Your First Six Coaching Sessions Universal Track
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Session Planner
Choose Your First Session Type
Select the option that best matches your client's presenting situation. Each option uses universally recognised coaching tools — no specialist certification required.
Select a session type above
Click any card to open the full session planner.
Goal-Setting Session
Primary Tool: GROW Model (Goal · Reality · Options · Will)
| Time | Stage | Description | Your Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
0–10 | Welcome & Rapport | Welcome, explain process. What would make today a success? | |
10–20 | G — Goal | Session goal and bigger life/work goal. What will having that give you? | |
20–32 | R — Reality | What's happening right now? What have you tried? What do you know to be true? | |
32–50 | O — Options | Generate options freely — quantity before quality. Include the impossible. | |
50–60 | W — Will & Close | Which option? What will you do and by when? Commitment score. |
Key Coaching Questions
What do you most want to achieve in your life or work right now?
How will you know when you have achieved this?
What are all the options available to you — including the ones that feel out of reach?
On a scale of 1–10, how committed are you? What would make it a 10?
MCA-certified coaches use the Well-Formed Outcomes (WFO) process — a precision goal-setting framework from NLP that goes significantly further than GROW, ensuring goals are positive, ecological, sensory-specific and deeply owned. To explore MCA's goal coaching frameworks:
Problem-Solving Session
Primary Tool: CLEAR Model (Contract · Listen · Explore · Action · Review)
| Time | Stage | Description | Your Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
0–10 | C — Contract | What do you most want from today? What would make this a valuable hour? | |
10–25 | L — Listen | Tell me what's happening. Deep active listening — no fixing yet. | |
25–45 | E — Explore | Broaden thinking. What else is true? What are you assuming? Different perspectives? | |
45–55 | A — Action | What is the smallest meaningful step you could take in the next 24 hours? | |
55–60 | R — Review | What has shifted? What are you taking away? What did you learn about yourself? |
Key Coaching Questions
Tell me what is happening — from the beginning, in your own words.
What are you making this situation mean about yourself or your future?
What is a perspective on this you haven't fully considered yet?
What is the smallest meaningful step you could take in the next 24 hours?
MCA coaches use outcome-based questioning frameworks alongside CLEAR to shift clients from problem-focus to outcome-focus with precision, and are trained in Emotional Frequency coaching to work with the habitual emotional states driving client responses.
Life Assessment Session
Primary Tool: Wheel of Life
| Time | Stage | Description | Your Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
0–10 | Welcome & Overview | Introduce the Wheel. Measures satisfaction, not achievement. | |
10–25 | Wheel Completion | Score and shade each area. Quick and intuitive. | |
25–42 | Reflection & Exploration | What do you notice? How would it feel to ride this wheel? | |
42–54 | Focus Area Selection | The one area that, if improved, creates the greatest ripple effect. | |
54–60 | Initial Direction & Close | What would a 10/10 in this area look and feel like? Set reflection task. |
Key Coaching Questions
Looking at this wheel — what do you see?
Which area, if you're honest, has been neglected the longest?
Which area feels like your highest-leverage point — where focusing here would move everything?
The Mindset Dimensions Report measures a client's Values, Beliefs, Communication Style, Behavioural Preferences, Emotional Frequency and Self-Talk across all eight life areas — giving coaches a significantly richer and more precise picture than the Wheel of Life alone.
Values in Context Session
Primary Tool: Context-specific values elicitation (anchored to Wheel of Life focus area)
| Time | Stage | Description | Your Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
0–10 | Welcome & Anchor | Confirm the focus area. In your [area] — what matters most to you there? | |
10–28 | Values Elicitation | In the context of [area], what is most important to you? What else? (Repeat) | |
28–42 | Exploring & Ranking | Explore the felt experience of each value. Which is most essential? Most missing? | |
42–54 | Alignment Check | Where are values honoured? Where is there a gap? What is the cost? | |
54–60 | Goal Enrichment & Close | Given your values here — what does your goal need to reflect? |
Key Coaching Questions
In the context of your [focus area] — what is most important to you?
When you're at your best in this area — what is present?
Which of these values feels most missing or unexpressed right now?
If this area fully reflected what matters most to you — what would be different?
The Mindset Dimensions Report measures a client's values across all eight life areas simultaneously, giving coaches rich data to anchor and deepen values conversations. MCA also offers a specialist Values and Identity coaching framework as part of its certified programs.
