Here is a transcript of an interview on Life Coaching. The topics covered include what is life coaching, how is it different from therapy and how one can become a life coach.
Hi Misba, I am Rahul.
Hi Rahul,
I am a bit confused about Life Coaching. Can you help me understand what it is all about?
Yes, Surely. But before I do that, do you know what sports coaches do?
Sports coaches help the teams and players hone their skill set, work upon weaknesses and stay motivated to put efforts into their game. The objective is to apply the skill sets in the most effective way to get better results.
Perfect, I couldn’t have put it any better. In a lot of ways, Life coaches work in a similar way. They help people from different backgrounds to improve upon their strengths, enhance their skill sets and abilities and build upon weaknesses in order to achieve the desired outcome & make the most of their lives.
Is there a specific process that they follow?
The exact process varies based on the objectives of the coaching sessions and the client. That said most coaching sessions generally involve helping the client by:
- Setting goals or outcomes in a way that they are clear and inspiring
- Identifying the resources & skills required to achieve the goals
- Creating a step by step actionable plan to acquire resources, develop/enhance skills and apply them towards achieving the goals.
- Improving upon their strengths & building upon weaknesses in order to make the most of their lives.
- Finally keeping them accountable, through reviews and follow-ups, for applying the plan & working towards the outcome consistently & effectively
In short, Life Coaches empower, motivate and support their clients to move forward towards the desired direction. They act as additional accelerators that guide you through the path of success with ease and with appropriate brakes when required.
What Does a Life Coach Not Do?
Coaches usually don’t give advice or tell you what to do. They try to help you find what feels right for you by helping you reveal the answers to yourself through discussion, suggestions, brainstorming and reflection.
What is the difference between Therapy & Coaching?
In the classical sense, there are predominantly three differences between therapy & coaching.
First, working Intense negative emotions or clinical issues would not be a part of life coaching sessions. They are best dealt with therapy.
Second, in a Life Coaching session, the focus is more on working with your present and your future. If you come into a life coaching session without having resolved or at least started to deal with a past issue, it is likely that the life coach, unless he or she is a trained therapist as well, will refer you to a therapist or request that you look into this issue more.
Another key difference between life coaches and therapists is their focus. A therapist tends to be more focused on a certain problem you are dealing with and what got you there in the first place. A life coach, on the other hand, is going to be more focused on solutions & steps that get you from point A to point B.
Who would benefit the most by attending a course on Life Coaching?
Since the skills you develop in a Life Coach Practitioner program are useful in both scenarios whether you are working on your own goals or you are helping others in achieving their goals, everyone who attends a course on life coaching will benefit in one way or another. That said apart from those who are looking at establishing a career as a Life Coach, people who are working as:
- Trainers
- HR Professionals
- Social Workers
- Psychologists, Counsellors and other mental health practitioners
- Top level managers or those wanting to become one
What role can Hypnosis and NLP play in coaching?
Hypnosis is a state of Hyper Suggestibility wherein you are more receptive to accepting something that you have decided.
NLP is a model of Human Behaviour which helps people with a wide range of problems and has effective concepts, tools and techniques.
For practising Life Coaches or people who are planning to become Life Coaches, NLP and Hypnosis are invaluable skills. By incorporating Hypnosis and NLP into the coaching model the entire process of coaching becomes more potent. The mixture of these 3 leads to added benefits to the sessions like:
- Reduced number of sessions
- Lesser time consumption
- Faster Goal accomplishment
- Sustainable change
- These skill sets add tremendous value and bring additional credibility.
That makes sense. I notice you have a practitioner course based on the integration of different modalities titled “Cognitive Hypnotic Coachingâ„¢“. Is that a course on coaching or therapy?
Cognitive hypnotic coaching program has three levels, each level a combination of online modules (concepts) and classroom training (demonstrations, practice sessions and discussions). The program is open to people from all walks of life as long as they are looking for a practitioner program and not just a self-help program.
After completing the coaching certification, participants who are qualified mental or physical health practitioners have the option to continue with the Cognitive Hypnotic Psychotherapyâ„¢ program. There are two additional levels for the psychotherapy certification program that focuses on developing therapeutic skills to work with intense negative emotions, clinical issues & problems related to past.
What if after doing the coaching certification, I want to go for the psychotherapy program as well?
If you do not have a background in the fields I mentioned earlier, we would recommend you to enrol for a Master’s Program in Psychology from a UGC recognised university. Once you do that you can continue with the practitioner program.
Is it alright if I do Masters through a correspondence course from any university?
Yes, as long as the university is UGC recognised.
Thank you for answering all my queries so patiently. I have all the details that I need. I would like to start by registering for the Coaching program.
You are welcome. You will be able to make the payment & enroll for the course on the course page. Also remember, you can connect with us for any queries you have during or even after completing the course. We provide ongoing support for all our programs in one form or the other.
