CMP Pro-Bono Coaching Scheme
Welcome to the CMP pro bono coaching scheme.
This page:
Gives you information about the scheme, including how coaching is different from mentoring and from therapy
Confirms the boundaries of the coaching relationship, and the expectations of the coach and of you (the person receiving coaching)
Sets out the process for connecting with and choosing a coach
FAQ’s
Information about the coaching scheme:
This coaching scheme is offered to:
CMP core group members
People active within the CMP and taking action under the CMP umbrella
Staff and volunteers in CMP incubator project organisations and in CMP campaigns
Once matched, the coach and the client agree how often and how frequently they meet for coaching. Some coaches may offer a maximum number of sessions.
Compared to coaching, mentoring involves being given advice and recommendations. Compared to coaching, therapy means deep interventions for healing of past experiences and their impact.
In coaching, the role of the coach is not advisor or healer but rather a facilitator of your own thinking, drawing on your innate capabilities and resourcefulness. Often the work is focussed around a set of goals or hoped-for outcomes for the coachee (the person receiving the coaching).
Coaches listen, support, challenge and invite new thinking for complex or stuck situations.
The kinds of issues you might typically bring to coaching include the practical or emotional aspects of your climate action-taking; clarifying your purpose and values within that work; establishing priorities; untangling tricky relationships or situations; identifying ways for recovery and wellbeing – the scope is wide.
Process:
Complete the Coaching Request form (so that we can check you’re a bona fide enquirer)
Once a moderator has approved your request, follow the link you’ll receive to see the information about the available coaches
Choose one or more coaches for a no-strings ‘chemistry conversation’ – a two-way discussion to see if you would be happy working together (more info on chemistry conversations below)
Once you identify your preferred coach, agree how you will work together and go ahead
Let the scheme know when you have finished the coaching [e-mail address needed]
FAQ’s
Do I have to pay for the coaching?
No: the scheme is pro bono and the coaches are giving their time and expertise for free. Please respect their contribution: respond promptly to messages from them and show up when agreed between you.
What is a ‘chemistry meeting’?
A chemistry meeting is an initial conversation between a practitioner such as a coach and someone looking for coaching. The aim is for both people to get to know each other and to see if they want to work together – in other words, do they feel the right ‘chemistry’ between them. A chemistry meeting is a no-strings conversation – the coach might feel they are not the right coach for you.
Questions you could ask your coach in a chemistry meeting might include:
What are the roles of the coach and the coachee (the person receiving the coaching)
What can I expect from you as my coach?
How do I need to ‘show up’ in order to get the best out of the coaching process?
Will the coach be expecting me to respond to the times we’re in in the same way as the coach does?
No. Your coaches won’t bring any agenda or expectations of how you should interpret or address the social, cultural or political landscapes in which you work. Their goal is to help you discern the way forward for you, and how you can best walk that path for yourself.
How long should coaching last?
There’s no fixed number of sessions, so that’s something to negotiate with you. The coaches are free to set the scope of their offer, based on their coaching model: options include making an open-ended commitment to the coachee; or setting a number of initial sessions and then review together whether to continue; or offering a fixed number of sessions.
Complaints and concerns
Trust and rapport lies at the heart of a successful coaching process. If things aren’t going well, share this with the coach so that you can explore what might need to change. CMP can’t process any complaints against the coaches, as they are volunteers and giving their time for free. We ask all coaches to have regular sessions with a coach supervisor, and to bring this CMP work into that confidential supervision as needed. The coach can tell you whether they’re insured for the work together.
Is coaching always one-to-one?
Individuals, pairs and teams can all benefit from coaching. Some coaches only work on a one-to-one basis. Discuss what’s possible with your coach.
What additional support is available if coaching isn’t the right intervention for me?
Check out the list of resources from the Climate Psychology Alliance: