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Life coaching is a practice of assisting clients to
determine and achieve personal goals. A coach will use a variety of methods,
tailored to the client, to move through the process of setting and reaching
goals. Coaching is not targeted at psychological illness, and coaches are not
therapists (although therapists may be coaches).
With roots in executive coaching, which itself drew on techniques developed in
management consulting and leadership training, life coaching also draws from a
wide variety of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, career counseling,
mentoring, and numerous other types of counseling. The coach applies mentoring,
values assessment, behavior modification, behavior modeling, goal-setting, and
other techniques in assisting clients. Coaches are to be distinguished from
counselors, whether counselors in psychotherapy or other careers.
Coaches in life should be selected for their proven skill in a given area which
would match the arena in which a person would like to improve. This will
maximize the effectiveness of coaching. Just as one would hire a basketball
coach to improve their basketball game, one would seek a coach who has
demonstrated leadership in said skill. It is important for an individual seeking
a coach to research the coach's experience in a given arena: business, society,
family, education, etc. [explained in further detail below]
A second approach to coaching involves finding a mentor, paid or not, with whom
you personally connect and from whom you are able to receive constructive
criticism. A coach should be able to give clear, concise directives which
stimulate creative ideas by which you can move forward to achieve your goals. If
this occurs, then the specific background of the coach may not be as important
or relevant as their ability to facilitate focus, maintain hope, and build
motivation.
Then there's this guy.....
A Musing Man
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