As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I have been working with clients for many years and still enjoy counseling.
As a counselor, I diagnose and provide
professional expertise and guidelines. As a coach, I help identify challenges, then work in partnership with my clients
to attain their goals. The coaching vision is narrower because it focuses on the future rather than identifying issues
and healing them.
For
me, coaching is "wellness counseling".
And while there are differences between counseling and coaching and I make sure to act
on these, there are advantages to working with an individual who has been trained in mental health counseling.
Therapists make great life coaches
because we:
are
skillful at listening. In addition to listening, we are able to hear what is not being said and detect nuances of
expression, voice, and other nonverbal cues. This helps me to assist you in moving forward on the path to reaching your
goals. This is particularly important due to using the telephone for life coaching sessions.
have the important skill of putting a positive spin
on a statement or belief expressed by the client. This is critical for being an effective life coach.
have the ability to suspend judgment.
Since we have "heard it all", we can listen to clients and not be shocked by anything that is revealed. The
client's freedom to express their deepest desires or feelings is very freeing.
are experienced with confidentiality and ethics.
We respect confidentiality and have strong ethical guidelines.
have the ability to seek solutions and think of possibilities. Being a good solution
seeker and possibility thinker is important in life coaching.
So, while many laypersons become good life coaches, you acquire some advantages by working with
a Life Coach who has been trained as a therapist.
