Why a coach?
Benefits of Coaching
The International Coach Federation describes in their article, "Benefits of Coaching" (June 2011), that individuals can gain the following benefits from coaching.
There are many valuable, practical benefits associated with professional coaching. Individuals who engage in a coaching relationship can expect to experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles.
Consistent with a commitment to enhancing their personal effectiveness, they can also expect to see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of personally relevant goals.
According to the 2009 ICF Global Coaching Client Study, companies that use or have used professional coaching for business reasons have seen a median return on investment of seven times their initial investment. Individual clients reported a median return on investment of three times their investment.
Coaching can help with a variety of goal areas. Below are findings from the 2010 ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study.
Top 5 Reasons for Being Coached
- Optimize individual and/or team performance
- Expand professional career opportunities
- Improve business management strategies
- Increase self-esteem/self-confidence
- Manage work/life balance
The Difference Between Coaching & Psychotherapy
While there are some similarities between coaching and psychotherapy, they are very different activities and it is important that you understand the differences between them. Psychotherapy is a health care service and is usually reimbursable through health insurance policies. This is not true for coaching. Both coaching and psychotherapy utilize knowledge of human behavior, motivation and behavioral change, and interactive counseling techniques. The major differences are in the goals, focus, and level of professional responsibility. If either of us recognizes that you have a problem that would benefit from psychotherapeutic intervention, I will refer you to appropriate resources.
The focus of coaching is development and implementation of strategies to reach client-identified goals of enhanced performance and personal satisfaction. Coaching may address specific personal projects, life balance, job performance and satisfaction, or general conditions in the client’s life, business, or profession. Coaching utilizes personal strategic planning, values clarification, brainstorming, motivational counseling, and other counseling techniques.The primary focuses of psychotherapy are identification, diagnosis, and treatment of mental and nervous disorders. The goals of psychotherapy include alleviating symptoms, understanding underlying dynamics, and changing dysfunctional behaviors. The psychotherapist often has a significant degree of power in the relationship due to the emotional vulnerability of the client.
The relationship between a life coach and client is specifically designed to avoid the power differential found in psychotherapy. The client sets the agenda and the success of the enterprise depends on the client’s willingness to take risks and try new approaches. The relationship is designed to be more direct and challenging. You can count on your coach to be honest and straightforward, asking powerful questions and using challenging techniques to move you forward. You are expected to evaluate progress and when coaching is not working as you wish, you should immediately inform me so we can both take steps to modify the process to better serve you.
