[EZINE] Are you a Life Coach? Or a Therapist…?

logical soul ezine

Dr. Michael Craig

Vol. 4, #8 – Feb. 22, 2016

 

OK [newsfield name=”name”] – This week I want to ask you something important:  Are you a life coach?  Or a therapist??

Life Coaching Myths

If you are a therapist or psychologist,  you already know the answer to this question.  Therapy (and counseling, for some) is unlike life coaching in that it involves dealing with the PAST, i.e., emotional traumas or experiences.

Any attempt to deal with parents, siblings, teachers;  war-time traumas that created PTSS, or even past-lives . . . is always about the past.  While the EFFECTS may be found in the present and future, the past is the workplace.

Practitioners and therapists are usually licensed and board-certified, and have to adhere to strict standards or protocols when dealing with patients or clients.  Life coaching – on the other hand – usually revolves around what exists in the PRESENT or FUTURE without much attention being put on digging up the past.

The MYTH that usually  surrounds this profession is that “life coaching” is somehow akin to being a therapist . . . but without a license.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

A real life coach will help you assess your current assets, skills, talents and other resources, then help you focus these resources towards a particular goal or dream.  Life coaches can either be certified or not certified, but they are always focused on what is possible, rather than healing what has passed.

There are 5 myths, actually,  that surround the art and practice of life coaching.

—-> Learn the Other 4 Myths about Life Coaching Here <—–

Finding Your Coaching Niche

To be successful as a Life Coach, you have to find and develop your NICHE, or specific field of coaching.  Otherwise, you run the risk of becoming invisible because you don’t address the SPECIFIC NEEDS of your ideal client.

Are you a weight loss coach?  Great – this is a niche, but also a very broad one.  Be as specific as you can.  Try “Niching” your field down a bit . . . say by becoming “The #1 Weight Loss Coach for Asian Women Over 50,” or something similar.

The FIRST thing you need to understand about any niche you choose, however, is the public’s perception of life coaches, and how you can meet and overcome these MYTHS and objections before promoting yourself in a big way . . .

—–> Here are the 5 Myths about Life Coaching <—–

Another factor any life coach should consider, as part of any effort towards success,  is CERTIFICATION.  While no one in the USA is required to be certified to start a practice, a life coaching certificate gives you more authority and “gravitas” when addressing prospective clients.  As a “certified life coach,” you automatically gain more respect, like you would if you were a published author or other known expert.

More on this later . . . Meanwhile,

To your continued success,

– Michael