For a number of months now you've gotten these 5-Minute Life Tune-Up newsletters which have presented you with

opportunities to do some "self-coaching" on various topics. But even as you've read though these Tune-Ups and tried out the challenges, maybe you've wondered at times about the practice of coaching and what that really means. What does a coach do, anyway?

 

 

I'm guessing you have a vague idea about coaching but perhaps you don't have information on the benefits of working with a coach or how coaching is distinct from other helping professions such as counseling or social work.  A lot of us have worked with a therapist at some point and may have found it very useful to get through difficult times. Coaching is something completely different but can certainly compliment the important work done with a therapist.

I know some of you may have a friend or family member who's worked with a coach; or you might have seen a coach interviewed on television.  Maybe you've even experienced the benefits of working with a coach yourself. As a field that's still relatively new and evolving, there are bits and peices of information about coaching floating around, but not a lot that explains it in clear language. 

 

To that end, I'd like to offer a quick primer on life coaching for the interested layperson. And of course, as a coach, I will be explaining coaching from an insider's perspective as someone who is currently practicing and loves what she does!

Some people have the thought that working with a coach is something that is only needed when things are really going wrong or during times of struggle. In truth, coaching  works great when you are feeling pretty solid and when you've acheived a measure of success - at this moment, you may feel that you are now ready for what's next in your life. You may be wondering about the next adventure or the next part of the journey.  When you come to this point in your life, it can be hard to make a transition to what's next without some structure and support. Coaching provides both.

 

 

 

What actually is the difference between therapy and coaching? The short answer is that therapy tends to work with a client's past history and focuses on insight and/or healing from painful or difficult situations. Coaching approaches the client from a place of health and strength and centers on the present and future as opposed to the past. Coaching does not work to alleviate or heal mental health problems such as depression. Therapy is much more suited to that type of work.

 

What are the coaching sessions like? A coach listens very acutely to the truth of what the client is communicating and uses intuition to ask the right questions - powerful questions that will help the client to move forward and to deepen self-discovery. Brainstorming, guided imagry, values clarification, and life balance assesments are examples of some of the tools used in a session. Sessions are generally short: 30 - 45 minutes, and are very focused and efficient.

 

I'm foggy and confused about my life direction. Can coaching help?  Yes! Coaching can help to cut through a client's confusion and sort through all the possibilities. Coaching is great for bringing forth out of chaos an experience of clarity and direction.  Again, using listening and intuition, a coach can help a client to think through options and discover new solutions to old problems.

 

Does coaching hold the client accountable? Is homework involved? Generally, yes and yes. Accountability is often a big part of what clients need to help them to make progress, whether the concern has to do with work, personal relationships, or any other life issue. Homework is usually neccesary to acheive forward motion from session to session. The homework is designed together by client and coach and must be highly relevant and meaningful to what the client is working on.

 

Does the coach give the client advice or guidance? Actually, no. The coach's job is to draw out the client's own answers and own wisdom. The coach is not positioned as an expert in the client's life. The coach's expertise is in a certain type of powerful conversation wherein the client is given full reign to tap into her own meaningful answers about what makes sense for her life. The coaching relationship is like a playground or a laboratory for the client to try out new things and spread her wings.

 

And, this actually works....without advice?? Yes it does - absolutely. The  thing about advice is that it's everywhere around us. And, although our world is saturated with advice, we often let it go in one ear and out the other. A coach helps a client to hear his own inner advice and to trust it above all the rest. Clients will buy into ideas and changes that they create themselves and thus will always have better results than if somoene is telling them what to do.

For this month's challenge, I encourage you to ask me any lingering questions you have about coaching. I always love to talk to people about the field. I have the best job in the world...I actually get to be witness to tremedous growth and transformation. Nothing is more exciting than that! So, email me or call me with your questions. I'd love to hear from you.

 

Want to try a group coaching experience?  I am forming a coaching group for the Spring and would love to connect with folks who are interested in the experience of clarity and forward motion, via an affordble low-key group setting. This would be a weekly group in the Boston area. Email me at the address below if you're interested.