Hello

So do I really need a life coach? What is a life coach? And is coaching a form of therapy? I had some of these questions in mind as I sat with myself contemplating on whether I should reach out to a life coach. You may also have these questions in mind. I had a therapist and things were going well. But I needed an additional accountability partner that could help me. Before you decide on whether you want a life coach or whether you want to book a session with me please allow me to explain what it entails and how it differs from therapy.

I’ll start with therapy, therapists are licensed healthcare professionals. They diagnose and treat disorders, behaviors and feelings. Therapists focus on an individual's past and work through their beliefs, traumas and relationship issues to forge a better future for their client. This is not the be all comprehensive definition of a therapist this is just my summed up version. A life coach is a certified professional focused on helping individuals develop their future goals while identifying problematic beliefs and behaviors. Life coaching is focused on the future. Life coaches don’t advise their clients how they should or shouldn't live, act, behave or feel. They are not healers. Life coaches empower clients to see their life’s situation from a different perspective by asking really good questions from a neutral non judgmental stance. A relationship with a life coach is short term, goal and action based. Life coaches work with their client’s on visualizing their goals and being an accountability partner to help them actualize their true potential.

During my life coaching certification program the instructor kept mentioning the famous teach a man (or woman) to fish quote. If you have never heard of it here it is, Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. As I progressed through the course the instructor kept asking us to apply this quote to future life coaching relationships with clients. And it absolutely made sense. As a life coach I am not here to make my clients feel instant gratification. I’m not here to help you reach one or two goals and then pat you on your back. I am here to help you establish a new way of thinking. My clients should leave the coaching relationship feeling empowered and confident. So confident that they are now ready to empower others. This is the power of empowering others. It’s a cycle of growth that never stops. This to me means I am teaching my clients how to fish for a lifetime, metaphorically that is. If any of this sounds interesting and you are up to the challenge please book a session with me. I would love to get to know you!