Coaching is a collaborative partnership, in which the coach supports and empowers someone to overcome personal challenges and reach their full potential.

Coaching is a separate helping profession to therapy, however there are some similarities. Both coaching and talking therapies hold a space for individuals to discuss their worries, problems, relationships and aspirations. However, unlike therapy, which may look into the past to make sense of how a person has arrived at their current feelings and to work through healing the hurt and pain, coaching meets the individual in the here and now and focuses on desirable outcomes for the future.

In coaching, we work together to identify your existing strengths, skills and opportunities for growth, figure out what the obstacles might be and to set attainable goals to help shape your life as you want it to be.

For children and young people, coaching enables them to build the resilience and problem-solving skills to face everyday challenges, as well as big life changes, to fully understand the situation they find themselves in, and to empower them to take control of their situation and shape their experience into what they want it to be.

For parents, coaching can be a really helpful space in which to untangle some of the everyday issues that might be getting in the way of you and your family enjoying the best outcomes from the change you are going through.

Big life changes such as moving to a new home or school, or welcoming a new sibling, can be an exciting opportunity but they can also be somewhat daunting and stressful experiences. Other changes to family structure, such as separation, divorce or remarriage can present new psychological and practical challenges for families.

For young people, the impacts are often felt both emotionally and academically - ideally, these impacts will be largely positive, resulting in emotional stability and academic success for the child, and a harmonious home life for the rest of the family. For parents, a complex set of emotional responses, ranging from worry, guilt, doubt and impatience can also come to the fore. 

A person's capacity to cope with change will play a large part in the outcomes they experience. For some, the transition to a new situation will be short, smooth and successful, resulting in positive adjustment; for others, it might be a longer, bumpier journey. The effects, positive or negative, can influence the whole family dynamic.

The million dollar question!

The change event itself has a specific time frame, for example the day you start a new school. The transition - the process of adapting to the change - has no specific time frame. There are often so many different factors involved, which is why transitions can feel slow and complicated.

Our experience suggests that it is often helpful to think in terms of successes, instead of time, as this offers a more tangible view of how well or otherwise the members of your family are coping. And do expect it to come in waves - that's entirely normal when adapting to a big life change!

Facilitating open and honest communication between you and your child is the single best way to know if your child is struggling - ideally, they will articulate how they are feeling or coping directly to you.

However, where their move might be coinciding with the rollercoaster of adolescence, it is normal for these channels of communication to get a bit muddied!

Keep a close eye on your child for the weeks and months either side of the move or change - any significant shifts in their emotions (e.g. withdrawal, low mood, negativity), behaviour (e.g. outbursts, aggression, disengagement, self-neglect, disruption to sleep patterns) or academic progress can often be a sign of an issue. 

Adapting to any type of change requires patience. It may help to put your own hopes and expectations aside and try to be there for your child in an empathic, non-judgemental manner. Often what they need most is a safe space to express their emotions and to feel heard. 

Being proactive and involved in your child's preparations can be a good bonding opportunity too. Figuring out a new routine and logistics, acquiring necessary equipment and uniform if it's a school move, visiting and familiarising yourselves with the new school or new home location, rehearsing (e.g journey, tying a school tie) can all contribute to a smooth transition.

Young people benefit from a sense of autonomy so get your child involved in some of the decision making: whether it's organising a goodbye party before a relocation, choosing some activities to try in your new location, or helping to name or choose items for a new sibling, create opportunities for them to feel they have some control. 

Sleep your way through the transition! By this, we mean prioritise sleep (for both you and your child) - not getting enough sleep reduces resilience and tolerance significantly!

If you, as a parent/carer, find yourself feeling overwhelmed (this is a big life change for you, too), consider seeking additional support for you and your child. First, turn to your new school or community - communicating your questions and worries to them often leads directly to the answers you need. Also, friends and other parents who have been through, or are going through, something similar can be an excellent sounding board. If you still feel like you need some more support, feel free to get in touch to see if coaching might be a good option for you and your child.

Moving schools and moving house into a new area are two of the biggest life changes that a young person experiences and it can create a lot of uncertainty.

During this time, transition coaching can help people to cope with that uncertainty by working on resilience and building self-confidence, as well as honing practical skills such as decision-making, problem-solving and organisation to enable the young person to experience as smooth a transition as possible.

The transition coach can work with the individual to identify goals and desired outcomes from their move and support them in making these a reality.

(Please note, a school transition coach does not help with choosing a suitable school, with application/registration processes, and does not offer academic tutoring.)

Coaching sessions are usually conducted via Zoom.

The first part of the session will be a review. If this is the first session, we will discuss your situation and scope out the context for your coaching. If this is a follow-on session, we will discuss what was covered in the previous session and identify anything that has arisen in the interim.

We will then work out your goals for the current session before spending the bulk of the time working towards these goals.

At the end of the session, we will recap what has been covered and create a practicable action plan for you. There may be some tasks for you to engage in between sessions in order to implement the plan but that will be entirely down to how much or little you wish to do.

The coach will work in a collaborative partnership with you and/or your child, guiding you through your own process of skills acquisition, mindset crafting and self-discovery so you are equipped to handle the change and to transition successfully, both during and after your transition.

