Learning Outcomes

By the end of this knowledge check, you should be able to:

• Discriminate between the six coaching frameworks covered in Module 2 (GROW, MI, CBC, SFBC, AI, Values-Based, Narrative).
• Select the most appropriate framework for a given client scenario.
• Justify your framework choice based on the client's language, presenting problem, and readiness for change.

Module 2: Framework Knowledge Check

This knowledge check contains 15 scenario-based questions covering all six coaching frameworks from Module 2. Questions are a mix of multiple choice and short answer. Complete all questions, then check your answers at the end.

Questions

Question 1 (Multiple Choice)

A client says: "I know I should exercise more, but I keep finding excuses. Part of me wants to change and part of me does not. I have been going back and forth for months."

Which framework would you start with, and why?

A) GROW — The client needs a clear goal and action plan. B) Motivational Interviewing — The client is ambivalent and stuck in contemplation. C) CBC — The client needs to examine the thoughts behind the excuses. D) SFBC — The client needs to imagine what life would be like if they exercised.

Question 2 (Short Answer)

A client says: "I am just not a public speaker. Every time I have to present, my mind goes blank. I have always been this way."

Identify the cognitive distortion(s) at play. Which framework would you use, and what might your first intervention be?

Question 3 (Multiple Choice)

A client who recently started therapy for depression tells you: "My therapist says I am making great progress. I would like to work with you on building a daily routine that supports my recovery."

What is the most ethically appropriate response?

A) Begin coaching immediately using GROW to structure the routine-building. B) Decline coaching because the client has a clinical condition. C) Confirm with the client and their therapist that coaching is appropriate as an adjunct, then proceed with scope-appropriate work. D) Use CBC to address the thinking patterns related to depression.

Question 4 (Short Answer)

A team leader says: "My team is demoralized. We missed our targets last quarter, and everyone is focused on what went wrong. I want to shift the energy."

Which framework would be most effective for this situation, and what would your first question be?

Question 5 (Multiple Choice)

A client says: "I have achieved everything I thought I wanted — the corner office, the big salary, the nice car. And I feel empty. I do not know what is wrong with me."

Which framework is most appropriate for this client?

A) GROW — Help them set a new goal. B) SFBC — Ask the Miracle Question. C) Values-Based Coaching — Explore values alignment. D) CBC — Identify distorted thoughts about success.

Question 6 (Short Answer)

A client says: "Everyone in my department thinks I am incompetent. I know it because I can feel them watching me."

Identify the cognitive distortion(s). How would you respond as a coach?

Question 7 (Multiple Choice)

A client says: "I want to change careers, but I have no idea what I want to do. I feel lost."

Which framework is best suited for this exploratory, open-ended situation?

A) GROW — The client needs a goal. Push for specificity. B) Appreciative Inquiry — Discover peak experiences to surface what energizes the client. C) Narrative Coaching — Explore the "lost" story and find unique outcomes. D) Both B and C are valid starting points.

Question 8 (Short Answer)

A client enrolled in a 12-session coaching program. In Session 3, they spend the first 15 minutes describing in detail everything that is going wrong at work. You notice they are cycling through the same examples without new insight.

How would you redirect this session using an SFBC approach?

Question 9 (Multiple Choice)

A client says: "I was promoted six months ago, and I feel like a fraud. Any day now, everyone will realize I do not belong here."

This client is experiencing imposter syndrome. Which combination of frameworks might be most effective?

A) GROW + Values-Based B) CBC (to address the cognitive distortion) + Narrative (to re-author the identity story) C) SFBC + MI D) AI alone

Question 10 (Short Answer)

A client says: "I need to decide whether to accept a job offer in another city. On paper, it is better, but I feel torn."

Which framework(s) would you use to help them explore this decision? What is your first question?

Question 11 (Multiple Choice)

A client says: "I just do not do the things I say I am going to do. I set goals, I make plans, and then I do not follow through. I feel like I cannot trust myself."

Which framework would help this client most directly address the pattern of non-completion?

A) MI — Explore ambivalence about the goals themselves. B) CBC — Examine the thoughts that arise when it is time to act. C) GROW — Strengthen the Will stage with stronger accountability. D) All of the above could be relevant depending on deeper exploration.

Question 12 (Short Answer)

A client in a coaching session says: "I have been trying to meditate daily for three months. I managed to do it for one week, then stopped. I have started and stopped four times. I am such a failure at this."

How would an externalizing (narrative) coach respond?

Question 13 (Multiple Choice)

During a GROW session, a client sets a goal of "being happier." The coach asks them to make it SMART, and the client becomes frustrated: "I do not want to break happiness into a spreadsheet. That is not how life works."

What is the best coaching response?

A) Insist that GROW requires SMART goals. "Let us try again." B) Abandon GROW and switch to a different framework. C) Explore the resistance: "Tell me what matters to you about happiness that feels hard to define." D) Move to Reality and skip the SMART refinement.

