Mel Thomas
Background and Work Experience My background is in counselling psychology and organisational behaviour and I have over 30 years experience of coaching. My approach is humanistic, person centred and non directive meaning I believe the person being coached ultimately knows what is best for them. The coach helps the person articulate what their desired outcome is and through effective questioning and the marshalling of resources assists in the formulation of a strategy to achieve that goal. Approach My approach is person centred, I believe that an individual is the expert on their own experience. They are the one who can fully understand their own experience, decide what it means, how it fits into the context of their own life and how it translates into their relationships with others. In my practice I may offer frameworks/theories to assist the ‘learning process’ but not as a substitute for the experience and its ‘practical’ application on the job. My aim as the coach is not as the ‘expert’ of what is right for the individual but as a genuine, congruent, empathetic and sometimes challenging facilitator to make the person independent of the coach. It is essential from the outset that both parties are clear about what the boundaries and ground rules are for the learning process to take place. If we are successful the coach facilitates the individual to greater understanding and practice but in the process develop skills and knowledge to act as their ‘own coach’ with the external dialogue becoming an internal one and hopefully then become a coach for their colleagues. It is crucial that the learner establishes what it they are aiming for. Often the support and challenge will come in the form of an effective questioning process designed to help the learner establish those choices that may not be apparent at the start of the process. The relationship is based on mutual trust, respect and equality and not on the coach as expert.
The effective coach will encourage the learner to play the maximum part in all of the above stages and will
Experience of Coaching I have worked in a coaching capacity for 30 years to students, staff, colleagues, clients, children and friends. I have worked as a Counsellor for over 12 years. I have been a Professional Coach for over 15 years with Chief Executives, Directors, MPs, Elected Members, Middle Managers and Front Line Staff. Diagnostic Tools I have access to an extensive range of tools to assist the individual learning experience.
It is crucial that I practice what I preach. I pay the utmost attention to my continuous development. Through personal supervision, extensive research, course attendance and experiential learning I seek to constantly update and renew my skills, knowledge and behaviours.
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs