Coaching Plus – Personal Development Programme
I met Sat in November 2019. At that time, I was struggling in my career, I was confused in my professional choices and seeking positive change. With his help and knowledge, I defined the edges of a clearer vision for my future. Identifying my values, my strengths, celebrating my achievements… each exercise supported me to define my unique path.
If 2020 is, for a majority of people, a year to forget about, it was for me the occasion to join the Coaching Plus Programme. Clearly, the best decision I made this year. As we were facing new challenges, Sat brought me on one of the most interesting journeys of my life.
This programme is an exploration, a self-discovery through exercises, activities and discussions that helped me improve my mental and physical health. It was the perfect time to learn about myself, to take care of me. With Sat’s guidance I created new habits, I gained in confidence, raised my self-awareness. I grew up. Sat’s patience and positivity were of major support during these turbulent months, thanks to him I found more balance and control. He always adapts our meetings to my needs or my curiosity on different topics; our conversations are rich, full of questioning and various recommendations.
Through the “Story of Health” chapter, I had the opportunity to work on the primary elements of the self; Body, Mind and Spirit and their interface with my Environment. In theory, we all know what is necessary for our body to function properly. But when we actually look closer, daily, we realise we might have missed something crucial over the years. The first example which comes to my mind is hydration. A simple gesture, so obvious and natural but very damaging if not taken seriously. By just increasing the amount of water I drink every day, my skin changed, it helps with my digestion, and I learnt all the benefits for my cells and health.
Breathing exercises were also a game-changer. These techniques allowed me to manage stress, improved my sleep and generally brought calm and clarity into my mind. Sat also introduced me to the power of Positive Affirmations. They target our belief system and helps us develop a healthy mental environment by using repetitive uplifting statements. The process restores confidence, self-esteem, and reverses the flow of negative perceptions we might have about ourselves. The “Story of Health” is an eye-opening journey accessible to everyone looking for positive change.
The Coaching Plus Programme covers a large range of subjects, situations, helping me navigate life. It opened my horizons and nourished my knowledge in a lot of aspects. It’s a giant toolbox that I’ll carry and use in my future.
My journey isn’t over yet and I’m looking forward to the next step. Thank you Sat, sincerely.
Mathilde
“The only journey is the one within”.
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926)
I’ve been having therapy sessions with Donella for several years now, and her guidance has been invaluable and irreplaceable. I feel truly lucky to have such an attentive and kind-hearted person by my side. I have never confided in anyone else like I have with Donella, and that alone says a lot about her.
Donella and I initially worked together in London in 2015 when I was 23. When I moved to Berlin in 2016, she suggested we continued our sessions via Skype, which I was very touched and thankful for (I tried out other therapists in Germany but none ever compared to Donella). Donella is a highly experienced, patient, caring, and empathetic therapist – and that is to say the least. I’d been struggling with depression for many years before I met her, and Donella provided me with a safe place to talk about my feelings, especially shame and guilt. Most importantly, she is always there for me and makes me feel understood. She listens carefully and without judgement.
My personal issues included repetitive self-harm, an ingrained belief that I was “not good enough” and that I was “a horrible person”. Throughout our regular sessions, Donella taught me how to be less harsh on myself and switch the way I perceived myself. Donella made me see that it was not that I was a bad person but that I was making bad choices in life. Donella was curious as to why I tended to make bad choices and why I had such a negative self-image, so we started tracing back the main events of my childhood and undertook what she (and Reach) call shame work.
Together, we dived into each painful memory of my past, to get a better grasp of the reasons for my present ill-being. It turns out I was treating myself the way my parents treated me. Donella helped bring to light the fact that although I couldn’t change the past, I could change my thoughts about it. I learnt that life is not immutable, I can change, it is not too late. I am a work in progress. Thanks to Donella, I gradually ceased to have mother-related nightmares and learnt that blaming other people for my unhappiness equalled giving up my power. She taught me self-compassion and forgiveness. She taught me that anger, guilt and worry never makes anyone feel better, nor do they change a situation. She taught me that I am worthy regardless of my achievements. She opened my eyes to the fact that my self-harm was a coping mechanism, and taught me how to replace it with healthy coping mechanisms. She taught me the importance of changing my internal dialogue, and gave me valuable tools to get to know myself better.
With a combination of fortnightly sessions, daily affirmations, self-help books, meditative recordings and adequate supplementation, I started to witness positive change within me. Over time, I reduced my self-harm dramatically and was significantly more self-confident. During these past few years of counselling, I learnt more about myself than the previous 22 years. I learnt that life is not immutable or “black or white”, and that different decisions have different consequences. Donella illuminated me on the fact being happy was not about being problem-free, but rather about how I handle myself emotionally during problematic times. She taught me how to plant the seeds of self-love.
All in all, she is more than a counsellor, Donella has been my life coach, my best adviser, the single most significant factor in my personal growth. She has helped me to heal my relationship with myself, my partner, my mother, my past. She witnessed my worst moments and never ceased to believe in me and my potential to get better, even when I felt like giving up. Donella has helped me develop into the best possible version of myself and I am eternally grateful to her. Thank you Donella… thank you Reach.
M.C. (Berlin)
Avril
