Life Coaching
Understanding the Work of a Life Coach
While pursuing the path of a life coach may be a trending career choice, many don’t fully understand what a life coach does. How does a life coach differ from a counsellor, psychologist, or an influencer?
A social influencer is an individual who has earned their popularity based on wealth or an outstanding performance of some sort. Whatever it is, they have gained the trust and respect of an audience who they are now able to influence… A life coach may be a social influencer. But not all social influencers are life coaches.
The counselor, life coach and psychologist study human behavior and work with clients to improve their functioning, … But the psychologist’s role or duty emphasizes research, interviews assessments and the use of a medical model … and the approach is geared at the identification of a disorder… So… you have a disorder that is not yet diagnosed… the psychologist will research, conduct interviews, etc.… to identify the disorder.
While it is the psychologist’s responsibility to search for the problem… the disorder or issue … the counselor’s client knows their problem … presents the problem to the counselor who examines the past to identify a solution. The counselor … like the psychologists … must categorize the problem according to a list of diagnostic labels as this is required both by the health sector and the insurance company.
The life coach is more goal oriented. You have a goal …. The life coach, with the use of structured exercises, tools and equipment helps you create the steps to achieve the goal. A big portion of a life coach’s duty is assisting their client create a new life path so they look their best, feel their best and perform their best. Most effective life coaches are therefore holistic and psycho-spiritual in nature. Every new life path that must be created demands different thoughts, beliefs and thinking process. Thoughts, beliefs and thinking processes are immaterial or metaphysical; hence we refer to them as spiritual. The life coach does not assign diagnostic labels.
Life Coaching……….
So here it is in a nutshell… psychologist, counselor and life coach have different starting points and approach. For the psychologist … you have an undiagnosed problem – emotional, mental, or behavioral issue. The psychologist must search and search until they find out what the problem is. … For the counselor … you have a known problem. The counselor must identify a diagnostic label for your problem and help you heal from the hurt caused by the problem. For the life coach, you have a destination, or a goal and the life coach must use structured and deliberate steps to get you where you want to go. Your holistic life coach focuses on you looking your best, feeling your best and performing your best.
While a certified life coach employs many of the fundamental and leading philosophical thoughts, psychological theories, and counselling techniques, the life coach is rather unique in that they are teachers. But life coaches do differ from the teachers noted in the educational system. In the educational system, it is the expectation that you learn knowledge that you may never use during your lifetime. And you may spend days, weeks, and even months learning the irrelevant knowledge. A life coach teaches you only what you need to know to achieve your desired goal.
Teaching and Learning – Life Coaching
A Life coach tailors their teaching-learning experience to their clients’ needs. And while this is true for one-to-one coaching, the concept extends to group coaching as well. Life coaching is all about satisfying the needs of clients or the needs of the group. A group that has been formed to carry out a specific project may discover that the tools (that is, the required information, attitude, and motivation) for the group to realize its goal is absent. The group can employ the service of the certified life coach to assist them in the acquisition of these tools.
An effective life coach is a highly informed and rounded individual. They know and have access to a wealth of information and are able to pull on spiritual, philosophical, psychological and scientific knowledge in order to construct lessons that will assist their client in achieving their goal. An effective life coaching is ever learning and is a model of their own teaching.
But the most important thing to remember regarding the work of a life coach is that they are teachers who impart to you only the information necessary for you to achieve your goal. They do not waste your time teaching you information that may not benefit you, and they do not diagnose you or assign labels to your behaviour.
To achieve our objective in assisting our clients realize their goal, we encourage clients to complete an evaluation before their first meeting. The certified life coach then formulates lessons that assist their client in meeting their desired goal. Clients must complete their assignments to get the best out of the program. At Think Big Coaching Academy, we walk with you step by step until your life coaching goals are achieved.
Do you have a goal you need to achieve? Take the first step. Contact us today about our life coaching services.