Coaching
Sometimes talking to a partner, friend or colleague isn't enough – that's when it makes sense to find a professional sparring partner.
Identifying the need
Does coaching make sense for you? Here's a question to take with you:
How strong is your desire for change – on a scale from 0 to 10?
If your value is above 5: do you want to – or can you – achieve this change on your own, or would you like professional support along the way? That's where I can come in.
In coaching, I help you determine your position and work with you to develop your own path toward your goal. You walk this path, step by step, and report back along the way. Sometimes a single session is enough; sometimes it takes several stages.
How it can work
You and I arrange a phone or virtual introductory session. In this conversation, you describe your situation and get to know me and my way of working – no obligation, entirely confidential.
Time
The first session usually lasts 90 minutes. Follow-up sessions last 60 minutes. 30-minute sessions are also possible, particularly to reinforce what's been learned.
Location
Coaching sessions take place at my practice in north-east Hamburg – or virtually.
Methods
I like to use elements from solution-focused brief coaching, enriched with techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy. In general, I draw on a wide range of psychological methods and trust the proven mix of “head work” and experiential, body-based methods.
My clients
I have worked as a coach since 2007 and over the years have had the privilege of accompanying many different people:
- Executives at every level
- People moving up in their careers
- People changing career paths
- And people stepping away from their careers altogether
– across the widest range of industries and every age group.
For coaching to truly move you forward, one thing above all has to fit: the working relationship. For a first impression, read on below to see what my clients say about me.
The cost of business coaching is increasingly covered by employers. You're also very welcome to book me as a private client. We clarify the fee over the phone – it is in line with standard market rates.
Business Coaching
I started out as a business coach in 2007, with a clear focus on career-related questions:
- Changing jobs
- Gaining clarity about your role
- Dealing with work-related strain
- Sparring partner for executives
Life Coaching
Over the years, life coaching has become part of my practice as well. More and more often, people find their way to me to work on life topics – as varied as life itself:
- Family planning
- Grief support
- Processing significant life events & reorientation
- Building courage for the future
- Building self-confidence
- Couples & relationship counselling
- Resolving private conflicts
My Coaching Approach
A helpful model from coaching: the Weather Model. It shows what I can influence – and what I cannot. Coaching helps you focus on what can be shaped, rather than spending energy on the uncontrollable.
In my work, I combine solution-focused brief coaching with techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy – pragmatic, resource-oriented, always with your goal in mind.
Where I draw the line
I am a qualified psychologist with many further qualifications – but I am not a psychotherapist, so I cannot bill health insurers, and I do not treat mental illness. If you're unsure, we'll clarify together in our first contact whether working together makes sense. As a rough guideline, feel free to rate your own ability to work and your energy level on a scale of 0 to 10.
What my coaching clients say
For a first impression – a few voices from more than 15 years of coaching practice:
Reason for coaching
“Support during a personal separation process as a second-tier manager in an international company. Support in personally rebuilding with a view to a new role.”
Benefit of the coaching
“Self-reflection: (re-)discovering my own weaknesses and strengths and how to deal with them in a professional context. Support throughout the entire separation process and working through it – with the goal of perceiving and embracing new perspectives. Without the coaching, I could neither have processed this painful separation so well, nor in such a short time.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“A very high level of professionalism on every level. Strong methodological competence and a sensitive use of the most effective methods. Overall, a very structured approach that was nevertheless flexible enough to respond to my changing needs at any time.”
Reason for coaching
“I had a job interview coming up and was looking for a sparring partner to prepare for it optimally.”
Benefit of the coaching
“I had a few worst-case scenarios in my head that had really blocked me beforehand. Thanks to the coaching, these resolved themselves, or at least became manageable. It helped me sharpen my profile, with the result that I sat calmly in my chair and made use of my breathing.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“She put her finger on the wound more than once, showing me that I wouldn't bleed out. She repeatedly gave me space to reflect on my behaviour and untangle the connections. Her feedback helped me a great deal in better assessing the impression I make.”
Reason for coaching
“After increasing stress and pressure at work and sleepless nights, I decided something had to change. That's when the idea of coaching came to me.”
Benefit of the coaching
“With the coach's help, I looked at my daily situation from a different perspective. As a result, I can now set different priorities and think of myself sometimes too. Small changes in everyday life can reduce a lot of stress.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“I always felt very comfortable during the coaching sessions. Thanks to the coach's likeable, honest yet persistent manner, every meeting was a win for me.”
Reason for coaching
“Finding a coach for the Miracle Question. You were the Hamburg recommendation of the “inventors” from Switzerland. Content: no longer getting lost in problems, but experiencing the taste of “arrival” for the first time. How will I really feel once I reach my goal?”
Benefit of the coaching
“I felt great. This “moving toward” experience with the Miracle Question is slowly but steadily transforming my thinking and feeling. Thinking less about problems and instead getting a feel for possible solutions in advance makes life a great deal easier.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“A particularly special point for me was that you wrote everything down, and afterwards I received it very well structured and prepared. I always had the feeling it was about me – never that you wanted to pursue a predetermined path. The chemistry and the level were very good.”
Reason for coaching
“Lack of clarity regarding my own priorities and decisions; considering marketing and PR consulting.”
Benefit of the coaching
“A great deal of clarity about my actual needs – many imagined problems resolved themselves as a result.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“Very attentive, alert and focused. Very open, friendly and empathetic. What I particularly liked, and what made the coaching highly effective for me, was that I was guided toward myself and, through the way I was questioned, found the solution within myself – in just three sessions!”
Reason for coaching
“After a year of parental leave, it was clear to me that I wanted to make a career change.”
Benefit of the coaching
“The three sessions with you helped me enormously to examine my professional interests closely and reposition myself. At first I wanted to become self-employed; over the course of the coaching, a great new job opportunity emerged, which I went through with you and ultimately chose.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“What I found particularly helpful was the visualisation – I never would have thought it, but letting images and symbols emerge and drawing them really accelerated the process.”
Reason for coaching
“In the course of my last two job changes, I increasingly felt dissatisfied and unfulfilled, eventually combined with significant self-doubt and physical symptoms. Was it the employer, or my actual calling? I was completely unsure whether I was still on the right path.”
Benefit of the coaching
“In a short time, with Ms Paas's support, I gained the clarity I needed to take the next steps. I believed in myself again and could create new plans with full energy.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“What's special about coaching with Ms Paas is the wonderful mix of heart, mind and intellect. This experience was unique for me, and I felt perfectly supported. I would book a coaching session with Ms Paas again at any time.”
Reason for coaching
“After my parental leave ended, I had to set a new course. Many options were on the table: going back part-time to my old job, becoming self-employed, or joining my husband's company. I felt overwhelmed making the decision on my own.”
Benefit of the coaching
“The coaching quickly and clearly showed me things I hadn't been aware of before. Even after the coaching ended, I often remember exercises and tools that help me with decisions.”
Ms Paas as a coach
“Ms Paas is clear, direct and to the point. She asks exactly the right questions at the right time. She's also very empathetic – someone I'd happily have a coffee with privately too.”
Ready for the first step?
Let's find out in a no-obligation phone call whether – and how – coaching is the right fit for you.
Get in touch