“Out of the Head and Into the Body” – Marie Rüdiger on her Experiences with Action-Centred Coaching

Ms Rüdiger, please introduce yourself briefly. What do you do for a living, and in what context do you work with people?

I am an adult educator specialising in lifelong learning and have been working at a university for nine years. In recent years, I have been involved in a project for refugee teachers – that is, adult migrants who wanted to return to their profession. As part of the project, I provided intensive support to this group, taught them and also offered a great deal of advice. For the past year, I have been working in teacher training.

What prompted you to undertake the ‘Action-Centred Coaching’ further training course?

In my previous job, I felt the need to hone my counselling skills. As a trained educator, I was probably already quite good at counselling. But I repeatedly found that I became unsure when more serious topics came up or the counselling suddenly moved to a deeper level. I wanted to have more tools at my disposal and become more confident myself. At the same time, I wanted to reflect on my own approach: how can I best advise and support people in such processes?

I therefore looked into various coaching training programmes – regional and national, shorter and longer, more expensive and more affordable. Then I came across the new coaching further education course at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. I was drawn to the programme not only because of the content and the philosophy behind it, but also because of the practical arrangements: it received recognition as educational leave, wasn’t quite as expensive as other options, and took place right here in the region.

When you think back to the start of the programme: what particularly surprised you or left a lasting impression?

First and foremost, the group! I was naturally curious to find out who I’d be doing this course with. During the first module, we had plenty of time over two days to get to know one another and did lots of practical exercises to help with that. I was impressed by how diverse the group was – with very different career backgrounds and personalities – and yet we were all involved in the field of education in one way or another.

Even back then, I had the feeling that we would learn an incredible amount from one another. And that’s exactly what happened.

I was also impressed by the lecturers. There were four different people who shared various perspectives with us. Whenever similar ideas resurfaced from different angles, it helped me to make particularly strong connections between what I’d learnt.

In your view, what makes Action-Centred Coaching special?

Of course, I’m not familiar with all the other coaching approaches. But when I was looking into various training programmes over two years ago, I tried to work out which one might suit me.

At the information evening for the training course in Potsdam, I was initially impressed and won over by the four different lecturers. I was also particularly drawn to the idea even back then: ‘Out of your head and into your body.’

During the training, I then experienced time and again what that means and how helpful it can be. Instead of just talking about an issue and getting stuck in a whirlwind of thoughts, you actually stand up, for example, take up different positions in the room and check in with yourself: how does this position feel?

I remember an exercise where different points in time were marked on a timeline in the room. It was striking to experience how it really does feel different depending on where you stand. That’s when I realised that this method actually works for me:

A question from one’s own inner world is brought out into the open and worked through there. Subsequently, this experience in turn has an effect on one’s own inner world.

Practical work is a key component of the training. How did you find this form of learning?

The practical exercises were central to my experience. We were coaching each other right from the start. Especially at the beginning, it could sometimes feel overwhelming because we were expected to get straight down to it and were, in a sense, thrown in at the deep end. But I believe that was precisely the intention: to get a feel for it, to try things out, to be allowed to make mistakes and to learn from them.

At the same time, we regularly had the opportunity to go into a coaching session ourselves with a current issue. I found this ongoing support and self-reflection a real luxury. It brought about a great deal of personal growth for me.

I also found the rhythm of the training course very suitable. We met in person for two days roughly every four to eight weeks. Some topics were revisited, whilst new ones were constantly being introduced. Thanks to my educational leave, I was exempt from work and really had the time to immerse myself in the training and these topics. I found that particularly special.

You mentioned that the group played a special role for you. Have you stayed in touch since the course ended?

Yes. It’s the summer break at the moment, so things are a bit quieter, but we’re still in touch. The lovely thing is that a regional network has developed. Almost everyone is from Berlin and Brandenburg. I think that increases the likelihood that we’ll stay in touch in the future.

We already have concrete plans to meet up again and have even organised a venue in Potsdam for this. It’s meant to be a mix of a regular get-together and an alumni group.

Through the mutual coaching sessions, we got to know each other really well. In some cases, we worked through very personal questions and challenges together. That was moving and valuable, and it created a real sense of closeness. At the same time, something like that isn’t always easy, of course, when adults engage with one another deeply and different feelings and needs come into play.

In addition, between the modules we were organised into small peer groups, where we supported one another and shared our experiences. This helped to forge even closer bonds. We kept in regular contact over a period of one and a half years and sometimes met up outside of the programme as well. That was very valuable – but you also have to be prepared to commit to such a process and to open up in this way.

What impact has the further training had on you, both professionally and personally?

I’m currently still writing my final dissertation for the training programme. Some members of our group have since set up their own businesses or are in the process of taking that step. Others are able to integrate coaching directly into their jobs.

That’s not the case for me at the moment, as my job has changed in the meantime. However, I believe that a great deal has changed within me and that I’m taking a lot away from the training, even if that might not be immediately apparent to others.

In the long term, I’d definitely like to move more towards coaching. I’ve also thought about starting out by doing it on a voluntary basis alongside my job. I don’t yet know exactly what will come of it. But thanks to the network I’ve built up and my enthusiasm for the subject, I believe something will definitely develop from it.

What advice would you give to people who are thinking about doing a coaching training course?

I don’t think there’s necessarily just one „right“ coaching training programme. Even if the approaches differ, a longer training programme is always about setting out on a journey and working on yourself. For us, it was very much about our own mindset.

It helped me to really look around first: what courses are available? What interests me? What can I envisage? I’d recommend attending information evenings, reading testimonials and addressing your own questions and uncertainties. I felt that our lecturers and also the Centre for Continuing Education were approachable.

At the same time, you do have to commit to the further education programme at some point. I didn’t fully know beforehand what I’d be experiencing over the next year and a half, and some things took me by surprise. You simply can’t know everything in advance.

But if you’ve been thinking about it for a while and are prepared to invest time, money and energy, I’d recommend really taking that step.

For me personally, the location in Potsdam was also a major advantage. This made it very easy to balance the further training with my family life. I didn’t have any extra costs for travel or accommodation and was able to cycle to the modules. And most of the other participants were also from Berlin and Brandenburg. I see the fact that this has led to the creation of a regional network today as an added bonus.

You can find out more about the content, methods and upcoming dates in the training programme Action-Centred Coaching at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.