Coaching is not focused on the past; rather, life coaching focuses on the present and on creating the future that the client hopes to achieve. A good life coach won't tell clients what to do or prescribe specific courses of action based on their own wishes. Coaches don't provide advice or guidance to clients. Rather, they help their customers find their own solutions through a series of tools and techniques.
The coaching relationship is more about working together to help the client make the decisions that are right for them. They also help you discover what activities you do and which are not in harmony with the life you want to live. A life coach helps you discover tools that help you realize the thoughts you have and how they may be limiting or enhancing your ability to become the person you choose to be. While there is a friendly and caring relationship between coaches and their clients, life coaches do not provide therapy or professional advice.
Any coach who provides services that reflect the scope of practice of a licensed psychotherapist risks being charged with a serious crime. For both those looking for a coach and those considering becoming one, having a better understanding of what coaching is and isn't can help you make your choice. You'll see a lot of guidance on how to create an online “presence” as a coach. To really understand who life coaches really are, we'll explore three of the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding this professional field.
A good coaching program will not only teach you essential skills, but it will also help you develop your business. There are many people who have no idea what a life coach does and just as many people have the wrong idea about who life coaches are, how they are educated or what they do on a daily basis. If you want to succeed for your future and are willing to put in the time and energy, life coaching can provide you with valuable results. Psychotherapists and social workers look a lot like a “life coach,” but they are highly trained and experienced specialists in human behavior, human development, social and emotional growth or dysfunction, human dynamics, mental health care, treatment modalities, and the knowledge needed to guide people to psychiatry if needed.
