Formats

There are three main formats in which I work with my clients:

• One-on-one:

I work with you, and the buck stops with you. This means that we will not blame your partner (simply because blaming is not useful for making changes). Instead, we will focus on your contribution and how you want to "be" in your partnership. It is amazing how when you change, the whole partnership changes. Everything about you will tend to affect your relationship, so you can bring anything else to the table. 

Usually we will have three 40-minute sessions a month over the phone and communicate over email the rest of the time. 

• Two-on-one: 

Here, I coach both you and your partner together. I stay neutral and consider the partnership itself to be my primary client, not you. If your partner is as on board with coaching as you are, this is a good way to go. 

Usually we will have two one-hour sessions a month, and we can use three-way calling if you and your partner are at different locations.

• Combination:

We do a number of one-on-one sessions as well as some two-on-one sessions. This can be designed in many ways and customized to fit your needs. Perhaps you start with one-on-one coaching and then add two-on-one coaching when your partner becomes interested. Or the other way around, you start with two-on-one coaching and then realize you want individual coaching around some areas outside your partnership. 

Depending on how we design this, we may use my network of coaches to cover all your needs and make sure there is a good match of coaches for both you and your partner.

 

Theoretical Framework

Partnership Coaching is based on the cutting edge Co-Active Relationship Coaching model. Its purpose is to create a powerful intentional partnership. Instead of "fixing" a relationship, we reveal the dynamics in place, and partners take action from there. We consider a partnership to be an entity in itself and have a voice of its own. Some partnerships want to pull together, others want to dissolve, and still others want to morph into something altogether different. We do not make any assumptions about what that is. 

Partnership Coaching incorporates elements from the following areas:

• Co-Active Coaching
• Systems Theory
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Relationship Research