Coaching Toolkit for Child Welfare

Chapter 6: Coaching Models 141

move along the continuum towards

‘hands-off’, the more control and

responsibility are transferred from the

coach to the learner.

~ Parsloe, 1999, p. 15

Experience as a coach will impact the structure of the process.
Obviously, more experienced coaches will be able to access a
broader variety of strategies and techniques as opposed to
inexperienced coaches. Peterson (2011) outlines the levels of
coaching expertise that give some guidance about how to use the
following approaches and models (see Table 6.3).

Table 6.3. Focus of Coaching Sessions by Coach’s Level of Expertise (adapted from
Peterson, 2011)

Coach’s
Level of
Expertise

Characteristics

Novice

 Focuses on immediate tasks.

 Follows clear rules and may have difficulty dealing

with complex coaching issues.

 Benefits from following session models step-by-step.

Advanced
Beginner

 Finds it hard to handle exceptions to ‘normal’

coaching practice issues, even though rules of models

are guidelines and not prescriptions.