What is coaching
Coaching focuses on creating a vision and getting clarity for our “what’s next”, noticing what makes us feel stuck, and then setting goals and developing a plan to get unstuck and achieve our goals. Coaches can assist with life challenges such as developing healthy communication strategies; conflict management; interpersonal issues, and family dynamics. They can also help with career and leadership challenges.
The difference between a coach and a therapist
Coaches are not licensed therapists and therefore cannot diagnose or treat mental or emotional disorders. If a need for mental health counseling should arise, those cases would be referred to a professional counseling, social worker, or marriage and family therapist.
Professional coaching contains the following:
- An ongoing, confidential, one-to-one, fee-for-service relationship
- Setting goals and managing accountability with clients who desire change
- Use of questions and deep listening to gain forward movement – coaches do not advise – they believe the client has the answer within them, they empower clients to choose
- Actions between sessions that help with accountability and drive change
- Sessions either weekly or bi-weekly get best results
Conclusion
Coaching is a partnership, one in which both sides work to reach agreed-upon goals. The aim of the partnership is to bring about sustained behavioral change and transform the quality of the individual’s work and personal life.