Frequently Asked Questions

We’ll start with a free 30-minute discovery call. This gives us a chance to get to know each other, talk a little about what’s happening for you and explore what you would like support with.

It’s also your opportunity to ask questions and decide whether I feel like the right coach for you. There’s no pressure to book anything afterwards.

If you decide you’d like to continue, we’ll arrange your first coaching session and take things from there — one step at a time.

Coaching sessions are usually 60 minutes.

How often we meet is up to you. Some clients prefer weekly or fortnightly sessions, while others find that monthly sessions give them enough time to reflect and put things into practice.

There’s no pressure to commit to a set number of sessions either. You may need one or two sessions to work through something specific, or you may choose longer-term support.

We’ll find a pace that works for you without adding another pressure to your life.

We may agree some actions, reflections or small changes for you to try between sessions. These will always be things we have discussed and agreed together.

The idea isn’t to give you more to do, but to help you put what we’ve explored into practice in everyday life.

Where agreed, you can also contact me by email or WhatsApp between sessions for light-touch support.

You don’t need to prepare anything!

If you want to, you might spend a few minutes thinking about what’s been happening, what feels most important or anything you’d particularly like us to talk about.

But it’s also completely fine to arrive saying, “I’m not really sure where to start.” We can work that out together.

Yes. What you share during coaching sessions is treated as confidential.

There are some important exceptions, particularly where there are safeguarding concerns or a serious risk of harm. I will explain confidentiality and its limits clearly when we begin working together, so you know exactly where you stand.

If your coaching is being funded by an employer, the content of your individual sessions remains confidential. Any agreed employer feedback or reporting will focus on general areas of support and progress rather than the personal details of our conversations.

Coaching and counselling can sometimes explore similar areas, but they have different purposes.

Coaching generally focuses on where you are now, where you would like to be and the practical steps that may help you move forward. We might explore thoughts, behaviours, confidence, beliefs or past experiences where they are relevant, but the focus remains on helping you understand yourself and make positive changes.

Counselling and therapy can provide more specialist support for emotional distress, trauma and mental-health difficulties.

My counselling training helps inform the way I listen and support people, but ProFriends provides coaching and mentoring, not counselling or therapy.

If it becomes clear that another type of support would be more appropriate for you, we can talk about that openly.

Not at all.

Some people come to coaching knowing exactly what they want to change. Others simply know that something doesn’t feel right, they feel stuck, or they want things to be different but aren't sure where to begin.

Part of our work can be figuring that out.

Where goals are helpful, we’ll make them realistic and manageable and break them down into smaller steps. The goal is to help you move forward — not to create another list of things you feel you should be doing.

Friends and family can be an incredibly important source of support, but sometimes it helps to talk to someone who isn’t personally involved.

People who care about us naturally want to help. They may offer advice, reassure us, try to fix things or tell us what they think we should do — usually because they love us.

Coaching is different. I’m not here to tell you what your life should look like. I’ll listen without judgement, ask questions, gently challenge you when it might help and support you to work out what feels right for you.

That's where the idea of a Professional Friend comes from — warmth and support, combined with professional boundaries and coaching skills.

Yes. Sessions are available online by video call or face-to-face. We can discuss which option would work best for you during your discovery call.

Individual coaching is £50 for a 60-minute online session and £55 for a 60-minute face-to-face session.

Your initial 30-minute discovery call is free, and there’s no obligation to continue afterwards.