Personal Development Life Coaching

Life Coaching is a valuable process for those individuals seeking personal development. Simply stated, life coaching is not a basic need, but life coaching can bring added value to an individual’s life.

Think of everything in your life you do not need, but have substantially benefited from. For example, a real estate investment which provides additional income, an exercise and nutrition program that help you loose weight and become healthier or tutoring sessions that improve your child’s grade. These examples can be considered as investments in oneself or their loved ones.

What is Life Coaching?

Life Coaching is a process that can rapidly transition people from where they are at present to where they want to be. InDiGo life coaches define life coaching as a systematic process to self-development and personal growth.

Life Coaching Is

• Forward looking
• Solution-oriented
• Action-oriented
• Co-creative
• Highly effective and dynamic
• Introspective

What follows are some basic differences between the Life Coaching and Therapy Professions

• Therapy takes the individual from dysfunctional to functional.
• Coaching takes the individual from functional to exceptional.
• Therapy will treat, fix or diagnose a problem/disease.
• Coaching guides clients to finding the answers within themselves and do not provide treatment.
• In Therapy there is an authority figure that usually tells the client what to do.
• In Coaching there is no authority figure and the client and the coach work together in a co-creative process.  The coach is a catalyst that guides the client towards discovering or uncovering his/her abilities.

What are our Life Coaching clients saying

• “I never thought one session could be so empowering, I now have a direction for what I need to do next.”  Dentist
• “The coaching sessions provided me with techniques to grow my legal practice.”  Lawyer
• “My life coach has helped me to unveil what was already deep within; I have found my inner self.”  Mental Health Practitioner

The emerging field of life coaching has been featured in many media outlets such as The NBC Nightly News, Donahue, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS, Newsweek, USA Today and the New York Times.

The New York Times article: Get A Life or Get a Coach, written by Paul B. Brown, January 7, 2006, stated: "It seems coaching, which typically lasts an average of only six months, is catching on as the ultimate in ultraquick life improvement; a newer, faster, seemingly better option than traditional therapy, which sounds perfect for entitled twentysomethings raised on sound bites, high disposable incomes and instant messaging."

USA TODAY article: Get Out There and Win! By Karen S. Peterson, August 6, 2002: Life Coaches are a new option for the worried well—those whose lives are slightly askew. No longer do they need a diagnosis from a psychotherapist who delves into painful past. These guides give clients the confidence to get unstuck – to change careers, repair relationships or simply get their act together.

Also, there has been research that demonstrates the effectiveness of life coaching. The University of Sydney, NSW and Australia conducted a research study on the impact of life coaching on goal attainment, metacognition and mental health. The study revealed that participants in the program were associated with enhanced mental health, quality of life and goal attainment. Life coaching has promise as an effective approach to personal development and goal attainment, and may prove to be a useful platform.

The information above provides a description of the differences between the practices of Therapy and Life Coaching. Nothing contained herein is meant to replace a licensed Therapist or a qualified Mental Health Practitioner.