Professional Coaching
Something for Everyone
by Brenda Miller
The Profession of Coaching has become one of the hottest career paths in America. A result of this is that the title coach has more meanings than it ever did before. Therefore there is more confusion than ever before about exactly what is the role of a coach. Those searching for something more in their lives often want to know how to identify a Professional Coach from someone who’s decided to use the title coach because it’s a great buzz word. Hopefully, the following article will shed some light upon the matter.
Who Works With Coaches?
The types of people who want to work with Professional Coaches are people who are interested in any one or more of the following:
· want to stop self-defeating behavior
· are interested in learning about their purpose in life
· want to learn and grow
· are exploring new career paths
· want to have someone forthright and objective in their lives who can be a sounding board and a friend
· are seeking deeper spiritual connection
· want to develop their skills and talents to get better than they are at present
· are in transition of any kind
· want stronger relationships
· want abundance and prosperity
· want to enjoy better health
Becoming A Professional Coach
In order to become certified as a Professional Coach, a person must either graduate from an accredited school of coaching or take courses and exams that are approved by an organization that sets the rules for accreditation. One such rule-defining organization is the International Coach Federation (ICF), the professional association of personal and business Coaches that seeks to preserve the integrity of Coaching around the globe. It’s been said that the ICF is to the profession of Coaching what the American Medical Association is to the profession of medicine. Certified Coaches are required to adhere to an established code of ethics, standards, and ways of being.
If you are in doubt, ask an individual if she is certified as a Coach as opposed to having merely taken on the title of ‘coach’. A Certified Coach will welcome the question.
Once a person becomes a Certified Coach she often chooses a niche market to focus upon. The Coach often adds a connotation of that niche to her title. Thus Personal, Success, and Life Coaches may focus upon their clients’ personal growth, health issues, improving interpersonal relationships, making more money, or some combination of all these. Such Coaches often work independently. Business and Executive Coaches focus more on peak performance on the job, employee and/or employer related issues, and often find their clients within the walls of Corporate America. Don’t be deceived by titles though, because often the distinction between Personal, Success, and Life Coaches is blurry; many times those titles are interchangeable.
Coaching vs Psychotherapy
The difference between Professional Coaching and Psychotherapy is that while Coaching can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. Although many Coaches know a great deal about human nature and relationships, it is not the job of a Coach to figure out a client’s behavior, delve into his past, or ask him a lot of ‘why’ questions. It is the job of a Coach to assist him to identify his goals, make sure his goals are in alignment with his values, and help him develop strategic actions and thinking processes that will move him toward achieving those goals.
As part of the process, a Coach will assist him to identify where he gets stuck, how he sabotages himself, what motivates him. Together, the Coach and he establish a plan of action, and the Coach holds him responsible to do the things he commits to doing, and to be the best version of himself.
Different Types of Coaches
The difference between a Professional Coach and other coaches is that other coaches come to client sessions with a set agenda or goal. For example, a sports coach wants her goals to become her client’s goals. Those goals are usually competitive and involve concepts of ‘client wins/opponent loses’. Another example is a singing coach. She has a ‘way to do it right’. Coaches who coach whatever they are teaching or training are invested in their clients doing things their way –the coaches’ way –what they say is the right way.
Opposite from this, the Professional Coach comes to client sessions with no personal goal or agenda for her client. The Professional Coach’s only goal is to honor her client’s goals and keep him on track with his commitments to fulfill those goals. Each meeting she focuses on what her client deems important, assists him to deepen his leaning, and plans with him how he can take actions to move forward toward his goals.
No matter what a Professional Coach calls herself, her intention is to coach each client as a whole person, and she assists her clients to attain balance.
If you are seeking a Professional Coach, go beyond his or her title. Ask for a sample session to see if you feel comfortable and can imagine being in a coaching partnership with this person.
Certified Professional Coach & Radical Forgiveness Coach, Brenda Miller, coaches people to feel fulfilled, peaceful, and prosperous as they move toward peak performance, success, and forgiveness of self and others. She alternatively refers to herself as life Coach, success Coach, personal Coach - AND she attracts clients who are executives, business owners, artists, healers, entrepreneurs, homemakers, retirees. These people work inside Corporate America or from their homes – and some dont work at all. Brenda coaches people all over the world in person or on the telephone. You can reach Brenda at 206.529.8282 or visit her at www.brendamiller.org
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