Education
- PGCE and MSc in Education (University of Oxford)
- MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (UEL)
Coaching for young people aged 8–18
Know their strengths.
Grow their confidence.
Shape their future.
Through purposeful, integrative coaching, I help young people develop constructive self-talk, mindful attention and the confidence to take their next step.
Coaching accreditations
- European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) EMCC accredited Practitioner
- VIA Strengths Coach Accredited strengths-based practice
Experience
- 20+ years in international education Teaching, pastoral care and wellbeing
- Professional teacher and student development coach Learning, confidence and independence
Young people today
Understand the difficulty.
Build a way forward.
Every young person brings a different story. These familiar situations show how purposeful coaching can respond to their needs.
Finding their focus
“I sit down to work, then lose an hour.”
Notifications and competing tasks can make it hard to begin—or stay with one thing.
How I can help
- Notice what pulls attention away.
- Practise a brief mindful pause and manageable focus periods.
- Build a routine for returning to the task.
Believing in themselves
“Everyone else seems better than me.”
Comparison, perfectionism and fear of mistakes can leave a capable young person holding back.
How I can help
- Recognise strengths and moments of progress.
- Replace harsh self-talk with believable, helpful cues.
- Build confidence through small, chosen challenges.
Feeling they belong
“I don’t know what to say—or where I fit.”
Friendships, new groups and asking for help can feel daunting, especially during change.
How I can help
- Practise listening and seeing another perspective.
- Rehearse speaking up and expressing needs.
- Choose one manageable conversation or connection to try.
Getting going, their way
“I know I should, but I can’t get going.”
Repeated reminders can create tension when a young person feels stuck or cannot see a purpose.
How I can help
- Connect goals with what matters to them.
- Find out what has helped them start before.
- Create a simple plan they can own and review.
Finding a steadier footing
“One bad result means I’m no good at this.”
Exams, setbacks and high expectations can make it hard to keep perspective and try again.
How I can help
- Name feelings and separate a result from identity.
- Prepare with helpful self-talk and a practical routine.
- Find another route forward, drawing on strengths and support.
Looking ahead with hope
“What if I make the wrong choice?”
School moves, subject choices and a changing world can bring uncertainty about the future.
How I can help
- Explore strengths, values and possible futures.
- Compare choices and try small experiments.
- Practise thoughtful decisions, including how to use AI.
- These are illustrative situations, not client testimonials.
- We agree goals with the young person and review what helps.
- Persistent difficulties affecting daily life may also need school or specialist support.
A little about me
Education is my background.
Helping young people grow is my purpose.
I care about the moment a young person begins to see possibility in themselves—and about helping them turn that possibility into something they can do.
I bring more than twenty years in education, a PGCE and MSc in Education (University of Oxford), and an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (University of East London, UEL). My experience includes St Edward’s School in Oxford, Saudi Aramco and Institut auf dem Rosenberg in Switzerland.
As an Irish-British, multilingual educator who has lived and worked across cultures, I understand how language, identity and belonging shape learning. I listen to the whole person and build on what is already strong.
Read my background & coaching outlook →Building resilience for everyday life.
A UK school study found higher self-reported resilience after SPARK, a 12-session programme drawing on positive psychology. The difference was still present one year later.
438 girls aged 11–13 · One state secondary school
After the programme+0.40
Difference in self-reported resilience
Six months later+0.22
Difference in self-reported resilience
One year later+0.31
Difference in self-reported resilience
How to read this: the bars show differences in resilience from a previous-year comparison group, measured once. Values are standardised effect sizes (Cohen’s d), not percentage gains.
This was an exploratory study without random allocation. It did not measure grades or test the coaching offered here. The findings are encouraging, but cannot predict an individual child’s progress.
Pluess, Boniwell, Hefferon & Tunariu (2017), PLOS ONE · Table 4 ↗A question to try today
What helped you keep going—and how could you use that strength again?
Source: Original reflection and coaching prompt written for Coaching for your Child.
Further reading on the strengths approach: Ryan M. Niemiec, Character Strengths Interventions (2018) ↗.
Purposeful coaching
Listen carefully.
Move forward together.
The young person has a voice in the goals and the pace. We combine strengths work, solution-focused questions and practical tools around a clear purpose.
- 01
Listen
Understand their world, what matters and what they would like to change.
- 02
Discover
Notice strengths, useful exceptions and resources they already have.
- 03
Practise
Choose a small experiment: a self-talk cue, study routine or conversation.
- 04
Reflect
Review what helped, adapt and build the ability to coach themselves.
Coaching goals in everyday life
Small changes.
Meaningful everyday moments.
Feeling heard. Finding confidence. Trying again. We choose goals that matter to your child and work towards them through practical activities, conversation and reflection.
Relationships & communication
More listening. Calmer conversations.
Make room for a young person to explain what feels difficult. Practise listening before offering solutions, then agree one manageable step together. The focus is on building understanding and making conversations about schoolwork more constructive.
A practical focusListen first, name the difficulty and agree a next step.
Confidence & self-belief
Recognise strengths. Find a voice.
Explore interests, strengths and moments when something went well. The young person helps choose the focus, with activities that feel relevant and engaging. Rehearsing a small act of participation can make speaking up a more approachable goal.
A practical focusNotice a strength and choose somewhere to use it.
Resilience & independence
Turn a setback into a next step.
Explore disappointment without letting one result define the whole person. Practise constructive self-talk, reflect on what can change and identify useful support. The aim is a more flexible response to challenges and greater confidence in asking for help.
A practical focusReview what happened and decide what to try next.
Practical habits & enjoyable learning
Create a plan they can own.
Break a demanding task into smaller parts and design a realistic routine around the young person’s life. Try ideas between sessions, notice what helps and adapt the plan together. Curiosity and choice keep learning active and personally meaningful.
A practical focusStart small, try the plan and adjust what needs changing.
For thoughtful parents
A useful place to start.
Choosing support
Tutor or academic coach?
Understand the difference between subject teaching and coaching for learning.
Read the guide →Inside a sessionWhat actually happens in coaching?
Goals, purposeful conversations, practical experiments and regular review.
Read the guide →Positive psychologyBooks and ideas worth exploring
Start with Flourish, Character Strengths Interventions and accessible free resources.
Browse the resources → A thoughtful first step
Let’s talk about
what your child needs.
Your child may need a calmer way to approach school, the courage to speak up, or help finding a first step when everything feels a little too much. We begin with their experience and what matters to your family.
- Feel understood. Space to talk about friendships, expectations and the things that are hard to put into words.
- Find a manageable next step. A practical focus, from getting started on homework to handling a setback or a school move.
- Grow their own inner coach. Helpful self-talk, awareness of their strengths and greater confidence to make decisions.
Where do we begin?
With a complimentary 15–20-minute parent conversation.
- Share what you are noticing.
- Ask the questions on your mind.
- Explore whether coaching feels like a useful next step.
For ages 8–18, the language, activities and parent involvement are adapted to your child’s age and readiness. You do not need to arrive with all the answers.