James Stevenson, Life Coach, Business coach, and Positive Psychologist

Darlington, County Durham, DL1

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About me

Hi, I'm James, a life coach, business coach, and a positive psychologist from the UK.

Here are the kinds of goals my clients usually (but not always) get coaching on with me:

starting a new or growing an existing business
build happiness, self-esteem
deeper connection with others, more meaningful relationships
better relationship with yourself
making an impact on the lives of others
respectful assertiveness in relationships
health and food
strengths, values and identity
constructing a practise of wellbeing

I draw on a range of coaching techniques depending on the needs of each client. Some examples include solution-focused coaching, strengths coaching, positive psychology coaching, clean language, and cognitive-behavioural coaching.

I typically use the GROW, T-GROW, and GROWTH coaching psychology models to provide structure to coaching sessions. The level and presence of structure will be dependent on your goal(s) and what we decide together. My area of greatest expertise is wellbeing and wellness: the psychology of happiness and flourishing. I mix coaching and mentoring depending on the goals and preferences of my client.

Generally, I am supportive, warm, and friendly. This provides the foundation for me to put quite a lot of respectful challenge your way. This might include often difficult to hear, feedback, that isn't coming your way from anywhere else. I consider this kind of feedback a vital part of successful coaching.

I take my continued professional development seriously and periodically see a supervisor (group supervision) to ensure the high quality of my work and also support myself. I abide by the EMCC global code of ethics to ensure a high standard of professionalism. I am also a practising associate member of EMCC.

Training, qualifications & experience

My most relevant training is from my MSc in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. This includes 30 credits in coaching psychology (the equivalent of 300 hours training and practise), and 90 credits in Positive Psychology (900 hours of training and practice).

I created and continue to expand WiseGoals.com, a web business that supports people in setting and achieving life goals around 10 years ago. The approach and methodologies used are both research-based and highly practical. These approaches aim to help the, on average, 10,000 clients each month who visit- helping them to set goals, track progress, and celebrate their successes! The website is ranked in the top 0.1% of all websites (in terms of user visits and global internet engagement) and was something I researched, designed, and created all with my own two hands.

My other working experience includes running a youth parliament for Harrow Council, coaching football for the British Football Academy in Tokyo, and around 10 years as a secondary school teacher. My bachelor's degree was in Sport and Exercise Science for which I was awarded a first-class honours degree.