What is life coaching? How does it differ from traditional counseling? Can I receive life coaching by phone? Will a life coach help me with issues such as career struggles or my personal life? These are just some of the different questions we hear from our clients when they inquire about life coaching. Newsweek defines a life coach as “Part consultant, part motivational speaker, part therapist…” and go on to say “coaches work with managers, entrepreneurs, and just plain folks, helping them define and achieve their goals — career, personal, or most often, both.” Let’s be real. Any human alive could benefit from the help of a life coach. Whether things are going great and the person seeks direction in shaping their future, or they are struggling and trying to figure out which way to head, life coaching can help. While our loved ones and friends may try to offer advice, they are unable to provide the total objectivity and unique insight that a life coach can provide.
Life Coaches provide:
Motivation
A skilled life coach is able to provide motivation with methods tailored to you, as the life coach’s only goals are to help you meet your goals – whatever they may be. Let your life coach know what you want to pursue and go for it. A recent client navigated a divorce with her life coach then decided to go back to school after 15 years raising children. She completed her Bachelor’s degree but throughout the process she found a great deal of inner motivation and as of last year had completed her Master’s degree with plans to earn a doctorate.
Support
Life coaches provide support to the client that family and friends often can’t. Though our loved ones want to help us, their advice and actions may not be entirely unbiased as they would be with a life coach. Life coaches provide unconditional positive support for clients throughout any of life’s many ups and downs.
Consultation
A really good life coach is often thought of as a top-level consultant. The life coach can provide different points of view or potential solutions to issues or struggles. Life coaches can be sounding boards from which the client can bounce ideas and can also provide a sound ear when the client may need to process various thoughts and feelings which may be getting in the way of completing goals.
A life coach has ideally had a myriad of life experiences in addition to graduate level education which combined provide a unique and personalized service for clients. Life coaching can be done by phone so that clients have more control over having a session with a life coach than ever before. Clients are sometimes encouraged to journal throughout the week or make a note in their phone with topics, issues, thoughts or ideas they wish to discuss with their life coach. Though topics vary and may be of any nature, frequent areas of focus include career, social and romantic life, family of origin, future plans, changes in relationships, grief and loss, and risky behaviors including substance use and abuse.
Clients can expect real growth from their relationship with a life coach. A strong bond is essential and clients are encouraged to “not settle” for a life coach with whom they do not share a connection. A strong connection between coach and client will be the push the client needs in order to achieve real growth. In order to learn more about the life coaching options at Sam Nabil Counseling, click here.