Meet our Coach Members
Gudrun Kittel-Thong
Certified Professional Coach (International Coach Academy) 
Master of Education, M.Ed.,
Director of IPC Institute of Psychotherapy and Counselling Ltd.
What led you into coaching?
My professional background is teaching and counselling.
When I came across the coaching approach I was attracted by the focus on developing the strengths of an individual rather than remedying weaknesses and starting in the present.
Who is your typical client?
Individuals in career or personal transitions wanting to re-invent themselves. They have reached a stage where they are ready to 'switch on all the lights'. They are mostly women, aged between mid twenties to mid fifties.
How does coaching in Hong Kong compare with other places where you've coached?
Coaching in HK lets me meet clients from different countries. Their cultural backgrounds influence the sessions: Australians approach coaching differently from German nationals. Japanese clients have a different pace than Americans and Chinese coachees look at life from a perspective that differs from that of a British individual.
Tell us something unique about your coaching style.
I have my own combination of counselling and coaching that I bring into a session depending on the needs of the client. For me both approaches complement each other rather than exclude.
How do you use art therapy in your coaching?
I introduce aspects of art therapy into sessions when, i.e., the client is getting stuck with wanting to solve an issue and falls into a thinking circle with no end or result. Making a sketch or choosing a picture to help express a feeling often 'lightens' the thinking pattern. This in turn supports finding a more detached view of a situation, which can then be dealt with in a much more relaxed way.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Leaving a secure, well-paid job to start my own company. I never regretted this move.
What books do you recommend to clients?
Actually clients show me the books they are reading and recommend them to me. (Wonder what that means?)
What do you do for fun and relaxation?
Paint, swim, read, meet friends, groom my cat (and myself), SKYPE with my sons (19 & 20 yrs)
Contact Gudrun:
Tel: 9043 9914
E-mail: gkittel.thong@gmail.com
Website: www.coachgudrun.com & www.power1.org
