Category: Help and advice

What is Life Coaching?
Life Coaching is a way of providing people with personal support that is committed to their success and development. The coach is someone who will make a difference in the client’s life by supporting them and by encouraging their personal and professional growth.

The coach helps the client identify where they are now, where they want to be and how to get there; and then keeps them on track until they achieve their goals. It is important that the life coach does not impose their own ideas on the client as it is about asking the right questions to draw the solutions from the client.

Life coaching is not about being a therapist, mentor or counsellor, it is not about looking back into past experiences or emotional issues. Equally it is not a short-term measure to cope with a trauma.

• Life Coaching is a temporary relationship between two people, the coach and coachee
• The relationship depends on commitment from both parties
• Life Coaching is a holistic approach and considers all aspects of the coachee’s life and situation
• Life Coaching is action driven and the outcomes that derive from those actions are more important
• Life Coaching’s goal is to assist clients to define and achieve their goals.
• Life Coaching is looking forward and creating a desired future.

What is Counselling
Counselling is focused on the past as a way of making sense of the present. It is largely about explaining emotions, feelings and reactions, and the experiences that combine to make us the people we are. It is based on the premise that by understanding an event, and working through the associated emotions, we can reduce its power and move nearer to fulfilling our potential as human beings. In bereavement counselling, for instance, the client will be encouraged to untangle the complex mix of emotions they have about the death. By identifying the feeling, and giving it expression, it loses its power. Life coaching, in contrast, focuses almost exclusively on the ‘here and now’ and the future.

• Counselling is a temporary relationship between two people
• Counselling will assist in uncovering root causes of problems
• Counselling is focused on building self awareness
• Counselling is a talking therapy
• Counselling’s goal is to help the client to cope on their own
• Counselling is looking back to bring the client up to the present.

The Difference’s
So now you know what they both are, the differences are:

Focus
Life Coaching is looking to the future and oriented around goals.Counselling is looking back and uncovering past events and working to get some understanding and to reduce the power of the emotions associated with them.

Objective
Life Coaching’s objective is to assist clients to define and achieve their goals.
Counselling’s Objective is to help the client to cope on their own.

What can they do for me?
A life coach works to create a future in some of these areas

• Relationships
• Parenting
• Career planning
• Confidence
• Motivation
• Starting a new business
• Performance
• Stress
• Finances
• Time Management
• Motivation
• Self Esteem
• Creating an exciting future
• Sport
• Life

A counsellor helps clients in some of these areas

• Bereavement
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Eating Disorder
• Bullying
• Mental Health Issues
• Infertility
• Anger

Please note this is just a sample what both of these roles do and they both do a lot more. This blog is just a start for you to be aware of the differences. If you want to know anymore about Life Coaching or would like to train as a Life Coach, please get in touch on 07876 578055 or email june@thoughtitude.co.uk.

If you would like to more about Counselling here is a link to the NHS Page www.nhs.uk/conditions/counselling/

Enjoy your week!

June

Research also suggests that children laugh 200 to 300 times a day and yet as adults around 12 to 15.

I wonder where have all our laughs gone and what is it we were laughing at when we were younger?

Perhaps we’re talking life too seriously?  Co-developer of NLP, Dr Richard Bandler says “seriousness causes stupidity.”  It’s funny that whenever I’ve mentioned this in a corporate setting, people begin to laugh – often a little nervously – not wishing to be seen as stupid.  This is when they realise that it is up to them to develop themselves, whether through more knowledge or recognising the ability to have a different viewpoint of a situation and gain more knowledge.

During laughter blood pressure is increased but after a good laugh the resting rate is lower, so blood pressure comes down after a laugh as much as 5-7mmHg, which is significant.

Social connection when we laugh together in a group and make eye contact, we feel a real connection and this lifts us up emotionally, physically and spiritually. We are gregarious people and laughing together banishes feelings of loneliness, makes us feel better and improves our mood.

So, getting back to the heart of the matter!  Of course, if you’re pursuing any kind of personal development, you’ll want to be able to put your heart into it, and yet, if you’re learning what you want to learn, it will be fun and often create huge amounts of laughter too – which is only good for your health and well being.

We love ensuring that when you come on one of our courses, we will ensure you are at the heart of our training, there’s plenty to put your heart into and laughter is guaranteed.  It’s actually good for your health!

So here is a nice quick exercise that you can run through yourself so that you see things from another perspective.

Set up 3 positions in your mind, the
First Position – Is through your eyes (Self)
Second Position – is through the other persons eyes (Other)
Third Position – is through an observer’s eyes (Observer)

You in the self’ position ask yourself the following questions to get clarity on the issue.
‘Who are you having an issue with?’
‘What is the issue you wish to resolve with this person’
‘Can you remember a specific occurrence?’
How is this a problem for you?
What is something that (other) is good at?

Now you are in the ‘other’ position.

Imagine what is going on for (other) at this moment. Step into their thoughts and feelings. Imagine you are (other)

Then ask these specific questions to get insights:
‘So (other), what is going on for you in this situation with (self)?
What is (self) doing in this situation?
‘…and what else?’
‘How does that make you feel (other)?’
‘What is (self) good at?
What is something you admire or respect about him/her?’

Now you are in the third person (Observer) position and think about someone neutral from whom you would take advice?’

Just imagine you are (observer) for a moment. Think how (observer) thinks.
Ask these specific questions:
‘What behaviours do you notice in (self)?’
‘What behaviours do you notice in (other)?’
What is something you respect in (self)?’
What is something you respect in (other)?’

Now go back into the first person (self).
‘What did you learn from this experience?’
‘And what else did you learn?’
‘How will you behave differently in the future?’