Final Project
Final Project: Three-Session Coaching Plan
Plan and practice three coaching sessions with one practice client: a composite client from your instructor or a classmate in role-play, using a low-risk goal. Everything is completed on paper. Use initials or composite names only, and never include details about crimes, legal cases, health conditions, or other residents.
Requirements
- A signed (or initialed) coaching agreement that explains coaching, confidentiality and its limits, pause-and-refer, no fee, and the right to end coaching
- Session 1 notes: focus, life balance wheel or values, vision sentence, first action step
- Session 2 notes: follow-up on progress, a completed Goal Plan with action steps and if–then plans
- Session 3 notes: follow-up, handling a setback or adjustment, next steps and support
- The final one-page Goal Plan in the client's own words
- A list of at least six powerful questions you used, marked by Bridge step
- A referral plan: whom you would contact inside and outside the facility if safety, trauma, mental-health, addiction, or re-entry needs came up
- A one-page reflection on your growth, including Scripture and one area you will keep practicing
Timeline
- Module 6: finalize agreement; hold practice Session 1
- Module 7: hold Sessions 2 and 3; complete Goal Plan
- Module 8: submit plan and share one piece in the Coaching Showcase
Grading Rubrics
Grading Rubrics
Every rubric uses the same four levels. Your instructor will mark the level that best matches your work for each row and add a short comment.
Module Assignment Rubric
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | Every required part is done | Most required parts are done | About half the parts are done | Little of the assignment is done |
| Accuracy & Skill | Skills applied correctly with no significant errors | Minor errors that do not affect the result | Several errors that affect the result | Major errors throughout |
| Professional Quality | Neat, clear, and ready for an employer to see | Clear with small issues | Hard to follow in places | Unclear or disorganized |
| Effort & Growth | Went beyond the minimum or clearly improved | Solid, consistent effort | Minimal effort | Little evidence of effort |
Total possible: 16 points.
Reflection Journal Rubric
Journals are graded on effort and reflection, never on spelling, grammar, or the details of a personal story.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completion | Responds fully to every part of the prompt | Responds to most of the prompt | Responds to part of the prompt | Entry missing or one line |
| Connection to Lesson | Clearly applies the week's skill or idea | Mentions the lesson | Vague link to the lesson | No link to the lesson |
| Faith Reflection | Thoughtfully engages the Scripture or faith theme | Engages the faith theme | Brief mention of faith theme | Does not address the faith theme |
| Personal Application | Names a specific next step or change | Names a general next step | Next step is unclear | No next step |
Total possible: 16 points.
Participation Rubric
Scored at the end of each module. Average the eight scores for the Attendance & Participation grade.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance & Punctuality | Present and on time for the full session | Present; late or left early once | Missed part of the session more than once | Absent without make-up work |
| Preparation | Completed assignment and brought workbook every time | Usually prepared | Sometimes prepared | Rarely prepared |
| Engagement | Contributes thoughtfully and draws others in | Contributes regularly | Contributes when asked | Seldom contributes, even when invited |
| Respect & Covenant | Models the classroom covenant for others | Follows the covenant consistently | Needs occasional reminders | Needs frequent reminders |
Total possible: 16 points.
Final Project Rubric: Three-Session Coaching Plan
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | All eight items included | Six or seven items | Four or five items | Three or fewer |
| Coaching Skill | Open, powerful questions; client leads; all five Bridge steps evident | Mostly open questions; most steps evident | Several leading or closed questions | Coach mostly gives advice |
| Goals & Follow-Up | Clear, measurable goal; dated steps; obstacles planned; follow-up shown in each session | Goal mostly clear; some follow-up | Vague goal or little follow-up | No usable goal |
| Boundaries & Safety | Agreement, confidentiality limits, secure notes, and referral plan all strong | Minor gaps | Several gaps | Boundaries missing or unsafe |
| Faith & Reflection | Scripture and prayer woven in respectfully; specific reflection on growth | Clear faith connection and reflection | Brief | Missing |
Total possible: 20 points.
Quick Guide
Coaching Quick Guide
Keep this guide with your important papers after release.
The Bridge Conversation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Focus | What would you like to work on today? What would make this time useful? |
| Explore | What is happening now? What have you tried? What options do you see? |
| Plan | Which option will you choose? What is your first step? |
| Commit | When will you do it? How likely, 1 to 10? What support do you need? |
| Pray | Invite her to pray, or pray together, committing the plan to God. |
Powerful Questions
- ☐ What matters most to you about this?
- ☐ What would success look like?
- ☐ What options do you see?
- ☐ What has worked for you before?
- ☐ What might get in the way, and what will you do then?
- ☐ Who could support you?
- ☐ What do you sense God is leading you toward?
- ☐ What is one step you can take this week?
Pause and Refer
Pause coaching if past trauma, mental-health symptoms, alcohol or drug use, or any danger (suicide, self-harm, threats, abuse) comes up. Inside: go to staff or the chaplain right away. Outside: call 911 in an emergency, or call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, U.S.). Coaches never diagnose, never advise on medication, and never handle a crisis alone.
Clear Goal Checklist
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Specific | Says clearly what she will do |
| Measurable | She can tell when it's done |
| Achievable | Possible with her time, resources, and rules |
| Relevant | Connected to her values and vision |
| Time-bound | Has a date |
Coaching Agreement Checklist
- ☐ What coaching is and is not
- ☐ How often, how long, how many sessions
- ☐ Client chooses topics and decides actions
- ☐ Confidentiality and its limits
- ☐ Pause and refer for safety, trauma, mental health, or addiction
- ☐ Either person may end coaching
- ☐ No fee (lay ministry); initials and date
After a Setback
- ☐ Name what happened without shame
- ☐ Notice what was learned
- ☐ Adjust the goal or steps
- ☐ Choose one next step
Who to Refer To
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Case manager / re-entry coordinator | Housing programs, documents, benefits, release plans |
| Supervision officer | What conditions allow |
| Legal aid / attorney | Custody, court, record-clearing |
| Licensed counselor / treatment provider | Trauma, mental health, addiction |
Session Notes Template
Date: __________ Client initials: ______ Session #: ____
Focus: ____________________________________________
Action steps and due dates: ___________________________
Commitment (1–10): ____ Follow-up date: __________ Referral made: ______
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.— Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
Final Exam
- 1.
Christian life coaching is mainly:
- 2.
Which person shares wisdom from her own experience?
- 3.
If a client mentions thoughts of suicide outside a facility, the coach should help her reach:
- 4.
Proverbs 16:9 teaches that:
- 5.
“If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” is from:
- 6.
Which is a powerful question?
- 7.
The five Bridge Conversation steps are:
- 8.
A life balance wheel helps a client:
- 9.
A clear goal is:
- 10.
An if–then plan prepares for:
- 11.
A coaching agreement should include:
- 12.
Session notes inside a facility should use:
- 13.
Questions about supervision conditions should go to the:
- 14.
A good group coaching ground rule is:
- 15.
Coaching is a form of therapy.
- 16.
A lay coach should ask permission before praying with a client.
- 17.
A coach may promise a client total secrecy no matter what.
- 18.
After a setback, a coach helps the client adjust the plan and choose a next step.
- 19.
Explain the difference between coaching and counseling or therapy, and name two situations that require referral.
- 20.
How does Galatians 6:2 apply to Christian life coaching?