“Maybe it’s the final
“Oprah-fication” of America. Suddenly it seems ‘life coaches’ are all over
the place. Lost in your career? Get a life coach. Lost touch
with your mojo? Life coach. Want a big turn or tune-up? Life
coach. You put down the cash and the life coach goes to work.
Teasing out your dreams, your desires. Getting you on track to get
there. The challenge may be at work, may be at home. Maybe
both. Some therapists worry life coaches are getting into their
terrain. There used to be a stigma. Maybe not now. This hour
On Point: we’re looking at the boom in life coaching.”--Tom Ashbrook
Tom Ashbrook
hosted a discussion today on National Public Radio’s On Point that featured Genevieve Smith, author
of a recent article in Harper’s Magazine on life coaching. Other guests included Allison Rimm, a management consultant and life coach, and
David Ley, a clinical psychologist.
The program
produced more heat than light, I am afraid.
Only Rimm seemed to have a clear concept of the difference between
counseling and coaching, although several callers reported the positive experiences
that they have had with being coached.
Coaches certainly have a long way to go in explaining what they do to
the general public.
Valid
questions were raised if not completely answered: What is the boundary between counseling and
coaching? How are issues of
confidentiality and liability handled?
Why aren’t coaches regulated in the way that therapists are? How much training should one expected of a
person who is a practicing coach? When
you employ a coach, aren’t you just “hiring a friend”?
I engaged in
some of the dialogue through online posts.
Some of the give and take in the thread dealt with the role of coaching
for believers. I did not have the
opportunity to respond to the following comment online:
“But how, specifically, do you think that Religious
Faith advances work goals in life--which are often the primary services that
Life Coaches offer?”
If I could have responded to the question, I would
have pointed out that Christians are called to embrace a holistic approach to
life that encompasses work, family, lifestyle, and spiritual growth. God has given us the stewardship of our
lives, a stewardship that is informed by who we are as children of God. If coaching can be applied to one’s work
life, why should it not be applied to all aspects of our lives? Coaching encompasses more than just executive
development (which seemed to be the primary emphasis of this program).
I don’t advertise myself as a “Christian” coach,
but I am a Christian who does coaching,
As such, my beliefs and values inform the coaching that I do without
having to impose those commitments on others.
Coaching offers a great deal to those who are
willing to engage in the process. One of
the challenges for coaches is how to communicate that most effectively.
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