All six North Star Protocol programs are built on the same ACT framework, follow the same 14-session structure, and work toward the same central question. But each is calibrated for a specific professional context — with language, examples, session content, and values-work designed around the particular pressures and patterns of that audience.
Choosing the right program for a client is not always as straightforward as matching their job title to a program name. This guide gives you the client-matching framework and key questions to ask before making a recommendation.
Start with Context, Not Category
The most useful first question is not what does this person do? It is what is the psychological context in which they operate? A lawyer who primarily experiences their work as high-stakes adversarial pressure will benefit most from the Legal Clarity Protocol. But a lawyer who primarily manages complex relationships and has begun to question the direction of their career may actually benefit more from the Leadership Protocol — because the relevant context is leadership under uncertainty, not legal practice specifically.
"Match the program to the psychological context your client is living in — not just the professional category they belong to."
The Client-Matching Framework
Three Questions to Ask Before Recommending
- What is the primary source of psychological pressure in this person's life right now — and which program addresses that context most directly?
- Is this person ready for a structured 14-session commitment, or do they need something else first? The Protocol works best when a client has a degree of stability and genuine willingness to engage with the process.
- Is there any clinical or crisis-level concern that would make this an inappropriate primary intervention? The Protocol is professional development, not therapy — refer on if clinical support is needed alongside or instead.
When in doubt, the Leadership Protocol is the most broadly applicable — because decision drag, values confusion, and the gap between external success and internal direction show up across virtually every professional context, regardless of industry or role.
The best indicator of the right program is not the client's job title. It is the question they keep coming back to — the one that conventional coaching has not yet given them adequate language for. Find that question, and the right protocol almost always becomes clear.
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