Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers the most common questions about working with Claudia Clayton, an ICF Master Certified Coach based in Cape Town, South Africa. Find out about session format, coaching approach, online and in-person options, assessment tools, credentials and how to get started. Claudia works with clients locally and internationally via Zoom.
“ Claudia does her work with a deep sense of integrity and authenticity. She is an empathetic guide who creates a supportive space for self-exploration, while equipping you with tools for a more resilient and resourceful human experience.”
How do I know you’re a credible coach?
I'm a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) — the highest credential the ICF awards, held by fewer than 4% of coaches worldwide. The ICF is the world's largest and most recognised organisation for professionally trained coaches, setting the gold standard through core competencies, a strict code of ethics, and globally recognised credentialing programmes. You can verify my credentials directly on the ICF website.
What’s an MCC coach?
See above!
How many sessions does it ‘take’?
Generally around 8 sessions for you to start gaining the clarity you want or start seeing meaningful change in your day-to-day life. Of course this can vary. It all depends on what you’re looking to achieve and how you like to work. Even a single session can be extremely powerful.
Usually 1-hour, but 30-minute, 45-minute or 1.5-hour sessions are also possible.
how long is each session?
Where are you based?
I'm based in Noordhoek, Cape Town, South Africa, and see local clients in person from my home office. I also work online with clients across the UK, US, Europe, and internationally — so wherever you are in the world, we can work together via Zoom.
I work online with clients globally and also see clients in person from my home office in Noordhoek, Cape Town. Online or in person, always in-depth.
Online or in person?
It depends on you. I find online can be extremely focused and it’s definitely more efficient. Some people feel more comfortable online, whereas others want that in-person connect. However we work, it’s my job to create a safe and comfortable space where we connect and relate in a way that serves your growth process.
Which is better, online or in-person?
Yes, I will travel to meet clients at their offices, especially when I’m working with a team.
do you travel to clients?
Do you work with any assessment or profile tools?
Where helpful, I work with assessments and frameworks such as 360 assessments, the Enneagram, and others you may have done yourself or had done at work.
What’s your coaching approach?
My core approach is Ontological Coaching. Most people ask, "What does ontological actually mean?" Ontology is the study of the nature of existence. In coaching terms, this means looking closely at your way of being — your language, emotions and body — all the aspects of what it is to be human. These aspects shape who you are and the kind of future you create for yourself.
Ontological coaching develops deep awareness of how you listen and speak, what's happening for you emotionally, and how your perceptions and behaviours manifest physically. These dimensions of your way of being influence how you're perceived by others — and more importantly, how you perceive yourself, your place in the world, and your potential.
What I love about this approach is that it goes deeper than goal-based strategies. Rather than telling you what to do, it helps you shift unhelpful patterns at a core level, developing your capacity to see new perspectives and possibilities. You become your own best resource — able to work towards goals in any area of your life, long after our work together ends.
Ontological coaching is widely regarded as the gold standard of coaching and sits at the cutting edge of coaching practice globally. The approach is straightforward. The results can be profound.
“It was great working with Claudia, she was able to adapt on the fly based on what had been happening most recently and tailor each session. Very impressive ability to deal with what was in front of her.”
additional methodologies and frameworks
I’m geeky about understanding how people grow and and change and I never stop learning about ways to help my clients see things differently and start practicing a new way of being. Some complimentary approaches and frameworks that might get threaded into our process include presence-based leadership work, the Adult Development Framework (Identity Maturation Framework), the Cynefin Framework, somatic awareness, the Enneagram, and Nancy Kline’s Time to Think® methodology.
“I can’t even begin to explain to you the many “shifts” I experienced in my coaching sessions with Claudia.”