What is Personal Coaching?

Coaching is a partnership between people where the coach, as an ally, is devoted specifically to your life and the results that will bring the highest level of success and deepest sense of fulfillment. Coaching believes in the inherent power and strengths that each of us bring to life. These strengths allow us to create, envision, persevere, and succeed in our personal and interpersonal life. A coach helps you focus your power in the world in a way that enhances your life, benefits others, and brings about growth within yourself and invites growth in others.

Tom Krapu is a PdD level licensed psychologist who is trained to help people learn new skills and make significant behavior changes. The PhD level of training is the highest level of training in the social and behavioral sciences. Tom is here to offer his skills as a psychologist in the areas of communication, problem solving, behavior change, and leadership training. I do this through a service called "Coaching", in which you come to me for help in making decisions and implementing them, in order to achieve goals that you decide for yourself.

In personal coaching, coaching may focus on your optimal effectiveness in your relationships with others. It may also focus on those areas of your life which will have the greatest impact on the results you want to see in your life such as your career, family relationships, and how you are accomplishing future goals and plans. No dream is too big to consider through coaching.

As your Coach, my job is to help you to take information and skills that you already have as well as identify resources to gain additional information that will be helpful to you in achieving your goals. I will help you use this information:
(1) to make decisions about which changes you would like to make,
(2) to develop a personal "action plan" in order to make those changes,
(3) to implement your action plan and make the behavioral changes, and
(4) to develop strategies to maintain the changes you have made.

I will support, encourage, teach, and help you stay "on track" toward your goals.
You, as the Client, set the agenda for your coaching, and your success will depend on your willingness to define and take risks and try new approaches. You can expect your Coach to be honest and direct, asking straightforward questions and using challenging techniques to help you move forward. You are expected to evaluate your own progress, and if the coaching is not working as you wish, you should immediately inform me so we can both take steps to correct the problem.

Like any human endeavor, coaching can involve feelings of distress and frustration, which accompany the process of change. Coaching does not offer any guarantee of success but has been helpful to others. In addition, I have attended a coaching training program (certificate) through the Arbinger Institute (link) and have been authorized to use Arbinger methods and materials in one-on-one coaching. You may choose to incorporate these ideas and methods into your own coaching process.

It is also important to understand that Coaching is a professional relationship. While it may feel at times like a close personal relationship, it is not one that can extend beyond professional boundaries, either during or after our work together.

More on Coaching


© 2005, Thomas M. Krapu, Ph.D., All rights reserved.


(314) 842-2258
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Thank you for your interest.