully asynchronous, or prefer a more passive learning experience, this might not be the right course for you. One of our core values is engaged pedagogy, and  the "how" of our coaching instruction is very important to us.

Our program was designed by experiential educators and is facilitated by dynamic faculty who engage a wide range of learning styles. The core of program involves synchronous, live learning with coaching faculty, mentor coaches, and a small peer cohort of co-learners. You'll learn in our full group, break out into smaller "coaching pods," and get 1:1 feedback from a mentor coach. Alongside this, we support you with asynchronous learning. This includes coaching demonstrations and bite-sized video tutorials, readings, reflection exercises, and practice coaching.

We deeply hope that the coach training experience is fun, enriching, and meaningful for all participants! We also take our responsibility as coach trainers very seriously, and it's important to us to train you at a level that equips you with skills and sensibilities to avoid doing harm to your clients. In our combined decades of experience in the coaching industry, most clients and hiring organizations are not looking for an MBA or Masters-level certification in coaching. However, if you're looking to pursue a Master's degree for other reasons, we celebrate that for you— and this isn't the program that will get you there.

One of our core values at Global Focus Coaching is integrity. As a baseline, our programs train you to a level that aligns with industry standards described in the ICF Core Competencies and ICF Code of Ethics. Beyond this, we engage participants (and ourselves) in communal practices of reflection, feedback, and accountability. Participants in Coaching for Complexity also learn how to coach in culturally responsive ways that consider identity, power dynamics, and systemic oppression.

Coaching for Complexity was designed by two working moms to be accessible for busy professionals. While the program spans 9 months, it's not a full-time program— instead, it leaves space between sessions for practice and integration of learning. That said, if you're already pursuing a degree alongside your full-time job, or if you're working multiple jobs, this might not be the right time for you to press go.

If you're unsure about the time commitment, we encourage you to check if this year's program dates work with your schedule.

Our coaching programs are not focused on business development or consulting. While we do offer career support to participants to think about how to launch their coaching practice, we do not teach business coaching and we are ethically opposed to the use of the word "coaching" to describe get-rich-quick schemes. If you are specifically looking to develop your skills in business consulting, we're happy to recommend an alternate program of study for you.

During Coaching for Complexity, you will help to discover and develop your coaching strengths and style. Our coaching approach is human-centered and holistic, inviting all parts of the human experience into sessions (spiritual, relational, professional, emotional, social, personal). Graduates of our program leave with skills to launch their practice and may also choose to integrate coaching skills with their other work (healing, management, leadership, education, etc).