Life coaching

Coaching is essentially a partnership between the coach and their client, working together to help the client achieve their goals – whether in sport, business, their career, or other areas of life.

A couple of popular definitions of coaching include:

• ‘It is helping them learn rather than teaching them.’ (Gallwey, 1986).

• ‘Unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their performance.’ (Whitmore, 2002).

Three things coaching is:

• Help and guidance for a person seeking a change in the way they wish and supporting them to go in the direction they want.
• Supporting a person to become who they want to be at every level.
• Constructively building personal awareness to empower choice and lead to positive change.

Three things coaching is not:

• A diagnosis or ‘labeling’ process for mental or emotional health disorders.

• One person (the coach) telling another person (the client) what to do, how to do it, or how they should live their life.

• A prescription based or ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality, not allowing room for points of difference and individual experience.

What to Expect

A coach is as much a mentor as a therapist. Most coaching is short-term and consists of straightforward, supportive, solution-based counseling. With the right coach, you will be able to explore ways to alleviate stress, cope with challenges, survive transitions, and make more positive choices in your personal or professional life. Coaching styles may vary, depending on the type of coaching required, and whether you are involved in private or group coaching. For instance, a worksite coaching program may include both individual counseling and group activities that emphasize the needs of the organization as well as those of the individual within the group.

How It Works

The theory behind coaching is simple: Focusing on inherent strengths helps clients actively express themselves and leads to a more authentic, motivated, and invigorated life of achievement and success.

Source: Elaine Mead, BSc, Positive Psychology.com