Coaching with NLP For Dummies®

Being Scared to Say Goodbye

All good things come to an end, including a coaching relationship. Coaching exists for an arc of time; it's not an open-ended arrangement, even though it's a process that takes place over weeks and months. Most coaching relationships involve a commitment to three months of working together, and you may extend that to an assignment of six or even nine months. For some clients who are highly committed to the power of coaching in their lives, the coaching relationship may last into a period of years while meeting at less frequent intervals.

Initially, you can anticipate excitement in coaching assignments as your clients achieve new insights and breakthroughs and see dramatic change. They're developing new skills, experimenting with new behaviours and moving creatively into discovering themselves. If they stick with the coaching, as time progresses, they shift from doing mode into being mode, finding new ways of connecting with the bigger picture of their lives.

At some point, your clients are satisfied that they've had enough from their coaching relationships and are ready to move on. Acknowledge that parting can be sad because you shared many experiences together over your sessions. Send clients on their way with gratitude for the shared experience.

As coach, you may be tempted to carry on beyond the best-before date, so set up a closure session from the ...