Coaches for the Game of Life

MORE Magazine
July/August 2003
By Priscilla Grant

Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D., 51, a licensed psychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., who got into coaching five years ago, brings me back to reality. She says change is change, and it's difficult. As much as we say we want to pursue our ideal life, we get scared, or we just don't know how to proceed. "In coaching, I can help high-functioning women take stock of what they've accomplished and construct the kind of personal life and career they want," says Ostrow.

Ellen Ostrow believes all coaches - whatever their previous training - have to be alert for psychological problems that can develop. She adheres to the ethics and standards of her first profession - licensed clinical psychologist - when she does coaching, and has her clients sign a detailed contract, which includes the following statement: "If either of us recognizes that you have a problem that would benefit from psychotherapy, I will refer or direct you to appropriate resources."

Susan Hubele, who lives outside of Calgary, Alberta, found that therapy and coaching serve different purposes when she needed to make a life change. Four years ago, depressed and stressed out about her job at a start-up tech firm, a year of therapy helped her identify her sources of anger - the long hours, the lack of time to pursue her art and be with her family, and the old-boy network that governed her work life. When she concluded that she needed to leave her job, she started regular phone appointments with Ellen Ostrow. Today, Hubele sells her ceramic sculptures through galleries, and does architectural sculptural commissions for homeowners. The therapy helped her face facts about an untenable situation, she says, but the coaching helped her move forward boldly.