Comparison of Life Coaching with Counselling
I am a life coach with a particular specialism in working with people suffering from stress, anxiety, low self esteem or related difficulties, so there is some overlap with counsellors in the client group that I coach. A number of clients have come to me after having counselling and not finding it to be particularly effective.
The approach that I offer tends to be different from that offered by most counsellors and has a practical focus. I teach relatively simple effective strategies to help you solve problems and overcome negative
thought patterns which can leave you feeling under
pressure. In life coaching sessions client's satisfaction ratings with relevant areas of their life have increased by up to 500% by the end of a coaching programme.
Whereas people in the past might have turned to a counsellor to assist
with dealing with anxieties or stresses, many are now turning to specialist coaches
such as myself for the following reasons:
- The best life coaches use techniques for problem solving and helping people which have been shown by research to produce results. I have been trained in cognitive behavioural techniques which research confirms are effective in dealing with stress, anxiety, panic and depression. These techniques are also proven to be helpful in dealing with negative thought patterns.
- Some counsellors or psychotherapists focus on exploration of painful past experiences in their sessions with clients. By contrast, most life coaches work in a pragmatic way helping clients to move forward, focusing primarily on how to create a brighter future for you rather than delving into a painful past or difficult emotions.
- Some counsellors and psychotherapists have an indefinite number of sessions with clients stretching over a long period, sometimes years. This may not be cost effective. I and many other life coaches are willing to provide a short series of focused sessions where this is appropriate.
- Life coaches focus on getting results and on clarifying and achieving the outcomes their clients want. Counsellors and psychotherapists are sometimes more concerned with establishing why you feel the way you do. It is a natural tendency if you are feeling anxious, for example, to wonder why you are feeling that way and to think that if only you could understand why, then you would be able to do something about it. However, a preoccupation with trying to find out why can be a symptom of depression or anxiety rather than a route to the solution for it. It can lead to excessive soul searching and introspection which is sometimes counter productive.
- Life coaching provides a balanced approach to follow - it is holistic, being concerned with a person's whole well being and way of life not with one topic alone which can make it difficult to see the wood from the trees. By focusing too much on the why of current problems, counselling and psychotherapy by contrast can sometimes lead an individual into a high a level of introspection and into forgetting that there is a wider world.
- Counselling
and
psychotherapy are usually carried out face to face, whereas life
coaching has the benefit of being done over the
phone usually. Advantages of telephone sessions are:
- If you are meeting someone face to face, there are potential risks to your security which are not present over the telephone.
- It is important for the effectiveness of work that professional boundaries are maintained between professional adviser (whether counsellor or coach) and client. Telephone sessions facilitate the setting of effective boundaries as there is no need to address boundaries issues that can arise from the physical proximity involved in face to face sessions.
- Telephone sessions are not so time consuming as face to face meetings because no travel to and from the session is required
- Geographical distance is not an issue with phone sessions - a service can be provided across the UK and internationally.
How do Telephone Coaching Sessions Work?
Coaching sessions last for up to 1 hour and work by you calling me at an agreed time when I guarantee to be available - the call is to an ordinary UK landline. We will talk through your issues and at the end of the session we will agree specific actions for you to try out to help you resolve the issues you want support with. Where appropriate I may suggest additional coaching ideas or exercises for you to help you progress further or more effectively.
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Information about Life Coaching
For information about the telephone life coaching service that I offer please click on the link below:
Life Coaching - Find Out More