How to Find a Life Coach

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“I can find you happiness… I can help find your true Love… I can make you rich.”

These are common statements that come out of many self-proclaimed Life Coaches. Promises of bliss and love often cloud our good judgment. Their words feed our excitement into a desperate reach for answers.

Life Coaching has been a growing trend in the past few years. The popularity of these coaches has reached several different niches in society. These roles have been created to fulfill the human need of personal self growth in lieu of a psychobabble DSM IV diagnosis. 

Currently there is no governing board to monitor this new fad of the health industry. Thus there are no qualifications, standards, or systems. This is a problem.

Anyone can become a Life Coach. All you need to do is call yourself one, maybe put it on a business card and well… Congratulations! You are a Life Coach. As a result, this term has been synonymous with whack-jobs and wannabe’s all trying to make a quick buck… a simple joke.

But then for others, Life Coaches have been the driving force for mental, physical, and spiritual health. Many Life Coaches have gone through extensive training and education. Some hold MA’s and Ph.D.’s in their respective fields of psychology and medicine.  Some hold various accreditations from respected vendors and organizations in attempts to hold standards in this new industry. Many have years in experience with the clientele to justify.

So how do differentiate between the two?

Well what is a Life Coach? What is he/she supposed to do?

“Life coaching is a practice with the aim of helping clients determine and achieve personal goals. Life coaches use multiple methods that will help clients with the process of setting and reaching goals. Coaching is not targeted at psychological illness and coaches are neither therapists nor consultants.”    Wikipedia.com

So the same principal that allows lackluster Life Coaches, also now becomes the same principal that creates the most qualified Life Coach.

The best Life Coach is the one that helps you.

As simple as that sounds, it’s undeniably true. Regardless of background, education, or experience, a Life Coach will help you achieve your desired goals and intentions. Each coach will have their distinct style and personality.

So choose a Life Coach that will best serve you. Who would be best for you and why?

Would you do best with a fiery motivator? Perhaps a spiritual approach?

Do you need an intellectual factual approach? Or are you looking to learn to flow? Would a female or male serve you best?

Many good Life Coaches will meet with you for a brief session for free. This is the time to see if your needs and their qualifications are the same. Ask the questions that are important to you. Look into education, experience, and behavior. Give them a better understanding of what you are looking for. See their responses. See their levels of honesty and humbleness.

After some time, you will have a good instinctual feeling of whether you can gain from working together. Trust in that chemistry, however be smart enough to not overly commit.

Some coaches ask for a 5 session minimum. This is a good starting point as it takes a good few sessions for the work to become noticeable. Ask directly the costs involved and when the coach expects to be paid. Take all the appropriate measures to keep you safe physically, legally, and financially. After all, you are placing an enormous amount of trust in this Coach and this process.

You can find a Coach with any expertise in your intended area of growth. There is a huge trend created a trend in Corporate, Sports, and Adolescent Coaching. Many prefer Coaches over therapist because they can focus on growth and change versus diagnoses and underlying issues. 

Coaches do not carry the same stigma as therapy. As a result, Life Coaching is considered as acceptable as yoga and meditation. So many hire personal Life Coaches and almost rely on them for psychoanalytic purposes. They reach for help, and most likely find someone to feed their mania.

This a major concern of many psychotherapists. With their training they can identify various psychoses that their clients are presenting. A Life Coach may not be able to see these cues because of their lack of training. Taking someone sky diving may be the best thing to change one person’s life, but may also be another maladaptive, addictive event for another trying to quit drugs.

It may be best to see a therapist as well as a Life Coach. If they were able to work together, they could devise a great plan for you to achieve your goals and needs. The therapist shall be able to help you process the underlying issues, and the Life Coach can help you create change in the now and present.

If you simply want a Life Coach, one with psychological training can only be beneficial. They will help you become aware of the past issues, especially when they affect the present moment.

But the Life Coach must be clear that he/she is NOT providing therapy. They are providing awareness and opportunities for growth and creativity. They should be aware when you start to delve into deeper underlying issues and help you find appropriate therapists to work with you.

Some act as spiritual advisors and others organizational, goal-achieving experts. Some Life Coaches charge over $300 per hour face-time and others charge a few hundred dollars a month for phone sessions. For those with less available finances, a good Life Coach comes in form of trusted members of the community, mentor, friend or family member. Just be mindful that they are guiding for personal growth rather than bias preconceived thoughts.

But a good Life Coach can guide you towards happiness, peace, and manifestation of goals.

Just filter the dirt from the water!

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