Reflections on becoming an Autistic Coach
This article introduces a three-part series of essays on my becoming an Autistic Coach. These essays were written in January 2021. At that time, I was three months into my formal coaching training (Masters degree in the Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology at UEL) and nearing a one-year anniversary of receiving my autism diagnosis.
I’ve decided to share these essays to demonstrate my own commitment to reflecting on and developing my own practice to my coaching clients in a transparent way. I also hope that it’s of benefit to other neurodivergent coaches and neurodivergent people who are thinking of becoming coaches themselves.
Note: I try to keep my articles accessible by using simple language when I can. This is an exception; this article is a blend of self-reflection and academic writing.
The starting point
I started my Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (MAPPCP) programme at University of East London (UEL) in September 2020 with some experience of coaching, which I had gained within an organisational setting. I had learned about some fundamental coaching models, such as the GROW model (Whitmore, 1992), when I participated in a leadership course for newly promoted managers in my role as an actuarial manager in 2016. Since then, I have used coaching skills in the workplace, in my roles as an independent reviewer and people manager to challenge and empower my colleagues. I have also experienced the benefits of a formal coaching relationship when I received coaching in my last workplace. However, I had no experience of using coaching skills outside the workplace environment nor working as a coach in a formal setting.
In this three-part essay, I will reflect on the coaching development journey I have been on since I started the programme three months ago. The essay is structured as three key learnings around the theme of becoming more comfortable with what I experienced as a coach and developing my “coaching way of being” (Nieuwerburgh, 2017, p. 13). The three key learnings themselves focus on the EMCC Competences number 3, 4 and 5, and 6 and 7 respectively.
“Self-reflection is a humbling process which has no destination. It is driven by an intrinsic motivation to know ourselves so that we can be the best that we can be”
The journey of becoming comfortable
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The way forward
Over the last three months, I have become more comfortable with what I experience in my coaching practice and more generally in life. The course has provided me with the coaching skills and processes required to become a coach, which I have experimented with over the 16 hours of coaching I delivered. I have also started to develop my coaching way of being through self-reflection and participating in coaching supervision. In the Experiential Learning Model’s terms (Kolb, 1984, pp. 68–69), I have learned through concrete experience and reflective observation and have started to create concepts from my experiences and experiment with them in my coaching practice.
I am aware that I am still at the early stages of becoming a coach and I am feeling excited about what lies ahead. To keep track of my progress and ensure that I grow across all the areas required for the EMCC accreditation, I have created a targeted development plan for the next quarter. The key areas that I would like to develop involve working with a diverse range of clients, learning about creative and mind-body approaches, and increasing my awareness of the issues arising when coaching and mentoring across cultures. This will enable me to create my personal model of coaching practice, comprising a coaching philosophy that reflects my values, a clear context and purpose of coaching, and a coherent process (Cox et al., 2018, p. 537).
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About the Author:
Alicja Nocon is the founder of Expand the Circle. Her mission is to empower late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults to contribute in the workplace on their own terms and for it to make business sense.
Alicja offers coaching and mentoring for neurodivergent adults and neurodivergent employees with autism or ADHD, neurodiversity training for organisations and enjoys speaking at panels and other events.
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