Life Coach UK: The Practical Psychologist
The life coaching industry is huge. But, you need to be careful. Insufficient training in psychology and behavioural science can result in damaging outcomes. This article helps you understand this industry and make a good choice before leaping into coaching and mentoring sessions.
The Practical Psychologist is a group of highly skilled and experienced Coaching and Clinical Psychologists. We coach clients globally via our online service.
Hire a life coach?
Working with a business coach, confidence coach or life coach is now commonplace. This is a popular personal development option. The rise of online coaching platforms and video conferencing mean that choice is greater than ever. Coaches come from various backgrounds and career interests; HR, sports, and project management.
The estimated worth of the coaching market exceeded $2 billion in 2019 (1). But there is a dark side to this profession. This sector's large size is partly due to a lack of regulation. Anyone can start an online coaching business, and many people do.
There are many well-intentioned individuals out there. But, the lack of registration and licencing means you may fail to realise the full potential of coaching work. Few career coaches have formal training in relevant disciplines (e.g., behaviour change).
Research tells us that the most effective coaches are well-trained with excellent interpersonal skills and competently manage emotional elements of sessions (2).
What is coaching?
Let’s expand on the above definition and talk more about what a coach actually does.
Top life coaches will identify a specific goal aligned with personal or professional development objectives. Vague statements like enhance personal growth can leave you chasing your tail, not knowing what you’re trying to achieve or why it matters.
Flexibility is important. You need to know when and how to pivot to another goal. But, there must always be an initial game plan.
Examples of specific goals:
'Reduced anxiety' might be the goal to address nervousness when talking during a work meeting
If lost for words at social events, you may want to 'speak more frequently at parties'
'Reducing social media use' might be a goal associated with decreased procrastination.
A coach's general approach will depend on their training and experience. But you should expect an assessment in the first session. This process should cover:
Completing a clear problem description
Identifying a clear goal (or goals) to achieve
Discussion about a step by step action plan
Alarm bells should be ringing if a coach doesn't cover these points.
Following a problem description, I look for psychological barriers that hold people back from their goals. We then target these barriers with proven, practical techniques.
People usually know what they should do, but something stops them from taking action. These 'invisible barriers' of unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns are often to blame. A good coach identifies these barriers, then puts a plan in place to eliminate them.
Be wary of the career coach who promises fast results. Rapid progress is possible in some circumstances. But some issues take time and effort to resolve. Every person and problem is different.
A coach needs the ability to adapt to individual circumstances.
Best life coaches
To summarise, here’s what to look for in a coach:
A solid background of formal training in psychology and behavioural science
Skills in communication and emotion management
Extensive expertise working with the issues you bring to sessions
Someone who takes a clear, structured approach to well-defined personal goals
Someone you feel comfortable around and form a good working relationship with
Successful life coaches know their limits. Look for someone who acknowledges this and refers you on to additional expertise where required (e.g., personal trainer, psychologist)
Find a life coach
With the rise in online therapy services, there has been an increase in virtual coaching sessions. Some of the major coaching organisations have searchable practitioner databases. You can also search online using terms like 'career coach near me'.
Working online gives you more choice. But you have to be comfortable working virtually. Face to face sessions may be your preferred option. Choose the best format for you.
Most importantly, do your research. Ask a coach about their training, approach, and experience. A coach should be familiar with your difficulties. You also need to feel comfortable with the person.
The fit between two people helps promote a successful outcome.
References
(1) https://medium.com/journey-to-self/coaching-the-big-boom-and-challenges-of-the-still-expanding-industry-5d503ab11a4b
(2) Lai, Y-L., & McDowall, A. (2014). A systematic review (SR) of coaching psychology: Focusing on the attributes of effective coaching psychologists. International Coaching Psychology Review, 9(2), 120-136.