An effective coaching programme requires balancing structure and adaptability. Structure creates a foundation for clients to feel safe and engaged, while flexibility allows the coach to stay present, whilst adapting to the needs and priorities the client brings to each session.
Too much structure or rigid reliance on models, however, can impede the real coaching work by shifting focus away from the client and onto the mechanics of ‘how a coaching session should be’ rather than working with where the client is.
What we can develop instead is a “coaching container” that supports the coaching relationship, enhances client trust, and maintains our presence in alignment with ICF and AC competencies.
On this blog post we explore considerations when structuring a coaching programme that strikes this balance and how coaching competencies can guide this process.
1. Structuring the Coaching Programme: The Coaching Container
When structuring a coaching session or programme, it helps to think of the programme as a container—a secure and adaptable space that holds the coaching relationship. This container includes aspects like the frequency and duration of sessions, goal-setting processes, and agreed-upon boundaries. The structure provides a dependable rhythm for clients and gives them clarity on what to expect, which enhances trust and security in the coaching process.
For example, a coaching container includes:
- Clarity around the Coaching Work: Defining clear goals helps orient the coaching. In the initial sessions, we might explore the client’s long-term vision, specific objectives, or desired outcomes. This clarity can help both coach and client stay aligned, but the goals shouldn’t be rigid that they stifle the natural development of insights.
- Agreed Boundaries and Session Structure: Basic parameters like session timing, confidentiality, and communication expectations help create psychological safety. Knowing these details enables clients to bring their whole selves into the session.
- Adaptable Framework: An initial structure should provide guidance but remain open to change as the client’s needs evolve. This framework isn’t about following a strict protocol but about being responsive to the client’s growth.
2. The Role of Models and Techniques in Coaching: Support and Potential Pitfalls
Models can be valuable tools in coaching, offering a framework that both client and coach can lean on. For instance, the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) helps to navigate goal-setting and problem-solving, and solution-focused coaching models can guide sessions where clients seek immediate outcomes or making a decision. Models like these can make the coaching session more productive and focused, and they are especially helpful in cases where the client may feel stuck or uncertain.
However, an over-reliance on models can interfere with the coaching relationship in several ways:
- Models as Distractions: When a coach is more focused on applying a model than being fully present, the model can inadvertently become a barrier. The client may feel like they are being “put through a process” rather than listened to.
- Rigid Structures Preventing Flexibility: In integrative coaching, we aim to work with the client’s unique context, emotions, and goals. Over-relying on a model might lead us to miss subtle cues from the client or redirect the session in a way that suits the model but not the client.
- Diminished Authenticity: Clients often come to coaching seeking a genuine human connection. When we over-emphasise a model, the relationship risks becoming transactional rather than relational, potentially weakening the bond between coach and client.
3. Integrative Coaching: Letting the Client Lead
In integrative coaching, we are not creating a space where we’re relating more to the model than the client. We can use models as helpful guides but not as rigid frameworks that force the client’s experience into a predefined mold.
Integrative coaching draws on various approaches and models but prioritises adapting to each client’s unique context. It’s about bringing the client’s needs, values, and insights to the forefront. This approach mirrors the ICF’s emphasis on co-creating a client-centered relationship where the client is the expert in their own life.
In practice, this might look like:
- Allowing the Client’s Agenda to Emerge: Instead of jumping into a solution or applying a model, integrative coaching encourages us to let the client reveal what matters most. They may begin with a goal in mind, but as they explore their feelings and beliefs, new insights or desires can emerge. Our job is to allow space for these to unfold naturally.
- Using Models Selectively and Flexibly: Integrative coaching isn’t model-averse; instead, it’s model-aware. We may introduce frameworks like GROW, Wheel of Life, or strengths-based approaches, but only when they serve the client’s journey and don’t detract from our presence with them. A model should support insight rather than overshadow it.
- Maintaining a Reflective Practice: Integrative coaches often engage in reflection after sessions to evaluate their use of structure and presence. We ask ourselves: Did I focus too much on a model? Was I fully present? What could I have done to create a more client-centered session? This reflection ensures ongoing growth and alignment with the ICF competencies.
4. Embracing Flexibility and Connection Over Structure
Ultimately, an effective coaching programme is one where structure exists only to support the relationship, not to direct it. By creating a flexible container and embracing the ICF competencies, we can enhance our coaching presence and cultivate a space where clients feel seen, heard, and empowered to explore what matters most.
As Certified ICF Coaches our role is to listen deeply, hold space for unexpected insights, and support the client in navigating their unique path. The ICF competencies guide us in this effort, encouraging presence, trust, and genuine connection.
Meaningful outcomes come from the human-centred connection we foster with our clients. The structure we create should always serve this goal, ensuring that we’re responsive, present, and ready to engage with clients in the ways that are most transformative for them.
This article is by Joseph Grech, a BPS Chartered Coaching Psychologist, Psychotherapist in Training and a PCC Accredited Coach. Joseph is the Founder of Become Coaching & Training Ltd., a leading ICF Coach Training provider delivering Diplomas in Integrative Coaching at ICF Levels 1 & 2.
