Life coaching - what's it all about?

Ever more popular, but what exactly is life coaching? This short article will hopefully shed some light on it for those of you considering this approach to moving forward...

Life coaching aims to empower people to make, meet and exceed goals across their chosen areas of life. The focus is on what you want to get out of life, what areas you are dissatisfied with, and where you would like to see yourself in the future. If you have struggled to know where to start with a goal, are at a cross-roads in life, or find it hard to stay focused and motivated then life coaching could help!

Life coaches gently encourage you to explore how to make positive changes in your life, offering support and feedback, and holds you accountable to the goals you set to help you to stay focused. Through questions and exercises you will build a picture of how you see the world and identify the most effective routes to your goal.

Life coaching is different from therapy - which traditionally supports people experiencing mental health difficulties - as it focuses more on the future to encourage personal-development and self-improvement. There are many people working as life coaches from all different professional backgrounds, with no specific training that indicates how competent someone is in the role - so when considering contacting a life coach do make sure you research them thoroughly - word of mouth recommendations are great if possible, testimonials/online reviews, or other recognised qualifications may help in making that decision.

Importantly, life coaching uses core psychological principles, providing you with the tools and support to confidently face difficult situations and push past barriers that were keeping you stuck. The aims is for you to learn to adjust the limitations of your current perspective on things; challenge and reflect upon current ideas which helps you to move forward feeling empowered. Interested? Contact Dr Keyes to discuss!