How a Life Coach Can Help You
These wellness professionals can help you achieve your goals
Verywell / Laura Porter
Reviewed by Akeem Marsh, MD
A life coach is a type of wellness professional who helps people make progress in their lives in order to attain greater fulfillment. Life coaches aid their clients in improving their relationships, careers, and day-to-day lives.
Coaching is a relatively young formal field, but it has roots in many older disciplines. It draws on areas such as the human potential movement of the 1960s, leadership training, adult education, personal development, and numerous areas of psychology.
Life coaching formally emerged during the 1980s and grew in popularity throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Some of the earliest life coaches focused on life planning, but the field eventually grew to encompass other life areas, including relationships, finances, careers, health, and overall well-being.
At a Glance
A life coach isn't a therapist, so they can't treat mental health conditions. However, they can provide guidance that helps inspire positive changes in your life. They might help you find a sense of purpose, develop your creativity, manage your stress, and overcome bad habits that are holding you back from reaching your goals.
These coaches can provide general guidance, but they may also focus on specific areas such as dating, work, finances, fitness, and leadership. Keep reading to learn more about why you might benefit from working with a life coach and where you might start your search.
What Does a Life Coach Do?
Life coaches can help you clarify your goals, identify the obstacles holding you back, and then come up with strategies for overcoming each obstacle.
By creating these strategies, life coaches target your unique skills and gifts. By helping you to make the most of your strengths, life coaches provide the support you need to achieve long-lasting change.
Who Should Consider Working With a Life Coach?
Many people seek life coaches for guidance in navigating a significant life change, such as taking on a new career. In plenty of cases, however, people turn to life coaches simply to help build a happier, more meaningful life.
There are several indications that working with a life coach could be helpful for you. These signs include:
Frequent irritability
Inability to break bad habits
Lack of fulfillment in your social life
Persistent feelings of dissatisfaction at work
Sense of blocked creativity
In recent years, life coaches have gained more mainstream recognition. A growing number of creatives, executives, and entrepreneurs are now turning to life coaches to help them attain success in their professional and personal lives.
Types of Life Coaches
Some life coaches take a more general, all-encompassing approach, but there are also many that specialize and focus on helping people in specific areas. If you are considering seeing a life coach, consider looking in some of the following specialty areas:
Addiction and sobriety coaching
Business, executive, and leadership coaching
Career coaching
Dating and relationship coaching
Diet and fitness coaching
Divorce coaching
Family life coaching
Financial coaching
Health and wellness coaching
Life skills coaching
Mental health coaching
Spirituality coaching
Sports coaching
Difference Between a Life Coach and a Therapist
Although there may be some overlap in the benefits of working with a life coach and participating in psychotherapy with a licensed therapist, these professionals have distinct roles and serve unique purposes.
Unlike life coaches, therapists and other mental health professionals focus on healing, treating mental health conditions, and helping people work through trauma and other issues from their past. While working with a life coach may help you to deal with certain unresolved issues, life coaches cannot treat mood disorders, anxiety disorders, addiction, or any other mental health condition.
Therapists
Can treat mental health conditions
Have a degree and are licensed in a related field
Adhere to ethical codes
Life Coaches
Cannot treat mental health conditions
Do not need any formal qualifications or academic training
Are not required to follow health privacy laws
Therapists have a degree and are licensed mental health professionals. They must follow an ethical code and adhere to regulations regarding confidentiality and ongoing education.
Life coaches, on the other hand, are not governed by a board and don't have to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and its privacy rules that help protect your personal health information. To that end, a life coach should never be considered as a substitute for a mental health professional.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of a mental health problem (such as feelings of hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, sleep disruption, and mood disturbance), it’s crucial to consult a mental health professional as soon as possible.
Takeaway
If you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health condition, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
Related: 5 Differences Between Coaching and Psychotherapy
What a Life Coach Can Do for You
One of the main benefits of working with a life coach is the ability to gain a fresh, informed perspective on problems that you face. In addition to offering new insight into challenges, a life coach can help you to zero in on negative patterns that could be standing in the way of your success.
Many people view working with a life coach as a means of bridging the gap between your current circumstances and the life you’d like to lead.
The following are some of the benefits that may result from having a life coach:
Better work-life balance
Elimination of long-held fears and anxieties
Enhanced creativity
Greater financial security
Improved communication skills
More satisfying work life
Stronger relationships with friends and family
Additionally, people frequently work with life coaches to overcome barriers that may interfere with finding a partner or mate. Many people also look to life coaches to help identify their passion and carve out their ideal career path.
Since sessions typically occur regularly over a prolonged period of time, life coaches can ensure that their clients implement what is necessary to experience significant change.
What to Expect From a Life Coach
With many life coaches, you can expect to discuss specific goals you have for the future. A life coach often provides support that is essential for gaining momentum toward your goals. A good coach can recognize when you get stuck, and help you regain motivation.
Accountability is one of the prime advantages of working with a life coach. As a result of working with a life coach, clients often achieve their goals more quickly and efficiently than they would if working on their own.
How Effective Is a Life Coach?
While people may report subjective benefits after seeing a life coach, there have also been studies that have shown that life coaching can be beneficial in a number of areas:
One study found that both individual and group coaching was helpful in reducing procrastination and improving goal attainment.
One review of studies found that health and wellness coaching showed promise for improving self-efficacy and self-empowerment.
A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that coaching-based leadership interventions could be effective for enhancing well-being and improving organizational functioning.
Research suggests that life coaching can have a range of positive effects, including improvements in personal insight and improved self-reflection. It may also help improve overall mental health and quality of life.
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Tips When Seeing a Life Coach
Life coaching sessions can take many different forms. For example, some life coaches meet with their clients in person, while others conduct their sessions over the phone or by Skype.
If you’re thinking of working with a life coach, keep in mind that it’s up to you to decide what you’d like to focus on in your coaching sessions.
Each session should leave you feeling empowered and uplifted, so it’s critical to find a coach whose style and philosophy resonate with you.
For help in finding a qualified life coach, try consulting an organization such as the International Coach Federation (ICF).
How to Know If a Life Coach Is Qualified
Though there isn't any official education or training for becoming a life coach, a competent life coach often has a background in psychology, mental health, wellness, or business. There are also accredited life coach training programs from which they may have a certification to practice.
Potential Pitfalls of Working With a Life Coach
Before you see a life coach, there are a few potential pitfalls that you should watch for:
Don't Expect Immediate Results
Your life coach can help you make plans, address problems, and work toward achieving your goals, but it is important to remember that these things take time. If may be helpful if you set some short-term and long-term goals to work toward.
Choose the Right Kind of Life Coach
Consider if your coach is suited to your needs. Not all life coaches take the same approach to a problem, so what you get out of the process may have a lot to do with the type of relationship you have with your coach. Look for a coach that is suited to working with your personality type and approach to solving problems.
Choose the Right Kind of Help
Don't see a life coach to address serious mental health issues. If you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety, you should talk to your doctor or therapist to discuss your treatment options. Life coaches can offer advice that can improve your well-being, but that does not mean they can provide mental health treatment.
Takeaways
If you've been struggling to reach your goals or dealing with feelings of discontent, working with a life coach can be a great way to find a sense of purpose and motivation. These professionals aren't meant to provide therapy or treat mental disorders. Instead, they are there to help you evaluate the things that are holding you back so that you can work toward a happier and more fulfilling life.
Read Next: Best Life Coach Certification Programs
Read the original article on Verywell Mind.
