Degrees:
This varies. Some life coaches have advanced degrees in counseling, psychology, business, or other areas, and some don’t. Some are certified, but there is currently no set legal standard for certification within the coaching field, so this is a variable term as well. This means that there is also greater variety in coaching styles.Experience:
Again, this varies.What They Can Provide:
They can help people improve their lives or personal performance in a specific area like stress management, business, weight loss, personal relationships or other areas. Focusing on the present and the future, they can help you gain self-knowledge, create more effective goals, help provide a plan and framework within which to go about accomplishing them, be a partner in your journey, and provide resources and information to help.What They Can’t Provide :
They can’t provide psychological therapy, so if you have more serious emotional issues within yourself or interpersonal conflicts that need to be examined, a past you need to work through before you can move forward, or unconscious self-defeating patterns that keep cropping up, you might be better suited to look for a therapist.How They Compare To Other Professionals :
They typically charge rates similar to or less than counselors and therapists. They can help you over the phone and via email, so you have more options in who you see and when you see them, and can save commuting time. Coaching sometimes provides quicker results, as it typically addresses more surface-level concerns than therapy. However, if your problems are rooted in your emotional patterns or subconscious functioning and can’t be addressed by coaching alone, your coach may refer you to a therapist.
