Life coaching is one of those things we hear about on TV and in the news and laugh about, thinking that people who need it are crazy. But if you look into it more, you might be surprised by how helpful life coaching can be.
Simply put, life coaches combine methods from psychology, counselling, and mentoring to help their clients reach their goals. Some of the techniques used are changing behaviour and setting goals, but the coach can use almost any technique if he or she thinks it will help. The most important thing a coach does is listen to what their client has to say and help them figure out how to solve problems that are keeping them from reaching their goals.
Some people criticise life coaches a lot, mostly because they don't have an official job. To become a life coach, you don't need any kind of training or degree. You can pretty much just start putting up signs, asking for money, and doing whatever you want with the people who call you. Critics say that life coaching is basically the same as psychotherapy without a code of ethics or a group to organise it.
The International Coach Federation, on the other hand, is trying to change this by putting in place certification and standards for life coaches. There are different levels of ICF certified coach status, and each one requires you to have studied and coached for a certain number of hours. But many people think this is illogical because you can't even become a certified coach until you've done 100 hours of coaching. It's not fair to expect people to only go to certified coaches for coaching.
In the end, if you want to hire a life coach, it's up to you to be careful about who you work with. Meet them first, and watch out for any attempts to get you to do something against your will. Only respond to ads that look like they are real, and ask for references from their past clients. Get a life coach that someone you know has worked with before and liked. This is always the best thing to do.
