Is Still Stream Coaching Right for You?
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Is this type of coaching right for you?
What does a coaching session look like?
What I Cant Do as a Coach
How to Set Up a Free Consultation
Is this type of coaching right for you?
You don’t need to know anything about Carl Jung or what “Jungian” means to work with a Jungian coach. Here are a few examples of how a Jungian coach can help.
The Top 10
Something Isn’t Right - You know something isn’t right in your life, but you haven’t been able to put it into words. You need someone who will take your experience seriously, ask good questions, and help you find your own understanding about what’s going on. I can do that.
Exhausted or Burned Out - You feel exhausted or burned out and you need someone on your side to help unpack everything and see if there is a way to restructure your life in a way that is sustainable. The key might be better resiliency, or a better connection to your calling, or it might be something completely different. I can help you find out which it is.
Feeling Stuck - You are not sure why, but you have hit the doldrums or the humdrums. I can help you identify the mud or roadblock that has you stuck. Sometimes you just need someone to listen objectively to your thoughts and ideas and help you sort out the important ones from the ones that you can let go. As a published author, blogger, and youtuber I can help you with creative flow, clarification of topics and themes, and with finding what in you needs a voice.
Beyond Pathology - You have seen a counselor or therapist and it helped, and now you are beginning to realize that focusing on your anxiety, depression, or shortcomings and trying to think differently or be more assertive is taking all your energy. Jungian coaching isn’t a replacement for clinical support, but it can help you explore your strengths and uniqueness and become energized by your own inner vision.
You Dig Jung - Maybe like me you came across Carl Jung and sensed something very different about his way of approaching the inner life, maybe you even considered Jungian Analysis but the commitment to years of analysis gave you pause. A visit with a Jungian coach is a way to see if Jungian methods can produce results, even in the short term.
Non-Profit Realities - You are a non-profit manager or executive and have realized the non-profit world isn’t quite what you thought when you started in the field. Maybe that sense of meaning or “changing the world” isn’t carrying you forward like it used to. As someone who worked in the sector for 24 years I can offer empathy, understanding, and encouragement.
Dream Work - You want to be more deliberate in remembering, writing down, and understanding your dreams, but for some reason you just don’t do it consistently. Having a coach trained in dreamwork can provide accountability and motivation, and help you explore the deeper messages in your dreams.
Retirement - You are contemplating retirement or have recently retired and want to explore how to create meaning and purpose after you start your new chapter, be that the next chapter of your life, or the next chapter of the book you have always wanted to write.
Relationships - You experienced a relationship break-up and realize you want to better understand yourself before dating again. I was married for 23 years, then went through a divorce where I learned a lot about attachment styles and relationship dynamics. Now, 10 years into my new thriving marriage I can affirm that doing the hard work on yourself pays off. Together we can explore your childhood, your triggers, and the habits and patterns that might be getting in your way.
Spiritual Questions - You are at a pivot point in your spiritual life and need to talk to someone who is impartial and supportive. I was and Anglican, then an Evangelical, then I went through periods of doubt and grief before shaping my own set of practices that sustain my spiritual life. I now embrace my Christian heritage and believe God is “bigger than we think.” This belief lead me to explore other traditions such as Buddhism and Stoicism. Whatever your background I wont try to convert you to my religious position, or try to lead you away from yours. Instead I’m passionate to help you deepening your own practices and help you find more clarity, freedom, and a better sense of what is true and real. Read more about my faith position here.
Other common challenges I can help with:
Major Transition - You are a facing a work-related challenge that may include a promotion, transition, or other change and are not sure what is right for you.
Empty Nest - You have children leaving your home for school or to move in with a partner or room-mate and you want to explore the next steps in your own life with the change in your role. I can help you chart a path through the hard feelings to a new enthusiasm.
Self Acceptance - You feel misunderstood by your spouse, partner, a work colleague, or a family member and want an objective but empathetic coach to support you on a journey to an improved self-image. This might involve an examination of unconscious behavior, a deliberate shift in how you manager your personas, owning your own uniqueness, or letting go of elements of your life or career that cause you to constantly doubt yourself.
What does a coaching session look like?
I use an approach I developed based on two fundamentals: Jungian psychology and Dialogos together in a partnership. I call the work we do together, “Stream work” because I see streams as a great metaphor for increasing clarity, flow, and a sense of purpose. These in turn can increase your enthusiasm, courage, and contentment.
In a typical first session I will ask you questions about where you are at in your life right now and you will let me know what is working and what isn’t. Together we will paint a picture of what your life is like right now, and where to explore to make it better.
The Jungian part of the formula is a sensitivity to what you really want and feel deep down, as well as a method to find out what might be getting in the way at an unconscious level.
Your homework will be to notice images and patterns in your life that you might have noticed previously, but not taken to the next level of understanding. It often helps to record your dreams, track coincidences that are important to you, and listen for key words or messages that keep coming from your loved ones, work mates, and your inner parts.
Follow-up sessions will explore the themes that emerge, and will employ different exercises and techniques to take the conversation deeper, but always at a pace that feels right to you.
As a Coach I Can’t:
Provide a diagnosis of a mental illness.
Provide coaching when a mental illness is complex or untreated.
Provide coaching when a clinician recommends against it.
Provide coaching during a time of active substance use (addiction).
Create a treatment plan or supervise treatment.
Provide clinical counseling or treatment advice.
In addition, I do not coach anyone with a history of violence, or anyone who’s needs are beyond my training. Clinicians can contact me directly to discuss. See e-mail below.
For a more detailed explanation of the method I use, see, “What is StreamWork.”
How to set up a Free Consultation
You can set up a free 15 min telephone call or video conference with me about your current situation and goals. It is also an opportunity to ask questions about the process and decide if it is right for you.
See the Fees and Services page for more information or book a 15 minute Q&A session at: https://cal.com/stillstream
You can also go old school and email me at richard@stillstream.ca
A note about dreams - Freud called dreams the “royal road to the unconscious” and Jung said: “Dreams are the impartial, spontaneous products of the unconscious psyche, outside the control of the will. They are pure nature; they show us the unvarnished, natural truth.” As such they can be a trusted source of guidance when facing difficult people and situations.