Affirmations: A Center for Psychotherapy and Growth, is excited to announce the addition of our newest associate, Marvin Gifford, B.S.A.S., who brings to our office and to the LGBT community a unique service: Career and Workplace Performance Coaching. The goal of this type of coaching is to help YOU to achieve the most fulfillment possible in your professional career. Marvin has provided these services for the past twenty years in Fortune 500 companies to thousands of professional men and women at all levels of management, and now is available to help you make significant changes in your career growth.

Whether you are building on your current position, preparing for your next promotion, or trying to decide just what your career calling is, Marvin has the skills to help you. Career and workplace performance coaching can also help you improve communication with coworkers, supervisors or staff, and can help you get clear about what aspects of your work performance need improvement. Marvin can help you develop and implement a plan of action to create the changes you need to make toward your own personal success in the workplace.

Marvin is uniquely qualified to help members of the LGBT community, even though many other career coaches are in the marketplace. In the LGBT community, even though in truth your sexuality should have nothing to do with your ability to perform your job, it often is something you might be very concerned about. You may not be "out" at work, or may worry that coming out will ruin your advancement possibilities. Or you may be "out", but are seeking career and performance coaching from someone who understands and has experienced your situation. Marvin has the unique capacity to help you consider any of these situations, and you can do it knowing you are free to be yourself with Marvin here at Affirmations.

What specific roles and services will Marvin play in your career development? Marvin will serve as your advocate. Through mentoring, consulting, challenging and offering unbiased feedback, together you will develop a plan to articulate and achieve your ongoing vision and goals. Marvin will keep the focus on you, and help provide the structure of ongoing support and accountability as you take the action steps needed to achieve your goals. Marvin will celebrate your successes with you and provide encouragement and direction when obstacles get in the way.

The format for Career and Workplace Performance Coaching varies, but can be done through regularly scheduled 30 minute sessions, at our office at Affirmations, at a convenient agreed upon location, over the telephone, and with brief contacts and e-mails. The first session or two will focus on getting to know each other and building a working trust with each other. Generally you will be asked to make a three month commitment in the beginning, though you may choose to continue much longer as you experience the benefits.

Your first meeting will be at no charge, in order for you and Marvin to assess the value of a coaching relationship. After that, an individualized development plan will be established. Generally, a three month contract will include six bi-weekly face to face or phone meetings, along with occasional e-mail contact. Depending on the frequency of meetings, the average cost will be $600 for a three month contract.

For more information or to schedule your first meeting with Marvin, contact Affirmations at 614-445-8277, or 800-285-9397.

Your unique experiences, talents, knowledge and personal truths are what will bring value to the workplace and what will bring YOU the most fulfillment in your professional career.

Why Career Coaching?
Advancement minded individuals will chose a Career Coach because they are ready to make significant changes in some part of their career growth: either. Career and workplace performance coaching can involve the improvement of communications with coworkers, supervisors, or staff. Or it can simply be getting clear about what is and is not working for you.

The brave step is to form a plan of action to create change toward your own personal success in the workplace. If you are willing to grow professionally, and there is a gap between where you are and where you want to be, you will benefit from coaching.

Why a GLBT Career Coach?
With today's corporate culture shifts, many people are turning to career coaches to assist in personal career development. In the GLBT community, there's another twist. You may not be "out" at work. You may worry that coming out will ruin your advancement possibilities. Or, you may be "out", but are simply seeking career and performance coaching from someone that understands and has experienced your situation. In truth, your sexuality should have nothing to do with your ability to perform on the job, and many companies now have official statements regarding discrimination in the workplace.

My role as a coach is to be your advocate. Through mentoring, consulting, challenging and offering unbiased feedback you will develop a plan to articulate and achieve your ongoing vision and goals. The focus is on you, the client. I will provide the structure of ongoing support and accountability as you take the action steps to achieve your goals. I celebrate your successes with you and provide encouragement and direction when obstacles get in the way.

What is the Coaching format?
Individual coaching can be done through regularly scheduled sessions at a convenient agreed upon location, over the telephone in 30 minute consultations, and with brief contacts and E-mails. The first session or two will focus on getting to know each other and building a working trust with each other. I will generally ask clients to make a three month commitment in the beginning, though you may chose to continue much longer as you experience the benefits.

Our first meeting will be at no charge, in order for us both to assess the value of a coaching relationship. After that, an individualized development plan will be established. Generally, a three month contract will include six biweekly face to face or phone meetings, along with occasional E-mail contact. Depending on the frequency of meetings, the average cost is $600.00 for a three month contract.

With over twenty years work in Fortune 500 corporations and experience managing and motivating professionals, Marvin brings his life experiences and passions for personal growth in the workplace to Affirmations. Progressive training, research and direct experience have allowed him to coach effective leaders, develop technical resources, build productive teams, and manage projects directed at the development of progressive organizations.

Having passion for what a person does every day is what fuels success and brings the utmost in personal reward at the end of the day. To achieve personal reward in career goals and workplace relationships, Marvin provides support, accountability and honesty to help an individual grow.