What is Life Coaching?

Life Coaching is the use of listening and change techniques in a safe and supportive environment. it is generally considered more proactive and directive than classic therapy. Life Coaching is not really a new therapy, it is a combination of Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (CBT) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).  We have a network of professionals providing Hypnotherapy and NLP in locations throughout the UK including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Carlisle, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Harley Street London.

There are many aspects of Life Coaching:

• Personal Change: This is the classic style of life coaching where the client is helped to define, plan and achieve the goals and changes they want in life. This might include relationship ("love life coaching"), career ("career coaching"), sales and performance ("performance coaching") or sports ("sports coaching") . Issues life stopping smoking, reducing negative habits and installing new healthy habits are all classic goals.
  

• Behavioural Change: Closely models on aspects of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, this is the identification of faulty perception and beliefs, so that their resultant behaviours can be altered. Thus new behaviours and beliefs can be chosen that lead to the goads and outcomes desired by the client.
  

• Business Coaching: This is a combination of Change Management and motivational coaching. Although there are similarities to personal coaching, it should be noted that there are many additional and different skills required, with the coach requiring some background in change management, systems studies and logistics.
  

• Therapeutic: This is one of the gray areas of coaching. When is coaching not coaching? many issues are addressed in personal life coaching, such as depression and confidence, that are really being helped through watered down psychotherapy and informal counselling. This is one of the major reasons why you should only consult a life coach for personal counselling, if they are an established therapist too.
  

• Motivational (drug and addiction): The use of positive thinking, life planning and honest appraisal of the pros and cons of habits and addictions in order to help a client overcome addictions, habits and activities that required change.
  

• Pastoral and spiritual: The specific use of religious or spiritual models, depending on the background of the client, to deal specifically with faith and spiritual issues. The great therapist C Jung developed much of the understanding that contributes to spiritual psychotherapy and spiritual coaching. Unlike pastoral counselling, spiritual psychotherapy and coaching uses many of Jung's discoveries such as archetype analysis and dream analysis.
  

• Eclectic: The combination of a variety of different styles, and possibly other therapies such as psychotherapy and NLP, to create a flexible model tailored to the needs of the client.
  

• Specialised: Gay issues, Female or Male issues, Couple or marital issues, Bisexual issues, cultural issues, lesbian issues, carer issues, learning disability issues, Autistic Spectrum Disorder issues. 
  

The above is not a comprehensive list, as there are many variations on the theme. 

As you can see from the list given, there are close links between life coaching and  other well established therapies and skills, and it is essential, and long standing good practice, to be well qualified in the other therapies too. 

• Avoid any personal life coach who is not a well qualified therapist.
  

• Avoid any business coach who does not have qualification in business studies relevant to change management.
  

• All life coaches should have accredited training or coaching qualifications (not just some independent certificate / diploma).

What can Life Coaching help with?

A huge range of issues can be assisted to some degree or another. Most behaviours and habits can be assisted. 

More complex cases such as deep lack of self esteem, severe phobias, depression, anxiety, emotional problems, anger management, severe stress and so forth respond well, especially when combined with CBT methods of psychotherapy.  Of course all medical / clinical issues must be in conjunction with support from a medical doctor.

Life Coaching is a more proactive method of therapy than the counselling that people often think of. It tends to challenge clients more, is more directive and often looks deeper. Life Coaching has a high level of teaching skills to clients, that they can then use to help themselves and develop further.

Qualifications. What do I look for in Life Coaching?

Life Coaching has no statutory body of registration. Many so called "registers" exist, all claiming to represent the industry. 

There is NO ONE REGISTER of Life Coaches. Some are very good, and quality ranges from very good to hopeless. Size is also not always an indication. 

There are National Occupational Standards for Counselling and Hypnotherapy which are closely related therapies, as well as a range of other related NOS standards, and these are the true measure of the quality of service.

There are two main vocational qualification routes for non medical qualification  (some university courses also exist, of varying quality). :

NVQ Accreditation via the Advice and Guidance and other NVQ  Awards, such as Training and Development. Indeed there is an actual C25 Coaching unit.
ASET accreditation via Counselling, Hypnotherapy, NLP, Counselling Speciality, Life Coaching and Psychotherapy Awards. Many ASET awards contain lifestyle modules. Therefore the therapist might have a Level 3 lifestyle coaching award, or a Level 3/4 award with lifestyle coaching modules.

Life Coaching is plagued with practitioners who have chosen it as the fastest and easiest way into practice, and thus have less training and experience then many hypnotherapists, counsellors or psychotherapists.

Life coaches should all have:

1. Coaching or training accreditations to recognised national standards

2. Therapy or Business change management qualifications to recognised national standards.

You are strongly advised to look for adherence to National Occupational Standards, ASET / NVQ accreditation and membership of a substantial professional body such as an appropriate Royal Society or therapist register. Being registered with a professional body ensures ongoing monitoring and adherence to a code of conduct and ethics.

You can check our NVQ, ASET and National Occupational Standard policies and qualifications here: ABOUT US

Assistance is not just for individuals. Assistance is available for couples, families and those who care for others.