Obstacle & Pattern Mapping
Primary Tool: Reflective questioning + pattern awareness
| Time | Stage | Description | Your Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
0–10 | Opening | What pattern keeps showing up? What do you most want to change? | |
10–28 | Pattern Clarification | When? What triggers it? What happens in thinking, feeling, behaviour? | |
28–45 | Exploring the Pattern | What do you believe when this is running? What is it protecting you from? | |
45–55 | Naming & Reframing | Name the pattern. If it were a habit not an identity — what becomes possible? | |
55–60 | Awareness Task & Close | Observe when the pattern shows up this week. Without judgment. Just notice. |
Key Coaching Questions
What pattern keeps showing up no matter what you try?
What do you tell yourself when this pattern is running?
What do you think this pattern is protecting you from?
If this were a habit rather than who you are — what would change?
MCA-certified coaches use the Mindset Dimensions Report to identify specific belief patterns (Self-Efficacy, Helplessness, Hopelessness, Worthiness) and the DILTS Neurological Levels to pinpoint exactly where a pattern is operating — behaviour, belief or identity level. This precision dramatically increases the effectiveness of obstacle and pattern work.
Strengths & Vision Session
Primary Tool: Strengths-based coaching + future visioning
| Time | Stage | Description | Your Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
0–12 | Welcome & Opening | Tell me about a time you were at your very best. What was happening? | |
12–28 | Strengths Mapping | Explore 2–3 peak moments. What strengths were you drawing on? | |
28–42 | Strengths Inventory | Compile the personal strengths inventory. What are the consistent qualities? | |
42–55 | Future Visioning | Step into ideal future. Present tense. What do you see, hear, feel? | |
55–60 | Connect & Close | You already have what it takes. Set reflection task and close warmly. |
Key Coaching Questions
Tell me about a time you were operating at your absolute best. What was happening?
What strengths made that possible? What does it tell you about who you are at your best?
Step into your ideal future. Describe it in present tense — what do you see, hear, feel?
MCA's specialist frameworks include Identity Coaching, Mindset Dimensions profiling and future-pacing techniques drawn from NLP and clinical hypnotherapy — all of which significantly deepen strengths and vision work.
The Flexible 6-Session Pathway
Universal approach — Wheel of Life → GROW → Values in Context → Obstacle Mapping → Momentum → Integration
Discovery & Orientation
Wheel of LifeGoal Clarity
GROW ModelMCA's Well-Formed Outcomes (WFO) process goes significantly beyond GROW — creating goals that are positive, ecological, sensory-specific and deeply motivating. Learn more at mindsetcoachacademy.com
Values in Context
Context-specific values elicitation — anchored to Wheel of Life focus areaThe Mindset Dimensions Report measures values across all eight life areas. MCA also offers specialist Values and Identity coaching frameworks. mindsetdimensions.com · mindsetcoachacademy.com
Obstacle & Pattern Mapping
Reflective questioning + pattern awarenessMCA coaches use the Mindset Dimensions Report and DILTS Neurological Levels to identify belief patterns with precision and pinpoint their level of operation. mindsetcoachacademy.com · mindsetdimensions.com
Momentum & Accountability
Behaviour and habit tools + accountability structuresMCA offers specialist Habit Coaching, Behaviour Change and Emotional Frequency frameworks — helping clients understand the mindset and emotional patterns driving their behaviour. mindsetcoachacademy.com
Integration & Forward Planning
All frameworks — reviewed, integrated and forward-pacedMCA-certified coaches can take clients significantly deeper from Session 7 onwards using specialist frameworks for Belief Change, Values Integration, Identity Coaching, Emotional Frequency, Self-Sabotage, Timeline Therapy™ and Hypnotherapy.
Coaching Notes
A private space for reflections, patterns and observations across the entire engagement.
Recurring Themes
Patterns showing up across multiple sessions
Pivotal Moments
Breakthroughs worth recording
Obstacles Log
Patterns and obstacles to carry forward
Your Coaching Reflections
Reflections on your own presence and approach
Questions to Hold
Powerful questions to revisit in future sessions
Professional Development
Skills and areas to develop in your own practice
Free Notes
Anything that doesn't fit elsewhere
Mindset Coach Academy offers professional coaching certifications that equip you with specialist frameworks for Goals, Values, Beliefs, Habits, Emotions, Identity, Self-Sabotage, Communication Style and more — going far beyond the universal tools in this guide.