Please join us for your free 30-minute Discovery Session to get to know the Pegasus Coaching approach. We will then help you to choose the right package for you. 

We offer the following coaching packages:

• Standard package: Agreed number of 60-minute 1:1 coaching sessions to suit your needs
• Momentum package: 6 x 60-minute 1:1 coaching sessions over 3 months, plus between-session support
• Deep Dive package: 12 x 60-minute 1:1 sessions over 6 months, plus between-session support
• Group package: 4 x 60-minute group sessions within 3 months

Most people find that the Standard package of an agreed bundle of single sessions (usually between 4-6 sessions) is adequate for the boost they need to handle the challenges arising in their current life transition.

Some people opt for the Momentum package as it is a great way to keep the accountability going before, during and after a transition to ensure you and your child have the best outcomes.

The Deep Dive package is best suited for those aspiring for longer-term personal growth within the context of one major life transition (e.g. separation or overseas relocation) or for those juggling multiple simultaneous transitions. 

The Momentum ad Deep-Dive packages are flexible so you can book your hours in session lengths of 45, 60 or 90 minutes to suit you.

Additional Support:

The Momentum and Deep Dive packages come with additional between-sessions assignments and activities to promote successful transition. Furthermore, these packages include direct email support from Kitty throughout the duration of your 3-month or 6-month package. 

More information:

For more information and pricing of Pegasus Coaching packages, please book your Discovery Session so we can get to know each other and talk through all the details.

Yes, coaching sessions for adults and children are confidential, unless any safeguarding concerns are disclosed. 

That said, children often give us permission to discuss details of our coaching sessions with their parents/carers, which strengthens the three-way partnership between coach, child being coached and their parents/carers, leading to more successful outcomes.

Most coaching sessions are conducted via Zoom. In-person coaching sessions can be arranged on a case-by-case basis, depending on geographical viability. 

(Please note in-person sessions may incur an additional travel charge.)

This will depend upon you and/or your child as every individual responds differently. 

Sometimes a single session is sufficient to unlock a smaller issue or to help with specific decision-making. Usually, 4-6 single sessions in the Standard package is sufficient for most people, however those with longer-term goals may find the Momentum or Deep Dive packages better meet their needs.

The most successful outcomes from coaching occur when there is a three-way partnership between the coach, the young person and their trusted adults.

While the session itself is confidential (with the exception of any safeguarding disclosures), parents/carers will receive a brief report of the key things covered in the session with any details of skills, tasks or strategies to implement, and they will be encouraged to follow up on these ideas at home with their young person. 

Absolutely! We regularly coach adults who require some support through a transition.

In the case of a school move, even if your child is the only one moving, the change impacts the whole family and, as parents/carers, the impact on you is just as significant.

If you are relocating as a family or going through any other change, such as a separation or career change while parenting, the pressures can be huge. As well as the logistical and practical tasks that need to be undertaken, you will be handling your own transition as well as supporting your child through theirs.

Please book your free Discovery Session for more details of how we can support you.

Of course. This takes a slightly different format to the individual packages whereby the first two sessions of the 4 session package will be separate sessions; one with your child and one with you.

This gives us an opportunity to work through the issues that relate to each individual. The remaining two session are joint sessions where common goals will be worked on together.

Yes - group coaching sessions have their benefits, particularly for school age children for whom their peers have an increasingly important role in their lives. The group sessions offer an opportunity for the individuals within the group to benefit from each other's strengths, skills and outlooks, as well as take comfort from the shared experience. 

These sessions are better suited to friends who have shared elements within their transition - for example, they either attend (and are preparing to leave) their current school together or they will be joining their new school together. For those with more specific concerns or goals, an individual package may be better suited.

Coaching is a great option for those with additional needs. Whether their additional needs arise from family circumstances, disability, health or medical concerns, neurodivergence, English being an additional language or cultural differences, coaching offers a safe space to work on social, emotional, cognitive and behavioural skills that will enhance your child's experience of the change to which they are adapting. 

(Please note that coaching is not a replacement for appropriate medical care, physical or psychological therapies or language tuition, however it can be an effective modality alongside such support.)

Kitty holds the following qualifications:

• MSc Psychology of Mental Health and Wellbeing
• IAFPD Certificate in Coaching (approved by the British Psychological Society and the International Society for Coaching Psychology)
• IAFPD Primary Certificate in Developmental and Transition Coaching
• Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE, Secondary Geography) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• Enhanced DBS clearance
• MA Geopolitics
• BA (Hons) Geography

Kitty has a deep-seated academic interest in Psychology and takes a Psychology-informed approach to her coaching practice. She is a member of the British Psychological Society and abides by the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct.

Alongside other coaching methods, Kitty is trained extensively in Cognitive Behavioural Coaching (CBC), and engages in regular Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through the Centre for Coaching and other accredited providers. She is a member of the International Society of Coaching Psychology (ISCP) and the Association for Coaching (AC).

Kitty has been a classroom teacher, Head of Department, Tutor, and Assistant Boarding Houseparent and has supported students and colleagues in boarding and day schools in the UK, Hong Kong and Japan. 

As well as her teaching and coaching experience, Kitty volunteers on a weekly basis for a leading UK-based mental health charity to provide one-to-one support to individuals in crisis, coaching them from their distress to a state of calm.