I have a small coaching/mentoring practice, focused on offering to other people something I have needed in the hardest phases of my life and was consistently unable to find:
guidance and support from someone who has herself experienced devastating situations from the inside, and who truly has come through.
This is not therapy – I’m not a clinician. Nor is it toxic positivity, wish fulfilment, or the advocating of anything I don’t have the experience of having practised consistently.
Instead it’s the sharing of my experience, and the strength and hope that I’ve found.
(As that experience relates to climbing and grief, I’ve written about it specifically here. There’s more about my story of wider challenges here.)
My practice is also based in the following ‘external’ expertise:
- I’m a trained ‘personal and business’ coach, to PCC-level and a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). This means I’m trained in ethics and boundaries, as well as various coaching techniques.
- For the past five years I’ve mentored women in recovery from addiction and other mental health challenges, including those who have been handling big grief.
- I hold the mental health first aider (MHFA) certificate.
- For eight years I did a monthly shift on an addiction helpline.
- I’m in the process of training to work as a volunteer at the mental health charity MIND, where I’ll be facilitating groups in a drop in centre.
Within my practice I offer 1:1 coaching sessions. I also plan soon to start a weekly 60-minute Zoom group.
If you might be interested in either of those, email me at katejarmstrong[@]gmail.com and we can have an initial 20-minute free conversation to understand where you’re coming from, what you might be looking for, and whether I can help.
PS: I know from my own experience that it can be confusing to know who to trust for help – who is legitimate and who is not. I’m very happy to answer your questions about what I do and how I do it to help you decide.
Finally, here are some client testimonials:
“I’ve had five sessions with Kate and have really benefited from her calm, measured and pragmatic approach to helping me work through professional challenges including leading through uncertainty, personal confidence and creating space for strategic thought and focus. Kate’s ability to draw the threads of our conversation together, provide insightful reflections on patterns of thinking I hadn’t previously recognised and prompts to take practical measures for my own well being have all encouraged me to be more proactive and thoughtful in how I approach working life and put in place a framework for my short and immediate term career aspirations.”
“I really enjoyed my time with Kate – she’s patient and perceptive, a brilliant communicator, and she allows you the space to reach your own understandings. My imposter syndrome seems to have gone. She’s a fantastic person to have on your side!”
Kate Armstrong 