Support Methods
My goal is always to support students where they are.
Coaching is at the heart of everything I do — whether in individual or group sessions — because it gives the student(s) agency to determine the parameters of our engagement: what topics to discuss, challenges to overcome, opportunities to take, solutions to develop, outcomes to achieve. It’s all about them and not at all about my priorities or interests, or anyone else’s. But there are times when mentoring is appropriate because students don’t always have the information they may need to make decisions. If I can provide relevant information and context for them, then I will. There are also opportunities for teaching in support of students because there are subjects about which they know very little; teaching is not likely to occur in sessions, but rather through newsletters, blog posts, and workshops.
Coaching
Coaching is a powerful method of support because it is completely client-centered. This is particularly important for young adults because they — you! — are learning how to stand on their own and the coaching space encourages — actually, requires — them to think about what is important to them and how to achieve their goals. They are the experts of their own lives, even if they don’t have perfect expertise! It’s hard to move beyond the goals and expectations of parents/guardians, peers, and community, and that’s what coaching supports. The agenda is completely set by the client and the coach follows with active listening and thoughtful questioning. In this way, coaching supports the development of self-confidence and self-struct, and the agency to pursue personal and professional satisfaction and potential.
I used coaching tools regularly as a professor to promote critical thinking among my students. The single most important part of my job in the classroom was to encourage young people to think deeply about the world around them and to develop and evaluate evidence-based arguments. Continuing this work as a coach to support them as individuals in directing their own lives is exceptionally meaningful.
Coaching is my primary method of support for young adults. Whether it’s in individual, private sessions or in group sessions, the goal is to provide space for them to recognize and advance their own needs and wants, and the client-centered approach of coaching is the most effective way to engage them in this process.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a critical support tool for young adults as it provides guidance for those who don’t yet have the personal experiences they need to navigate their circumstances. In the context of college and beyond, even students who have parents/guardians who attended college — and particularly those who are first generation students — don’t have much of the information they need to make thoughtful decisions for themselves. It’s important to have someone with knowledge and experience of the college terrain to provide some landmarks and touchstones as they chart their own path.
I’ve mentored hundreds and hundreds of students over the decades as a professor, and I continue to now whenever I can be helpful. In alignment with coaching’s emphasis on the individual and supporting self-confidence and agency, my mentorship involves providing information about the lay of the land — identifying different actors, resources, practices, procedures, and expectations that are part of college life — without advising or instructing. Again, I want to support young people as they make their own decisions.
Mentoring usually arises in individual and group coaching sessions when the client(s) needs some context or clarification. But sometimes the primary focus of a session is mentoring and that’s great. I want to meet students where they are and sometimes that’s information-gathering, not decision-making.
Teaching
Teaching has an important role in supporting young adults as they navigate college and beyond. BUT it’s a very different method of support than coaching or even mentoring as it turns the client-centered approach on its head. Instead of the client setting the agenda and structuring the engagement with their needs, teaching involves an expert instructing others on subjects of their choosing based on their knowledge and expertise. This is not to say that teaching is wholly uni-directional, but the flow of information runs generally in the opposite direction from coaching.
I love teaching! It’s what drew me to graduate school and the academy after college, and it’s what has kept me engaged with young adults and their development for the last 3 decades. The experiences I had and the skills I learned from being in the classroom have led me to create The Confident Undergrad.
While teaching is quite different from coaching, instruction does lend itself to the process of supporting college students. There are topics that will benefit students as they navigate their intellectual, professional, and personal lives on campus and beyond, and sharing my experiences and expertise as a college professor may be valuable. I am creating “classroom” content around some of these subjects. The first is the College Prep Series this summer for rising first year students in the fall 2024.