Life Coaches

[yesthattom]

I’m thinking about getting a Life Coach. I hear there are some that are over-priced therapists or unemployable therapists, but others have a larger organization behind them and use psych tests and other diagnostic tools to get started and guide the advice. I’m looking for someone in that latter category. Any suggestions? (if you have someone you would like to recommend in private, email me plz)

Comments

[mrfantasy.livejournal.com]

I'll do it!

[mrfantasy.livejournal.com]

Okay, that was silly.

But, I will dispense some advice. What is it that you're looking to work on? From my vantage point (and I do have some perspective here) your life is pretty darn good right now. I'm not saying you shouldn't continually be aspiring for improvement, but if you're trying to fix something that isn't broken I'm guessing that's an opportunity to be exploited by a less-than-good life coach.

Of course, I'm immediately skeptical of any sort of person selling personal fulfillment, so my biases are coming through here. The hardest part of self-improvement is the "self" part, and you have to have that in order before seeking external help, so much so, perhaps, that you could just do it yourself.

[kimberlogic.livejournal.com]

I do have someone to recommend - highly - kjc007
She doesn't have a larger org behind her but she is really amazing.

[n5red.livejournal.com]

Considering that I've been taking a lot of your advice on how to improve my life, I'm totally lost for suggestions. However, I am VERY interested in what you learn about the subject.

[cinema-babe.livejournal.com]

Hello, Random Internet Stranger here! I take a slightly different view. I think that when one's life is (seemingly) going well is one of the best times to take stock of one's values and goals and asses if the direction your life is taking is in sync with them.

I must admit, though, I tend to be a bit chilly on the concept life coaches in general. I tend to see them as "therapist light". IMO, you could do the same sort of work in a short term (6-12 week) relationship with a therapist.

One of my big concerns with life coaches is that, unlike therapists, there are no set standards, several competing professional organizations and little to no oversight.

Whatever you decide, the most important thing is to go into it with some clear ideas of what you want to get out of it. Good Luck!

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

Kind of freaky how you managed to write a comment that was almost word for word my reaction. :) Especially the part about grabbing the chance when life is going well to plan and assess for the future to make things even better. Amen.

yesthattom, if the reason you are thinking of a life coach rather than a therapist is because you perceive of what you want to accomplish as not being therapist fodder, one thing I would suggest is to figure out what specific area you are trying to seek guidance for, and then find a professional organization with standards and oversight that might help with that. I.e. financial planner, professional organizer, career advisor, etc. If there is any one particular area of your life that feels like the road block to where you want to be next, perhaps working on it specifically would help.

If you decide to go that route, or if you decide to see a therapist, I recommend both my therapist and my professional organizer very, very highly. :) (Which assumes that I'm remembering correctly that you live in the New York metro area.)

[kimuchi.livejournal.com]

OMG, is there a professional organization that can put me in touch with a professional organizer?! I didn't even know there was such a thing.

This is why I read Tom's journal, his friends are smart. ;-)

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

Yup. The National Association of Professional Organizers (http://www.napo.net/). I'm working with one right now from the New York chapter, and she is changing my life. :)

[rampling.livejournal.com]

I read a book on decluttering, and they repeatedly mentioned Professional Organizers, so they just shortened it to "your P.O.". Which I kept repeatedly reading as "parole officer" -- couldn't help myself! Kept cracking me up!

[babbage.livejournal.com]

Well, I read a great book which advised me to write down my goals as an initial step in achieving them. I did; about a year later, I found I'd achieved all three of my 12-month goals. As the book comments somethere I think, writing them down forces you to figure out what they are, and visualising them helps you to figure out both what does/does not contribute to this and to recognise opportunities.

OK, ass-kissing over.

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

A woman I worked with when I was right out of college is now a life coach. Her web site is http://www.heywhatsnext.com/

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Dawn from Drew (CLA '90) has a life coach who she likes a lot--do you have her email address?

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

What specifically are you looking to accomplish? There are some things that life coaches do best, there are some things that therapists do best, and then there are areas of overlap.

[kjc.livejournal.com]

Hey Tom, I was just catching up on my friend's list when I read this. And Kimberly already recommended me. Yikes.

I am learning to be a life coach, but I'm not really good at it yet. I also haven't really put together my kit with regard to tests and related diagnostic tools. But here's some informed, if unsolicited advice:

- Find someone who understands IT (the few friends I have who've been to life coaches found that they don't seem to understand the somewhat unique pressures of an IT lifestyle; the overall experience was therefore not terribly helpful)
- Commit to at least 6 sessions; there will come a point early on where you'll probably want to chuck it, because it's a lot of work - unless you're coach is a tool (in which case, find another), stay with it for at least 6 sessions to give yourself time to thoroughly work through the hard stuff
- Any other advice I might give you seem sort of obvious things like, find someone who treats you as an individual, especially when reviewing your responses to tests or forms, rather than a "type" (as in "type G gets treatment R")

I talked about the difference between therapy and coaching with my mentor once, and she made an excellent point: "Therapy is about looking at your past; coaching is about looking at your future."

A note to other folks commenting in this thread: coaches are pretty different from therapists (having been both in therapy and coached). They're much more goal-oriented and organizationally minded.

Good luck!

[kjc.livejournal.com]

Oh man! I made my most hated typo ("you're" for "your"). And I left the 's' off seems.

Duh.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

Besides the already asked "What are you looking for?" also be prepared with "what's the best way to get this?" Life coaches are unique in that they might work in the in-person-for-30-to-60-minutes paradigm, but they also work in others - say, daily emails or twice-weekly 15 minute phone calls. Or even chat.

I hope you find what you seek. You know my number if you want to call; I know firsthand that while others may see you as a superstar with a great life, appearances can be deceiving.

[geeksdoitbetter.livejournal.com]

last time i spoke with amara, she was becoming a life coach

would it be awkward for you to contract with her professionally?

[arfur]

You might want to look into goal-setting partners. Instead of having a therapist (with certain assumptions and other possible stigmas) or a life coach (with lack of regulation, new wage problems, etc), you are co-accountable to another person for figuring out your own goals, sticking to them, and doing the same for the other.

Plus, free.

(I unfortunately don't know good references, as I only know a friend who has gone that route.)