What is coaching?
International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a though-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
A coach knows the client as the expert in his or her own life. The coach therefore doesn’t give advice or directions, but works in cooperation with the client to use his or her experiences and views to move forward, in the belief that the client is creative, resourceful and whole.
What’s the difference between coaching and therapy?
Typically, a therapist works to fix a clients problem or issue by giving specific directions in line with therapeutic practices. A coach doesn’t work to fix anything, because the client believed to be already whole and not broken. The coach is interested in uncovering what is and using what is to move forward.
Therapy also usually works through an issue by staying in the past and release trauma by examining and understanding what happened. Coaching also works to gain awareness of blocks though exploring how it got there, but then moves to the present to explore how this same circumstance may be used to our benefit and to serve the client moving forward.
What does a coach specialize in?
No matter the definition of a coach, a coach is always someone who helps another get from point A to point B.
A coach´s speciality lies in the power of intention. That means uncovering, restructuring and strategizing key elements to make the individual steps and the whole process and clear and concrete as possible.
Life Coaches in particular, work to uncover experiences such as happiness, inspiration, enjoyment, peace and fulfillment, through working through blocks and reframing limiting beliefs and views.
What results might I expect from coaching?
The eventual growth over time from coaching may vary according to many factors.
As in most things, one may expect to receive results according to the effort given and the level of responsibility taken of ones life.
It is not the coach’s resposibility to provide results for the client. The coach may only provide service in a direction the client is ready and willing to move in.There are no promises in coaching, but there is also no limit to where we can end up.
It´s difficult to talk about expectation without specifics. If you want more information about expectations, I recommend scheduling a discovery session.
Is coaching for everyone?
The benefits of clarification, intention and support are true for everyone. That being said, other forms of therapy or treatment may be more beneficial or needed for some. Coaching may only be effective if the client has the ability to take responsibility over his/her life.
Coaching does not work with people who are suicidal, abuse drugs or are chronically ill, if not at least in cooperation with professional treatment. It is the coach´s clear responsibility to refer anyone who is suffering from such conditions