What should you know before you sign up for coaching?
There are certain things you need to understand and know before you hire a life, business, or corporate coach.
Coaches are not therapists; they are not mental health professionals. Coaching is NOT therapy. Coaches are trained to listen, observe, identify needs, elicit strategies, solutions, and actions from a client, and customize the approach to the individual client’s needs. A therapist, on the other hand, focuses on a client’s emotional side and behavior and uses different of communication methods to help improve your inner monologue or make a positive impact on your mental health. If you do need therapy, a coach will refer you to a therapist to deal with any issues you may have separate from the coaching relationship.
Furthermore, coaches cannot make you take an action (no one can), and they do not have control over what you do or do not. In coaching, you will be held accountable for the commitments or promises you make, if you choose this kind of approach. A coach’s responsibility is to work with you to eliminate any kind of fears you may have, support you, and give you tools that will help you be successful if you choose to do so. But eventually, you will need to do the work, you will need to take actions and achieve the results you want. So if you hire a coach and expect that coach to do all the work for you, you probably do not need coaching.
Finally, confidentiality is a must. A cornerstone of an effective coaching relationship is trust. Therefore, conversations will remain 100% confidential unless another agreement is made to set boundaries around what will and will not be shared or there is a risk of physical harm to self or others.
