Life coaching is a collaborative process that is solution focused. The coach helps the client in achieving personal, relationship or professional targets. The relationship is based on the foundation of trust and a number of tools, techniques and processes are designed to address the specific needs of the client. They enable the client to understand what drives them, where exactly do they want to go in life and what is the best way to get there. The process of life coaching involves asking relevant questions that challenge the client’s thinking, perceived limitations and aims to find the root cause of a long term unresolved problem. Coaching helps the client to identify their own defense mechanisms (the stories they tell to defend themselves), motivate and empower them to come out of the “I can’t do this” mind set. The clients are encouraged to set new goals and achieve them. Thus life coaching can be beneficial to a client because it provides clarity, commitment, vision, self-reflection, tailor made strategies to suit the unique needs of the client, accountability and empowerment.
To get the maximum out of this process the client is advised to put himself/herself in a position of success, set the right kind of expectations, open up and focus on “why” they want to do something. It is extremely important that both, the coach and the client, engage in a true partnership by setting the right kind of atmosphere for the sessions and feel accountable for the work that they are undertaking together.
Often people use the terms coaching and therapy interchangeably. It is not so. I will clarify this in very simple terms.
Coaches view their clients as already whole and equipped with everything that they need to attain a target. The focus is on strategizing and providing a direction. In therapy the focus is on healing the client from a past trauma or negative experience. Coaching is about looking towards the future whereas therapy often looks to the past in understanding how it is affecting the client in the present day. Hence, coaching is a powerful method that can help you to work on your present issues and get the support that you may need to break limiting beliefs that are hindering your progress. On the other hand if you feel that you are carrying the baggage of a past trauma that you want to unravel and heal from, then therapy is a better option for you.
Hope that helped!