Relationship Coaching Process and Cost
When I start working with a new couple or group in a relationship, I ask for a three-month commitment. This is intended to ensure that we have time to get the groundwork laid, and see some clear shifts using the new tools. After that initial package, coaching can continue month-by-month, or session-by-session.
Before we start a new coaching relationship, we have a conversation — usually by phone — where we talk, do a little coaching (15-20 minutes), and decide if working together feels like a good fit. There is no charge for that conversation.
My Sliding Scale
I do this work on a sliding scale because that feels like the best way for me to stay in integrity with my goal of offering my services to the people who want or need them without regard to resources, while still being able to pay my own bills. I trust you to be in integrity about where you lie in the ranges described. Where you lie may change from month to month. The world is an uncertain and changing place and I believe we all need to be able to adjust in response. That includes if for some period of time you need to drop below the lowest range, although if that’s necessary, please let me know.
The scale is:
$100 — $140 per hour: I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic needs—including food, shelter, transportation, and healthcare.
$70 — $110 per hour: I may stress about meeting my basic needs but regularly achieve them.
$40 — $70 per hour: I often struggle to meet my basic needs and don’t always achieve them.
Pay What You Will: BIPOC folks are invited to pay what they will. (This is one way I can be part of creating reparations.)
Initial Three-Month Package
I ask people to commit to an initial three-month coaching relationship, so we can move through an arc together. That initial package includes:
• One, three-hour Discovery Session (see below),
• Nine hours of coaching, done in six 90-minute coaching sessions, and
• Some email support in between sessions.
The cost for the three-month package can be calculated by deciding on the hourly rate that works for you from the sliding scale, and multiplying it by 10. (The package is discounted from the 12 hours it includes.) You can pay in installments if you need to.
If you want to continue coaching beyond the initial package, payment is on a session-by-session basis at the appropriate hourly rate from my sliding scale above.
What is a Discovery Session?
The Discovery Session is designed to lay groundwork for the rest of the coaching relationship. We will create a foundation together, getting clarity on the goals you have and the kinds of processes that will support you in reaching those goals, and introducing some basic tools we will use to do this work. This session is about three hours long (with at least one break).
I will ask each person in the relationship to respond in writing to some reflection questions prior to the discovery session. I will use those responses to help me plan the session. You should plan on spending at least an hour on those questions. (Some people spend longer, but the answers don’t need to be very long.)
Where Do Sessions Take Place?
While I do much of my individual coaching by phone, relationship coaching needs to be done in person or via Zoom. During this pandemic, I am not seeing people in person. Once it is safe to do so, we can discuss whether you’d prefer to do session at my home office in outer SE Portland (roughly SE 92nd and Johnson Creek Blvd). The closest public transportation is the Flavel Street Max station, which is about a third of a mile from the house, but there is a big hill to climb.
Are All Sessions Done Together?
The initial package is designed to focus on the relationship itself, and those sessions will all be done together. If individuals inside the relationship want individual coaching, that can be done separately at my regular individual coaching rate of $80/hour, as long as both/all people involved in the relationship coaching are comfortable with my also providing individual coaching. (We can talk about the opportunities and challenges of this as part of the design of your particular coaching process.)
Questions? Want to Set Up a Conversation to See If This is a Fit for You?
Please contact me if you have specific questions, or if you would like to set up a time to talk about whether coaching with me is a good fit for you and your relationship.