Faculty of ArtI particularly enjoy that coaching depends on how willing the client is to do the work themselves–nothing is ever forced on you, it is your choice. Through exploratory conversations, guided loosely by self-defined goals for the session, coaching allows you to explore your mind and discover the potential that already exists in every one of us.
Testimonial from UBC PhD student
Coaching is a well-established support modality with international professional credentialing that differs from mentoring, advising, and therapy. Distinct from providing mentorship- or supervision-based advice on subject matter expertise, or counselling to address a mental health issue, a coach is a neutral, confidential and skilled thought partner who empowers your personal and career development by guiding you to new perspectives and insights on your situation or goals, and to develop plans that resonate with you to improve or change. All to help you make progress on what matters most to you.
Coaches participating in the UBC Faculty of Arts pilot program are learner coaches currently enrolled in UBC’s 8-month Certificate in Organizational Coaching program, which is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Their sessions with you are provided free of charge for up to six sessions as part of their coaching training.
Why graduate students?
Graduate school is a particularly demanding undertaking and it is common to encounter a variety of challenges that are not about your academic preparation. Rather, some of the things that might hold you back from realizing your potential are related to personal and career development skills. These challenges might include:
- Attaining a satisfactory school/life balance
- Getting started on tasks (do you find yourself procrastinating on a thesis or prospectus proposal?)
- Finishing projects (spending too much time on a paper, proposal, thesis or dissertation chapters due to excessive perfectionism?)
A coach is trained to support your development and growth to better manage such challenges.
If you have any questions, please send an email to both Brian Taguchi brian.taguchi@ubc.ca and Richard Price richard.price@ubc.ca so we can address it promptly.