While life coaching has become increasingly popular in the last couple of decades, it is still widely misunderstood. Many people view it as a form of counseling or a form of talking therapy that helps to get people’s lives on the right track. The truth is that a life coach is a type of wellness professional that enables people to make strides in their life to become more fulfilled. For this reason, a life coach may delve into everything from careers to relationships to clients’ daily lives.
Essentially, a life coach helps people focus on their goals and figures out what is preventing them from achieving them. With well-defined strategies, a life coach maximizes people’s skills and strengths to bring about lasting change in their lives.
What’s the Difference Between a Life Coach and a Therapist?
While there may be similarities between a life coach and a licensed therapist, these professions are distinct from one another and serve different purposes.
Mental health professionals such as therapists are concerned with treating and healing mental health problems. Therefore, they usually help people cope with traumatic issues from their past. Although a life coach may touch upon some unresolved issues, he or she is not equipped to treat mental disorders or things like addiction.
Furthermore, therapists must have a degree and be licensed as mental health professionals. As a result, they are bound to follow certain regulations governing confidentiality and continuing education.
On the other hand, life coaches are not regulated by a board and do not have to comply with privacy rules that protect personal health information. For this reason, a life coach should not be regarded as a substitute for a mental health professional.
Instead of dealing with mental health, a life coach helps people to pinpoint obstacles in their lives and finds ways to surmount them. A life coach helps to identify important goals and develops an action plan to achieve them.
What Should You Expect from a Life Coach?
One of the great advantages of hiring a life coach is the fresh perspective he or she can bring to your situation. For example, a life coach can offer new insights and uncover any negative processes that may be hindering you from achieving your goals.
People often turn to life coaches to make the leap from their current circumstances to the life they really want to have. Not only can a life coach offer the support and motivation necessary for taking the next step, but a life coach also has a unique vantage point to find out how and why a client may be stuck. Consequently, a coach helps clients reach their goals faster and more efficiently than they would have if left to their own devices.
Why Does Life Coaching Work
Life coaching works because it gives people a defined support structure. While many of us begin with the best intentions, there are all kinds of roadblocks that can throw us off track if we have no one to help us out. A life coach, however, can help you break through that roadblock, so you accomplish more with less difficulty.
If you sense a gulf between your current situation and where you really want to be, then a life coach could put you on the path to getting what you want out of life. In other words, why face these obstacles alone when you can achieve your best life much sooner with the support and assistance of a skilled life coach?
