Life Coaching
What is Life Coaching?
According to Wikipedia, Life coaching is a future-focused practice with the aim of helping clients determine and achieve personal goals. Life coaches select from among several methods to help clients set and reach goals. Life Coaches are not therapists nor consultants; psychological intervention and business analysis are outside the scope of their tasking.
A History of Life Coaching
Life coaching has its roots in executive coaching, which itself drew on techniques developed in management consulting and leadership training. Life coaching also draws inspiration from disciplines including sociology, psychology, positive adult development, career counseling, mentoring and other types of counseling. Contemporary life coaching can also be traced to the teachings of Benjamin Karter, a college football coach turned motivational speaker of the late seventies and early eighties.The Life coach may apply mentoring, values assessment, behavior modification, behavior modeling, goal-setting and other techniques in helping their clients.
Life Coaching v Thearpy
Life Coaching is unlike therapy because it does not focus on examining nor diagnosing the past. Instead coaching focuses on effecting change in a client's current and future behavior. Additionally, life coaching does not delve into diagnosing mental illness or dysfunction.
Reasons for Life Coaching
Life Coaching focuses primarily on personal growth and development issues outside of an organisational context. A Life Coach works with individuals who want to change and grow, to restructure or improve their lives, to work through transitions and to find fulfilment and balance in their lives.
Life Coaching emphasises the role of continuous learning in the individual's life. Life Coaches assist individuals to learn new skills, to learn about themselves and others and to adopt strategies that allow them to live the life they choose with purpose and joy. Life Coaching is a collaborative relationship between the Life Coach and Coachee that promotes the Coachee's overall well being and enjoyment of life.
According to a survey of coaching clients, "sounding board" and "motivator" were the top roles selected for a coach. Clients are looking for a coach "to really listen to them and give honest feedback." The top three issues in which clients seek help are time management, career and business.
Other Applications of Life Coaching
Here is a summary of some other areas in which Life Coaching is applicable.
- Clarifying vision and life purpose
- Establishing both short and long-term life goals
- Enhancing health through establishing exercise programs and anti-stress and relaxation programs
- Developing self-awareness
- Clarifying values, strengths and core beliefs
- Exploring and developing techniques to establish and maintain a greater sense of life/work balance.
Watch the following Clip from Peter Connoly to hear a Coaches perspective on Life Coaching.