Whenever I’ve been asked how my coaching sessions work, I’ve only been able to describe the process. Now I can also show you what it’s like from a client’s perspective.
The following feedback from a client really touched me because it describes not just the outcome, but the entire journey from initial uncertainty to key insights and lasting changes in her daily life.

Published with the client’s kind permission (translatet with DeepL).

At first, I was a bit unsure whether a therapist-client relationship would develop between Ms. Haag and me, one in which I could truly open up. The first session focused mainly on establishing the framework, which I understood. However, it also left me feeling a bit unsettled. Before the first session, I had written Ms. Haag a long message in which I described my challenges in great detail. After sending it, I was already worried whether Ms. Haag would even respond to such an email and whether these were even issues “worth” working on.

Ms. Haag sent me a very detailed and empathetic email in response. I no longer felt so disoriented, uncertain, and helpless. I had found a new sense of direction. This likely led me to develop expectations and ideas that were too clear-cut and lofty, which were somewhat “tempered” during the first session. I thought we would start working on my issues right away and that by the end of the session I would already have gained more clarity or developed the first steps to address my challenges. I became aware of what I had learned in my “systemic counseling training” and was now also frustrated with myself and my expectations. Ms. Haag implemented exactly how a coach should proceed and first established clear parameters. Furthermore, she gave me homework to complete before the next session. I also appreciated that Ms. Haag offered me various session packages and gave me time to decide for myself whether I wanted to work with her or not.

I was always fascinated by Ms. Haag’s ability to carefully analyze everything I wrote and said, sort it into different thematic areas, and then ask me what I felt was important to explore during that session. At first, this line of questioning threw me off, because the thought immediately crossed my mind that everything I say is important for me to work through. At first, I didn’t know what to choose and whether the other topics would still come up. I was afraid that they wouldn’t be addressed and would later resurface in my daily life unresolved, leaving me unsure of how to deal with them. It was the fear of making the wrong decision.

But by the third session, I noticed that it was easier for me to decide. In hindsight, I think this prompt is very helpful in every session. It helped me get my thoughts in order and focus. Furthermore, the other topics were always woven into the “main topic.” Everything was connected. When we worked on one thing, we were simultaneously working on the other topics as well. Looking back, this prompt also helped me decide what I wanted and needed in that moment.

There were sessions where I broke down in tears because I felt I was being treated “unfairly,” got a little angry, and briefly felt an inner resistance, thinking, “That’s not who I am” and “What does Ms. Haag think of me now?” I didn’t want Ms. Haag to categorize me that way, and I felt ashamed because I suddenly realized that Ms. Haag had hit the nail on the head, something I had never seen in myself or didn’t want to acknowledge.

In retrospect, these internal struggles were very significant and important to me. I think this led me to get to know and accept myself better over time. Because pain is sometimes the new beginning that allows us to deal with something differently than before.

There were sessions where I thought, “Today was just a quiet conversation,” and yet something in my behavior changed in the weeks that followed. Sometimes the changes made me feel unsettled. But Ms. Haag helped me make sense of that unease by repeatedly showing me why I might be feeling that way at that moment. I could always understand her explanations, and that made me feel understood.

There were sessions where I briefly felt a bit “caught off guard,” and sessions that stirred me up and allowed me to open up emotionally. Throughout it all, Ms. Haag was by my side as a “guide” and “companion.” She gave me security, trust, confidence, and freedom, and was always clear and consistent.

Now I can reach out whenever an issue comes up in my daily life that I’d like to discuss. I think this is a great approach compared to other therapists, because I get to decide for myself when I need to talk and when I need to take the initiative. Furthermore, the sessions don’t just end after 15 sessions, no matter what’s going on in the client’s life at the time or what might happen later; instead, we taper off until the client is stable enough again. Sometimes it’s simply reassuring to know that we have a kind of “emergency contact” in life to whom we can send an “SOS” at any time. That provides a great deal of security.

The homework assignments were great. At first, I wondered how I would incorporate them into my daily routine. However, this was always possible, and often the assignments were directly related to putting into practice what we had discussed in the previous session. Ms. Haag also left the method of completing the assignments open. Everyone is free to answer them in their own way. I think that’s great, because it allowed me to identify with the material more deeply, engage with it more fully, and really immerse myself in it. For me, the methods were painting and writing.

The session summaries that Ms. Haag wrote for me after each session were very helpful for reflecting on the sessions and for applying the practical strategies we discussed in theory to my daily life. I will continue to keep and file these summaries as a reference. Furthermore, they also allowed me to see how much I had grown. Overall, I am incredibly grateful for these detailed summaries. They always made me feel taken seriously and valued. I never felt like just another number on a list to be checked off.

Thank you so much, Ms. Haag, for everything!