What is life coaching?\u00a0 From the positive perspective, it is a partnership between a coach and a client wherein the client explores:<\/p>\n
The coach serves as a strategic partner and serves by listening, asking questions, and partnering for the accountability the client chooses.<\/p>\n
The focus of the coaching varies widely and just a few examples of niche areas include:<\/p>\n
Coaches often have focus areas or niches which then lend themselves to expertise in terms of approach and awareness.\u00a0 Clients enter coaching with a sense of their own reasons for engaging a life coach.\u00a0 Together, the coach and the client define the coaching relationship and the process.<\/p>\n
On the negative side, some well-intentioned individuals who lack effective training as coaches function in the role of an advisor or worse, an unlicensed counselor or therapist even though they title themselves as a coach.<\/p>\n
As a coach, ensure you have the appropriate training, the Code of Ethics (published by the International Coaching Federation<\/a>, the ICF), and that you develop the Core Competencies<\/a> (also developed by the ICF).<\/p>\n