What is life coaching?

Coaching is about increasing an individual's knowledge and thought processes with a particular task or process. It creates a supportive environment that develops critical thinking skills, ideas, and behaviours about a subject. Life coaching is a process that opens up options and choices for a person to follow.
Where does coaching originate?

The value of coaching, within the world of sports, is well known and we often think of this association when we think of a coach. There are obvious similarities with life coaching. Both consider an individual’s attitude and belief system that underpin attitudes, behaviours and ultimately results.

In the 1850’s the term coach was used in English universities to refer to the person that helped students in exam preparation – although the idea of the trained professional coach originated in the USA, evolving from the practice of therapy and counselling.

However, life coaching is neither counselling nor therapy. A counsellor will delve into the past in order to formulate a specific solution to a particular problem. By contrast the life skills coach will need to understand how the past has shaped the present, but will focus on where the individual is now and where they want to be in the future.

Every situation and every person undertaking a life coaching is unique. The objective is to enable the client to be able to make choices that will enable them to take control of their life by accepting responsibility for all their actions. The coach will guide the client on how to achieve this and will be there to support them along the way.

Also, life coaching is not therapy as a therapist will seek to deal with a specific physical or mental condition whereas the coach will help the client accomplish their objectives by helping them to focus holistically on themselves.

Life Coaching does not require that the coach should have personal experience of a client's sector, business or occupation. In fact it may be that the absence of experience adds to the effectiveness of coaching in this area, as the coach works with the individual so that they can first discover the questions for themselves and then find their own answers.

Life coaching is being increasingly used by people who have reached a point in their lives where they may be asking themselves any or all of the following questions:

• There must be more to life than this…?
• I feel stuck in a job that I don't wish to do any more, but don’t know why?
• I have always wanted to …………………………. But just don’t know where to start? or
• I seem to be stuck in a rut and do not know what to do to get out, how do I move forward?

The success of life coaching is dependant upon the client being prepared to take ownership of the options for moving forward.
Coaching is about supporting the client to find the solutions – not trying to provide answers or fixes. ‘Feed a starving man a fish and you feed him for one meal… teach him how to fish and you save his life…’


How does the process work?

The client will have an initial conversation with the coach to get to know each other a little and decide whether each party wishes to proceed with the coaching sessions.

Once in agreement to move forward, a brief contract is drawn up to establish the terms of the relationship and what is expected from coach and client.

Sessions will take place according to what works best for the client. Coaching can be carried out over the telephone, for example, an hour-long conversation once a week for a specified number of sessions, at times convenient for the client. Alternatively face to face sessions may be arranged.
At the outset, the client formalises their overall goal for the process. This goal should be as specific as possible so that it is possible to measure, at the end of the period, whether it has been achieved. At the beginning of each individual session the client establishes what is to be achieved on that day, which will be an interim step towards the overall goal. By the end of each session the client will establish various actions that they can undertake in order to move towards the goal that little bit more.

At the end of the contracted period, if a successful outcome has been achieved, the relationship for that goal will come to an end. It is always open to the client to continue the relationship if they feels it necessary – this will always be the client’s decision.

At all times the client is treated with absolute dignity, confidentiality and respect. The coach undertakes to act with integrity at all times and will recommend different coaches or resources when these will be more appropriate to the client’s needs.

Investment

Price on application
£100 per hour

All prices exclude VAT at 17.5%

 

back

top