.png)
So I’ve been mentoring with my mentor/coach for 8 months and it finally ended. I made a testimonial video(she asked for one) for her and she emailed back saying how much growth I’ve done and how much I’ve now accomplished. Which is true the mentorship has really helped me! But with the email she also said “you were so dramatic the first couple time we met and now you’re so different, you’re grown so much” my feelings were hurt because we started coaching when I was in a very dark place and I didn’t think when we met I was dramatic, just hurt and grieving lol.
She also knows I have a history of childhood abuse and I guess being told by my mentor that she saw me as dramatic almost made me feel it was my abusive parents speaking to me. there’s been like 2 other times where I felt a little iffy during our conversation but I’ve never had a mentor before. So I’m wondering if this is something normal for a mentor to tell a mentee ?
If you have real trauma you need a mental health professional, with a degree in trauma and not a coach or a mentor. Telling people with trauma that they are dramatic is incredibly unprofessional and damaging.
I'm really sorry you have gone through that. That is totally out of line. Sadly the coaching profession has a history of toxic behaviour like this. I see it is starting to get better, in pockets. That said,I hope you can take the good from the experience with her, and, nurse your hurt feelings, all as grist for the mill. In line with what Queen Collett said, there is definitely a difference between a coach and a mental health professional. It is rare for a coach to have such dual qualifications (though they do exist). Regardless of this, I still think it is out of line for her to minimise your experience by way of calling you 'dramatic', and is wildly insensitive and unnecessary. Congrats on the positives and the completion of your mentorship! onward and upward.