Dear Co-Active Coaches,

Spring is beginning its annual flirtation with us. You know, that time of year when spring peeks around the corner, smiling, then ducks back into hiding. One day the sun is shining, jackets come off and trees begin to bud; the next day, it’s back to winter. The flirtatious spring game to keep us on our toes.

Play is on my mind this month as we announce the latest addition to our coursework. “Come Alive! The Artful Play of Coaching” was greeted with rave reviews during the pilot offerings last year. We’re thrilled now to have it as part of the CTI curriculum. Read more about it under CTI News.

Our topic for articles this month is “Coaching and Therapy.” As a coach and therapist myself, I always find this a fascinating topic: Where does one end and the other begin? When do coach and therapist work together? How does a coach know when to refer? We have three wonderful articles this month that approach this topic from different perspectives. Diane Petrella, MSW, an experienced therapist and beginning coach, shares her thoughts on the overlap between coaching and therapy. Jeff Kaplan, PhD, CPCC, takes a look at best practices for assuring that you’re coaching and not slipping unknowingly into therapy. Lastly, Phyllis and Rachel Shanker, a mother-daughter therapist-coach team, share their perspective on the differences between the coaching and therapy. Enjoy!

Also, join us in celebrating our newest CPCCs. And, check out the topics for the next few months. Think about sharing your wisdom, experience and insights with our community by submitting an article for a future edition of The Inquiry.

Have a wonderful March!

Warmly,
Kathy Curry, CPCC
Director of Marketing

Come Out and Play!
CTI Announces Its Newest Course: “Come Alive! The Artful Play of Coaching”
We are excited to announce the latest addition to our course roster, “Come Alive! The Artful Play of Coaching.” This course was created by one of our founders, Henry Kimsey House, and his partner in play, Gwen Gordon. Both highly skilled coaches, their partnership is particularly apropos for the course content, as Henry has a long-standing history in the acting profession, and Gwen currently teaches play both at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology and at the California Institute of Integral Studies. The three-day course was created especially for the coach who has been certified and is looking to go from being a great coach to being a masterful one.

Think of coaching at its best. You're in an intimate dance with your client, your timing is perfect, creativity sparks, and insight flows effortlessly. A sense of joy, delight and ease pervades the session, as you both come more and more fully alive. Masterful coaching is pure intoxicating play. This workshop is for coaches who want to tap into the joyful power of play in their lives and practices. “The ah-ha’s I got were immense, and the growth and learning about play was invaluable. This course should be mandatory for all coaches!” says Marilyn Ryemon, CPCC, who participated in the pilot run of the program.

“Come Alive! The Artful Play of Coaching” will be offered in two locations for 2005—in Minneapolis from June 3-5, 2005, and in the San Francisco Metropolitan Area on November 4-6, 2005, just one week before the ICF conference hosted in San Jose, CA. There is a rate of $695 for those who register before April 15 for the Minneapolis course, and by August 31 for the San Francisco course. The full fee is $895. You must either be a CPCC or currently enrolled in Certification at The Coaches Training Institute, or you must be an ACC, PCC or MCC, certified through the International Coach Federation, to be eligible for the course. To register, call The Coaches Training Institute at 1-800-691-6008. Come out and play!

Co-Active Network
Wow! The Co-Active Network currently has more than 3,900 members in the Main Community and more than 40 niche and geographic communities. The purpose of the Network is to support every member in achieving his/her greatest vision for Co-Active coaching and leadership in the world.

Each community has resources, discussions and community events. Check the full calendar on the Co-Active Network. There are an amazing array of exciting events. Also, many of the events held on the Main Community have been recorded on audio podium. The list of recorded sessions is available under the “Resources” section of the Main Community. Look for the topic “Audio Podiums from Network Main Event Sessions” for a full list.

Would you like to share your insight with fellow coaches?
We love to learn from our community and sharing your thoughts with your fellow coaches is a great way to let us know what’s happening in your world. The Inquiry focuses on a specific topic each month. Topics for the next few months are:

April—Emotional Intelligence: What is it? How have you seen coaching have an impact on emotional intelligence? How has an understanding of emotional intelligence affected your coaching?

