Sam is a Tavistock Institute certified coach offering leadership and executive coaching. Her approach is informed by a background of nearly twenty years in the field of psychotherapy and mental health, combined with a special interest in business and the psychology of organisational dynamics. Sam’s background includes working abroad in large corporations and multi-lingual teams as well as in the public and third sectors in the UK. Sam is one of the founding partners of Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy.
As a coach and consultant, Sam is informed by contemporary relational and psychodynamic theories in the field of psychotherapy and how they apply to understanding unconscious dynamics in the workplace.
She coaches individuals by first understanding their challenges and areas of aspiration and growth, and then exploring together some of the barriers to achieving their desired goals. Her approach is facilitative and exploratory, but also focused on achieving the best result for her clients. This entails a sensitivity to knowing when to direct, manage, facilitate, educate or simply listen. Her aim is to help individuals and organisations see what can be achieved when they tap into their potential.
What is executive coaching?
Executive coaching is a specialised form of coaching that helps executives, managers, small business owners and entrepreneurs improve their skills, performance, and motivation. It typically involves a series of sessions between a coach and an executive to boost their performance and influence within the company. In essence, it’s similar to having a personal trainer, but for your career.
Who is executive coaching for?
Executive coaching is usually aimed towards those in mid-to-senior leadership positions such as managers and executives, however it is now becoming more common across all levels of an organisation and also for the self employed. If you are struggling with self-awareness, decision-making, or communication, or you are wanting to work towards a promotion or specific work-related goal, executive coaching may be for you.
Types of situations where executive coaching works:
Coaching applies to individuals and organisations across all sectors. Some of the areas coaching can focus on include:
- Understanding and reducing stress at work
- Career development or change in career direction
- Developing and improving interpersonal and communication skills
- Improving work relationships
- Managing teams
- Understanding workplace dynamics
- Managing and setting boundaries
- Achieving a better work-life balance
- Becoming a better leader
Coaching and consultancy will also help you:
- Increase self-awareness and self-confidence
- Achieve personal balance
- Improve organisational skills
- Coach and mentor your team members
- Manage conflict
- Build and maintain peer networks
These are general issues that coaching can assist you with. However, a coaching programme is always tailored to individual needs and circumstances.
A psychological, systemic and multi-cultural approach to coaching
Informed by her personal experiences of growing up in South America and living and working in different countries, Sam brings a multi-cultural and multi-lingual perspective to her coaching practice, with an understanding of the challenges and rewards of working across cultures and with international teams.
With a deep understanding of psychological concepts and theory, combined with many years of clinical experience, Sam offers a sophisticated approach to her coaching work, which entails being comfortable with the complexity of how human beings relate to self and others, in work and life.
Finally, she work in a systemic way, which means understanding how an individual’s role fits into an organisational system and culture. This is a helpful and less isolating perspective, which can bring more clarity to any decision-making process and help place personal challenges within a larger context.
Academic and professional training
- Certificate in Coaching for Leadership – Psychodynamic Approaches: Tavistock Institute of Group Relations
- Diploma in Relational Supervision – UKCP registered clinical supervisor
- MSc in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy (Distinction) – Metanoia Institute
- Certification as a Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist (CTA)
- BA (Hons) in Counselling (First)
Sam attends to her continuing professional development through reading, peer support groups, supervision, professional development courses, and conferences. In addition to being a UKCP registered psychotherapist, Sam is also a member of OPUS.
Client feedback:
Focusing on work-related issues explored within the confidential setting of an external coaching relationship, I have found my executive coaching sessions with Sam to have a hugely positive impact on my successful performance in my work role, and they have been a key driver in me maintaining and modelling positive workplace wellbeing strategies.
To date, the topics I have addressed in my coaching sessions which have directly benefited and informed my work include the following:
- Establishing boundaries and positive work strategies in my role
- Maintaining healthy power dynamics in line management relationships and consciously creating adult to adult working relationships
- Exploring strategies to challenge my unhelpful default behaviour patterns (e.g. people-pleasing, poor work/life boundaries, perfectionism)
- Exploring strategies for dealing with workload overwhelm
- Responding constructively to negativity from a direct report
- Managing the impact on direct reports of organisational and personal wellbeing challenges
EJ, Director of Services for a large UK charity
I found my sessions with Sam incredibly useful, we were able to take a particular issue and make sense of the dynamic with reference to my history. I came away from my sessions feeling replenished and clearer in my thinking and able to apply myself at work far more effectively.
LF, Volunteering Manager
What to expect from executive coaching
During executive coaching, your coach will spend much of their time getting to understand you, learning about your background, history, motivation, and work. this information will help your coach get a picture of who you are and what your goals are.
Working together, you will set goals, discuss ways you can reach your goals, review outcomes, and more to help you reach your goals.
Why choose Brighton and Hove psychotherapy?
At Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy, we offer expert executive coaching designed to help you succeed in your career. Our leadership and executive coach, Sam Jahara, offers her invaluable experience to support you in enhancing your leadership skills, navigating challenges, and unlocking your full potential.
FAQs
How is executive coaching different from mentoring or therapy?
Executive coaching focuses on achieving specific goals and future outcomes, whereas mentoring involves guidance from a mentor’s experience in the same field, and therapy addresses emotional or psychological issues.
How long does executive coaching take?
Executive coaching typically lasts between 3 to 12 months. The duration will depend on the client’s individual goals.
How is progress measured?
Progress is tracked through agreed-upon goals, regular feedback, and measurable outcomes like performance and personal growth.
What challenges can executive coaching help with?
Executive coaching can help with:
- Leadership development
- Communication and conflict resolution within the workplace
- Decision making
- Stress management
- Managing teams
- Taking on more responsibility
What are the benefits of executive coaching?
Executive coaching can offer many benefits to managers and executives in business, such as improved leadership, enhanced communication and emotional intelligence in the workplace, increased confidence, and much more.
Next steps
After an initial ‘fact finding’ consultation, coach and client usually agree to an initial course of 6 to 10 appointments lasting 60-90 minutes each. The frequency can vary from fortnightly to monthly. Periodic reviews and feedback are used to monitor and track the client’s progress. The total duration of the work can last from several sessions to several months or even years, depending on the client’s circumstances, need and the type of coaching work involved.
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Executive coaching, psychotherapy or both?
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