Question 14 (Short Answer)

A client who is a new mother says: "I value both career and family, but I feel like I am failing at both. I cannot give 100% to work and 100% to my baby at the same time."

Which framework(s) could help this client? Provide at least one specific question you would ask.

Question 15 (Multiple Choice)

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between coaching frameworks?

A) Coaches should master one framework and use it exclusively for consistency. B) Frameworks are interchangeable — pick one at random for each session. C) Effective coaches learn multiple frameworks and select based on the client's presenting situation, stage of change, and preferred working style. D) Frameworks are only useful for ICF-credentialed coaches.

Answer Key

Answer 1

B) Motivational Interviewing. The client is in Contemplation — aware of the need for change but ambivalent. Pushing for a goal (GROW) or solution (SFBC) would likely increase resistance. MI meets the client where they are and explores the ambivalence.

Answer 2

Cognitive distortions: Labeling ("I am not a public speaker"), Overgeneralization ("every time"), Fortune-telling ("my mind goes blank"). Framework: CBC — use a thought record to examine the automatic thought and find evidence that contradicts it. For example: "Has there ever been a time when you gave a presentation that went better than expected? What was different about that time?"

Answer 3

C) Confirm with the client and their therapist that coaching is appropriate, then proceed with scope-appropriate work (building routines). Coaching can coexist with therapy when boundaries are clear. CBC would be inappropriate here because the client has depression.

Answer 4

Appreciative Inquiry is the best fit. The team is stuck in a deficit narrative. First question: "Tell me about a time when this team was at its best. What made that possible?" This shifts focus to strengths and peak experiences.

Answer 5

C) Values-Based Coaching. This is a classic values misalignment presentation. The client achieved external goals that do not align with their core values. GROW would miss the underlying issue.

Answer 6

Cognitive distortions: Mind-reading ("everyone thinks I am incompetent"), Emotional reasoning ("I feel them watching me"). Coach response: "Let us separate what you know for certain from what you are assuming. What evidence do you have that they think you are incompetent? Is there another possible explanation for their behavior?"

Answer 7

D) Both B and C are valid starting points. The client is in an exploratory, open-ended space. AI helps surface what energizes them (Discover/Dream). Narrative coaching helps deconstruct the "lost" story and find alternative narratives.

Answer 8

Use the Miracle Question to shift the focus from problem to solution: "If a miracle happened tonight and all these work problems were resolved, what would be the first small sign you noticed tomorrow morning?" Then scale: "Where are you relative to that miracle today?" And find exceptions: "When is the problem slightly less intense?"

Answer 9

B) CBC + Narrative. CBC helps the client identify and challenge the cognitive distortion (imposter syndrome = disqualifying the positive + mind-reading). Narrative coaching helps them re-author their identity from "fraud" to "someone who earned their promotion and is still learning."

Answer 10

Several frameworks could work:

• GROW: "What would the ideal outcome of this decision look like?"
• Values-Based: "What values are in conflict here? Which one matters more to you?"
• Decision matrix (CBC): "What are the pros and cons of each option? What fears are driving each side?"

Answer 11

D) All of the above could be relevant. MI could explore whether the client truly wants the goals they set. CBC could uncover the thoughts that arise at the moment of action. GROW could strengthen the Will stage. The best coach would explore first, then choose.

Answer 12

Externalized response: "It sounds like 'giving up' has been showing up whenever you get about a week into a new habit. Let us talk about that pattern as something outside of you. When does 'giving up' usually arrive? What does it say to you? And when have you been able to extend past the one-week mark?"

Answer 13

C) Explore the resistance. The client is giving the coach important feedback. GROW is a tool, not a straitjacket. "Happiness" as a goal may need unpacking — and the client's frustration may point to a values-based concern rather than a poorly-defined goal.

Answer 14

Values-Based Coaching is the primary framework. Questions:

• "You clearly value both career and family deeply. What would it look like to define success differently — not as 100% to both, but as 'enough' to both?"
• SFBC also works: "If you woke up tomorrow and this conflict felt manageable, what would be different?"
• CBC could help: "What thoughts arise when you say you are 'failing' at both? Are those thoughts fully accurate?"

Answer 15

C) Effective coaches learn multiple frameworks and select based on the client's presenting situation, stage of change, and preferred working style. Framework fluency gives the coach flexibility; framework rigidity limits their effectiveness.

Scoring Guide

Assignment

1. Review any questions you got wrong. Re-read the corresponding lesson(s) before moving on to the next module.
2. For each question you answered correctly, reflect on a client scenario (real or hypothetical) where you would apply that framework.
3. Share your answers with a peer coaching partner and discuss any questions where you had different responses. Peer discussion deepens framework fluency.

Knowledge Check

• Which frameworks did you feel most confident with? Least confident?
• What pattern(s) did you notice in your incorrect answers?
• How will you continue to build fluency across all six frameworks in your coaching practice?