After the problems that led to the start of counseling have been substantially resolved, intensive psychotherapy can reach a comfortable plateau. Attention generally shifts more toward maintaining
personal balance,
spiritual harmony,
proactive parenting, and
progress toward long-term life
goals.
To address these concerns, many clients naturally want to continue the rich dialog they’ve found with their counselor, because it has been built upon common values and beliefs, upon sharing life stories and discovering together what they mean.
But soon clients find that the format of one hour in the counselor’s office no longer fits their needs, and their enthusiasm for the dialog is weakened by commuting to a session that now lasts longer than they really need. In light of these factors, I am offering life coaching for clients who seem to have reached an experience of wellness, and who may want to continue working with me beyond their active phase of exploring and solving their problems. This coaching relationship can be conducted long-distance by way of the telephone and internet, by webcam through my granting email permission via Skype, or locally to include also face-to-face visits at my office or yours.
One option of life coaching is coaching by telephone or webcam. Such methods of remote counseling have traditionally been used in psychotherapy during periods of acute distress to supplement talking in the office. Nowadays we see more people wanting prevention, wellness, and holistic health, and they are enjoying new technologies of computers and cell phones with virtually free long distance. The reduction in secured privacy is made up for by the reduced need for that privacy, because the subject matter is more positive and forward-looking in life coaching.
Coaching by telephone/webcam is done by appointment, and billed at the same rate as face-to-face coaching. One advantage is that it can be done and billed at smaller (5-minute) increments. Life coaching, whether through telephone consultation or face-to-face in my office is billed at $120 per hour. The basic minimum for a telephone contact is $30 for 15 minutes, with $10 per 5 minutes after that. Office visits at your place or mine for life coaching cost $30 per 15 minutes. This includes my time traveling to and from you, but we can be talking on the phone then. (The cost of a one-hour therapy session in my office is $140, as that involves overhead, state licensure, insurance liability and reimbursement.)
As insurance may not pay for these forms of service, and we may not see
each other face to face to make payment, fees are collected in advance at the
beginning of the month or quarter, or at the time of service for face-to-face
visits. The time and money costs
for life coaching are cheaper than for
traditional psychotherapy, because there is less stress, office overhead, hassle
with insurance reimbursement, and with telephone consultation, less
commuting time for you.
Two hallmarks of life coaching are regular personal contacts and periodic review of the focus and format for those contacts. The coaching relationship is typically set up during an open-ended face-to-face session or a phone call to establish the goals and the format of our contacts. Our contract can be set up any way you like, and re-negotiated at whatever interval you choose. Here are some examples of possible arrangements (we'll customize yours to suit):
1. A 3-month long-distance contract for monthly 30-minute phone calls, fully personalized e-messages from me before and after each phone call
Cost $60 per month
2. A 3-month local contract for regularly scheduled monthly 45-minute contacts (office visits or phone calls), fully personalized e-messages from me before and after each phone call or visit, and ad lib open-ended visits at your home/office or mine
Cost $90 per month +
ad lib visits
3. A 6-month long-distance contract for every other week 40-minute webcam calls, plus a fully personalized e-message before and after each phone call
Cost $170 per month
4. A one-year local contract for weekly phone calls of 15 minutes, monthly office visits of 45 minutes, and personal letter from me by postal mail after each visit:
Cost $250 per month
5. Any type and length of contract you wish.
Note that the term of the contract (how long) and the terms (what type of contact, how often) is totally negotiable. The examples above are just that, not an exhaustive menu of your options. What would you like to do?
There's no charge for the time we spend setting this up, so
get your goals in mind, sharpen them up to be specific, and
Call
me at the office some Mon, Wed, or
Thur
(244-4407),
or
call me any other time on my cell phone (633-2860),
To get started, send me a brief email at
Soon by phone or email I will need:
1. Your name, email address, phone number(s), age, occupation, brief work and school history, marital status and brief marital history, and the names and ages of your children (noting which ones live with you)
2. Your goals for the coaching relationship: Think about both
OUTCOME GOALS (future events) such as
getting married in 12-18 months, getting a better job,
losing 20 pounds, or moving to a new home.
PROCESS GOALS (new habits to help reach those outcomes)
such as starting to exercise regularly, doing a daily devotional,
improving conflict management skills, improving control of
sexual urges, or perhaps forgiving yourself or someone else.
3. What variation of the arrangements above you would like, and any questions or suggestions you might have about the terms of our relationship. Note when might be good times for any regular contacts you might want.
You're welcome to call me
"Paul", "Dr. Schmidt", "Doc", "Brother', or "Coach".