May—Benefits of Certification: Why become certified as a coach? How has becoming certified changed your coaching or your coaching business? What impact does coach certification have on the profession of coaching?

June—Marketing: How do you effectively market yourself as a coach? What is this thing called “branding” and how does it apply to coaches? What advice would you give to a new coach starting out…or to an experienced coach wanting to take his/her business to a new level?

We invite you to submit articles and share your insight in The Inquiry. It is a fantastic way to increase your visibility in the coaching profession. Please send articles to newsletter@thecoaches.com. Read the detailed submission guidelines.

Reflections on the Similarities Between Coaching and Psychotherapy

Diane Petrella, MSW, is a CPCC candidate who recently completed CTI’s certification program. She has a combined coaching and psychotherapy practice and has an interest in bridging the healing aspects of psychotherapy with the forward moving momentum of life coaching. She says, “As a beginning coach and very experienced psychotherapist, I am intrigued by ongoing discussions about the differences between coaching and therapy. Much attention focuses on the apparent differences but there has been little discussion on the similarities. This article addresses, in my opinion, the many ways in which the two professions overlap.” For further information, read the article.

Coaching vs. Therapy: An Inside Look
“You’re in the middle of your third session with a new client, when he shares about his history of depression over the last 10 years. He goes through periods of withdrawing from others, sleep disturbance and feelings of deep sadness. During these periods, he feels hopeless and helpless. You learn that he had been slipping into one of these periods shortly before hiring you as a coach. Although he continues to slip into a state of depression, your energy, support, enthusiasm and genuine interest in him has been invaluable. He has been inching forward in meeting his goals, showing up on time, and is benefiting from the relationship. He comments that he has made more progress with you than with any number of therapists he’s seen in the past. Have you unknowingly been doing therapy with this client? Does this client need therapy instead of coaching? What should you do next?” Jeff Kaplan, PhD, is a certified Co-Active coach, licensed psychologist, author and trainer who has worked with clients in both the therapeutic and coaching arenas. Read his article to find out what he says about this rich topic.

Coach and Psychotherapist Collaborate
Phyliss Shanken, MA, and Rachel Shanken enjoy a unique relationship. Not only do they share a common bond as mother and daughter, but they also work together with clients as therapist and coach. They’ve collaborated equally once again in the co-creation of this article, and bestow their wisdom upon us about the places where therapy and coaching differ, as learned through the experience of working with clients. They offer this: “Coaches and psychotherapists are change agents, yet each discipline has a different philosophy and approach. For mental health, counseling and coaching professionals, learning about and appreciating distinctions between the two fields facilitates a better result for client or patient.” Read the article to find out more.

Please join the CTI team in congratulating all of the Certified Professional Co-Active Coaches that have finished the rigorous certification program and passed their exams!

February
Reggie Adams, Chip Aker, Susan Allan, Beverly Benwick, Tracy Carreiro, Kevin Conway, Liliane de Vries, Rona Fluney, Rhonda Goldstein, Becky Grantham, Lourdes Gutierrez, Jane Hess, Nick Hicks, Gary Hirsch, Rebecca Johns, Terese Kemble, Wendy Knee, Bethany Lacy, Pauline Laurent, Rhasheda Lawery, Pollyanna Lenkic, Anna SS Leong, Cindy Mascheroni, Susanne Matheson, Andy Miser, Marion Montez, Cathy Morrison, Kenn Norman, Philip Okrend, Jennifer Parish, Kerry Puniello, Tzionah Rapaport, Karla Reisch, Alan Roe, Ursula Ruckstuhl, Robin Smith, Julie Snyder, Cindy Sorensen, Daphne Taylor, Wim Vermaak, Jane Weber, Gloria Williams, Wendy Wilson, Beverley Wright, Melvyn Zahn, Amy Zastrow.