coaching for creative professionals
what is it?

Having both worked as a performer (actress and singer) and in production and event management in creative industries (film, television, theatre), as well as having worked therapeutically with many people who are making a living out of their creativity, I know that alongside the life experiences that we can all struggle with, there are certain challenges that crop up regularly for those of us who work in those fields.

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I can offer either counselling or therapeutic coaching to help with those challenges, and any others that you might want to talk about.

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You might be burnt out, have fallen out of love with what you do, no longer feel like yourself, be struggling with imposter syndrome or performance anxiety, have become overwhelmed with the pressure of having to meet deadlines and produce your contracted number of albums (or novels or films etc) or continuous social media engagement, are fed up with not having enough resources, have run out of ideas, are feeling the pressure of being in the public eye or are feeling completely disconnected from what you do and are grieving that loss.

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You might need help how to stay healthy when your hours of work mean that you’re pumped with adrenaline at 11pm, or how to cope with being away from home regularly and for long periods of time, and the impact that can have on relationships.

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Or maybe there is one particular project that you just can't seem to get going on…

Here are some of the other areas that I an offer help with:

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• Negative messaging, shame and self criticism, self-doubt about whether you're "good enough".

• Pressure and stress, such as feeling like you have to live to other people's expectations of you or that you have to achieve the impossible. Or it might be other pressures, such as personal or financial.

• Feeling inhibited and restricted.

• Anxiety in many forms, such as performance anxiety.

• Feeling disillusioned, flat or lost.

• We may feel stuck, limited or stifled in some way.

• Perfectionism, fear of making mistakes or failing, and shame.

• Feeling disconnected from ourselves or others.

• An overwhelming need for external validation.

• Procrastination

• Practical issues, such as time and resource management or finances

• Mental and physical health problems in general.

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what is therapeutic coaching?

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It’s a one to one process, tailored to you, in which I aim to offer a nurturing and safe space to help you explore you and your world. ​

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Sometimes you might want to go deep, and at others, you might want to just take it easy and play or just talk. ​

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The sessions can last 60, 90 or 120 minutes each and may be weekly, but as with everything, let's talk about what you need.

Coaching is all about change and taking action to make those changes, and my approach is a blend of coaching and counselling, that's sometimes called "therapeutic coaching". Essentially, this means that it can help you figure out what it is that you want to change in your life (if you don't already know), what's causing those problems, as well as helping you work out how to make the changes you need to make. It's a collaborative approach that is intended to be empowering for you.

​At heart, I'm a counsellor and come into any therapeutic relationship with compassion and a belief that we are equals and the work is team work. I don't have all the answers, but I see my work as helping you find yours.

​I am client led, meaning that I take my cues from you, as I believe this to be the most effective way of working. I treat everyone as an individual, tailoring the work to you and what your specific needs are. This means that we can be flexible, so if you have an idea about what you'd like and you can't see it here then let's talk about it to see if we can come up with a creative solution for you.

​Whilst my coaching approach is forward-focussed, as most coaching is, I believe that sometimes, it's our past that can have an effect on us, our creativity and how we live our lives, so we will work therapeutically with you on that, if needed, and, most importantly, if you want to.

A large part of each session is likely to be us talking, but that may be interspersed with different exercises to help you explore what's going on for you, to shine a light on something that you are struggling with or to give you some ideas about possible solutions. Those exercises might be informed by different approaches that I have experience in, such as creative work, movement, somatic therapy (working with the body), neuroscience and the effect that our nervous system has on us, self compassion and mindfulness among others.

​If using music or art, photography (or whatever your chosen medium is) within our work helps you, then let's do that. Or I might bring in some psycho-education if that feels useful.

​If other more practical skills might be your challenge, then we can look at those too. These might include project or time management, for example.

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​And if there are areas that I can't help you with myself, I'll help you to find someone who can.

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​We can work spontaneously in a very free and exploratory way (hopefully, this will be a fun process at times, as well as a serious one!), and/or we can set goals and work in a more structured way, if that appeals to you, and can explore what you can do to make them happen and what might get in the way.

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​Equally, if there's a particular creative project that you'd like to bring, then we can focus on that.

The bottom line is that I will do my absolute best to give you what you need from our work together and if I can't do it, I'll do my best to help you find someone who can.

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where do the sessions take place?

​Whilst we can do some work online via Zoom, the most creative way of engaging with this work is in person. I have a dedicated room in the centre of Hastings with free parking, so at least some of the sessions would ideally take place there.

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Under certain circumstances, I may be able to travel to you for the sessions. Please feel free to discuss this with me if you are interested, although please be aware that there would be additional costs involved.

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If you have any further questions or would like to arrange an initial phone or video call, please either call me on 07580 102758 and leave a message or email me at juliasbennett@gmail.com

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