The Truth About Life Coaching: What You Need to Know The Truth About Life Coaching: What You Need to Know

The Truth About Life Coaching: What You Need to Know

Life coaching is all the rage these days. A quick internet search shows smiling faces boasting about achieving their dreams. Coaches describe themselves as supportive guides to help you envision goals, overcome challenges, and offer encouragement along the way.

With testimonials proclaiming life-changing results, what’s not to love?

Life coaching and related services like health, wellness, and executive coaching generate billions in revenue each year. The number of coaches is growing exponentially. Yet unlike doctors, therapists and even hair stylists, the coaching industry remains completely unregulated.

The Double-Edged Sword of Life Coaching

Make no mistake, coaching can provide tremendous value. Having someone in your corner as you work toward self-improvement is enormously helpful for many people. Coaches help you clarify goals, brainstorm creative solutions, and keep you accountable. Some specialize in specific areas like career development, relationships, nutrition, leadership, or mindfulness.

But when choosing a coach, you’re on your own. Literally anyone can claim expertise regardless of actual qualifications or competency. And that leaves the door wide open for charlatans and scam artists.

Sara learned this the hard way. She struggled with obesity and depression, and came across an ad for a life coach specializing in overeating. Desperate for help, Sara asked about services but balked at the $1500 upfront free. What ensued was weeks of harassment and manipulation from the coach.

While most coaches aren’t so unscrupulous, Sara’s experience highlights the dark underbelly of this unregulated industry.

Do Your Homework

If you’re considering hiring a life coach, the first step is arming yourself with information.

Look for Legitimate Credentials

There’s no standardized criteria, but a reputable training program leading to accreditation is a minimum. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) offers certification programs that leaders in the industry respect.

Relevant education and prior experience in the specialty area makes an even stronger case. For example, a coach focusing on mindfulness practices should have training in meditation, yoga, or mental health. Anything else is dubious.

A tipoff something’s not right? Claims based primarily on overcoming personal challenges. There’s great value in learning from experience. But that alone doesn’t qualify you to charge others for expertise.

Ask Questions, Trust Your Instinct

Any professional coach should clarify what they provide and why it’s recommended. Probe into costs, time commitment, specific techniques used and expected outcomes.

Quality coaches will be transparent about the pros and cons of their services. They should explain how they’ll determine if you need additional help beyond coaching. And refer you to specialized care like medical treatment or therapy if warranted.

Run the other way if you detect any high pressure sales tactics. Pay special attention to language that instills fear or implies terrible things will happen if you don’t sign on. Legitimate practitioners don’t need such tactics.

Interview Multiple Coaches

Speaking to several potential coaches helps you identify the best fit. Compare credentials, years in practice, client results and satisfaction.

Ask how their approach differs from competitors. And what type of clients they don’t accept. Ethical coaches acknowledge when client issues fall outside their scope of practice. They should explain the circumstances when they’d refer you elsewhere for specialized care.

You want someone who sets clear boundaries focused on your best interests – not making a quick buck.

How Coaching Differs from Therapy

Coaching and psychotherapy have considerable overlap in supporting personal growth. But there are also important distinctions in the overall framework and relationship between coach and client.

Coaching Focuses on Future Goals

Coaching typically concentrates on clarity around future ambitions. Sessions involve exploring values, brainstorming solutions to current obstacles and mapping action plans. Homework to implement those plans is essential.

Accountability is integral to success. Your coach facilitates continued progress, overcoming roadblocks and achieving established milestones. But you remain in the driver’s seat.

Greater Personal Responsibility with Coaching

As the client, the work is really up to you. A key tenet of coaching holds that you already have internal wisdom. It’s the coach’s job to draw that out, not impart expertise.

Compared to the therapist/patient dynamic, coaching requires more conscious effort and heavier lifting from you. Responsibility falls more squarely on your shoulders.

There’s another critical distinction. Therapists receive extensive training to identify and treat emotional problems and psychological disorders. Coaches don’t.

Know the Limitations of Coaching

Here’s where things get tricky.

The lines between life struggles and mental health conditions aren’t always clear. Changes in appetite, sleep quality, energy or motivation can result from situational stress. Or signal serious clinical depression.

A qualified mental health practitioner determines appropriate treatment based on a detailed assessment. They know when referral for medication or hospitalization is needed.

Coaches simply lack that specialized expertise.

Additional Training Helps Coaches Recognize Limits

Reputable coaching programs acknowledge these practice limitations. Many are expanding curriculum to help coaches recognize emotional and psychological symptoms requiring treatment. Coursework in psychology, social work and counseling equips them with better diagnostic skills.

Ongoing evaluation of client progress is also key. Indications that coaching is not providing sufficient support include:

  • Inability to establish realistic goals
  • Difficulty self-regulating emotions
  • Failure to follow through on agreed commitments

Referral to a licensed mental health professional is appropriate when deeper intervention is necessary. But coaches not properly trained may miss important signals.

Trustworthy coaches clearly explain if and when they’ll advise seeking therapy or other treatment. Challenge any who imply coaching alone can resolve significant life challenges.

Maintain Clear Boundaries

All helping relationships involve some degree of power imbalance. The advisor inherently has more leverage, especially when you’re in distress seeking their counsel.

It’s possible for even the most ethical practitioner to unconsciously abuse that power. And for clients to become overly-reliant on the advisor. Maintaining clear boundaries minimizes unhealthy attachment.

You should expect focused attention during sessions, plus reasonable availability between meetings. But constant demands on your coach’s time indicates dependence requiring attention.

Seek understanding of any disappointment, frustration or perceived rejection you experience with coaching. Your reactions likely provide important insights about yourself. Discuss these openly with your coach to deepen the work – and your own self-awareness.

If you believe your coach violated ethical standards or professional boundaries, terminate the relationship. Consider reporting the behavior if it’s egregious. Claiming expertise while causing harm is never acceptable.

Hopefully you’ll never endure such an experience. The tips outlined here stack the odds in your favor as you carefully choose an advisor suited to help you achieve your personal best.

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