FAQ's
Being in a Spirit of preparation
What Is Life Coaching?
Life coaching is intended to help a client reach their potential in terms of who they want to be or what they want to accomplish. There are three core concepts involved in any life coaching process.
Core Concepts of Life Coaching
First, there must be a belief in the capacity for change and a motivation for change on the part of the client. Both the coach and the client must believe that change is possible for anyone who desires it and is willing to work at it. The underlying assumption is that people are creative, resourceful, and growth oriented.
Secondly, development of an increase in the client’s self-awareness is crucial to the life coaching process. This includes being willing to acknowledge one’s current strengths and limitations so that realistic attainable goals may be set for the future. Likewise, increased self-awareness of values and hopes for the future is encouraged.
A third core concept of life coaching is the importance of setting goals, followed by the client’s acceptance of accountability for reaching those goals. All life coaches facilitate the setting of goals by the client. With the coach’s help, a general statement of goals from the client becomes developed into specific measurable goals.
What’s the Goal of Life Coaching and Who Determines the Goal?
The goal of life coaching is to enable a client to reach their potential in any given aspect of their life. While the life coach asks questions to encourage self awareness and thought, the client must decide what it is that they want to be different in their lives. Once the vision of the future is established, the coach works with the client to figure out how to bring about those changes.
What Can Life Coaching Help With?
Life coaching can help with a wide range of future-oriented outcomes. These may be related to the client’s work, relationships, life/work balance, or general contentment.
Specific examples include:
Improved performance at work as seen in greater productivity
Improved work performance in terms of better efficiency
Increased self-confidence
Improved relationships (more cooperation, less conflict, etc.)
Improved communication skills
Better balance of time spent at work vs. at home
Improved time management at home
Improved effectiveness of a working team
Improved physical health and emotional well-being
What & Who Is Life Coaching Not Right For?
Life coaching is not recommended for coping with mental illness, acute distress, or unresolved past issues. It is also not effective for individuals who are resistant to making changes in their lives, or who are seeking support as the primary intervention. Life coaching is not psychotherapy and can not substitute for therapeutic intervention or counseling. It is not a friendship; it is a working relationship.
Life Coaching vs. Psychotherapy
Life coaching is different from psychotherapy in several critical ways. Most importantly, life coaching is not intended to treat any emotional or mental illness. Coaching is aimed at taking a current life situation which is tolerable but less than ideal toward a future outcome which is highly desired.
Psychotherapy often addresses current situations which are not tolerable and causing significant distress. A psychotherapist is educated and experienced in working with individuals who have serious psychological issues.
Issues for which life coaching is not right (is not recommended or suitable) include:
Clinical depression, including Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder
Chronic or acute anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Those with unresolved problems from the past, such as unresolved grief or anger due to past trauma
Serious mental illness, such as Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder
Personality Disorders which include eccentric behaviors (Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal)
Personality Disorders which involve dramatic or erratic behaviors (Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic)
Desire for emotional support without intention of making changes
Need for athletic coaching/training
Those who view their life as “good enough” and feel no need for change
Those who want to be directly told “what to do”
Key Questions to Ask a Life Coach Before Starting Work
Before starting work with a life coach, it is advised that the client interview several coaches to determine qualifications and best fit given the client’s needs. Many coaches will offer a brief initial interview at no charge.
Here are key questions to ask during this initial interview:
What kind of issues do you typically work with?
Do you have any certification?
What type of education or training do you have?
How many years of experience in life coaching do you have?
What is the usual length of sessions that you offer?
What is the usual duration of your coaching relationships with your clients?
Are you available for follow-up to a session, such as a phone or email follow-up?
Do you give assignments, such as writing in a journal or reading?
What is your fee per session, and do you offer any multi-session packages?