About Certified Life Coaches
Life coaches are professionals who assist people in overcoming obstacles in their lives. A life coach is not a cheerleader or a boss, but more of a trained listener who can guide clients to understand themselves better, what their goals are and where they may be blocked from achieving those goals. Life coaches can help with career problems, relationships and personal growth issues that might involve such things as weight loss or shyness. They are not necessarily degreed or licensed, but they do receive training from a variety of sources.
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Certifications
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Certified life coaches may receive training from a slew of schools, online training programs and associations. Each offers a certificate to graduates who can then utilize the certificate to authenticate their background and begin marketing their services. There is no governing body over the life coaching industry, and each program offers its own set of accolades. For example, the Coach Training Alliance utilizes professional life coaches as well as other educators to teach specific sources in corporate and life coaching as well as master coaching classes, with a certificate in each. The Life Coach Institute bills itself as a "prestigious life coach training organization."
Marketing
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A life coach certificate is easily obtainable through a variety of online training programs. Each markets its own services with various pricing options. The Life Institute charges $3,850 for its life coach certificate and offers a $3,000 scholarship to qualified applicants. Life Coach College has a program for $4,995. As the field of life coaching becomes more popular, it is important for a life coach to receive a certificate in order to remain competitive.
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Curriculum
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Life coaching is a part of the personal growth/self-help industry that has seen tremendous growth in publishing and public speaking arenas. A life coach curriculum typically includes extensive training in listening and communication skills. Life coaching brings out skills in practitioners such as empathy, empowerment and intuitiveness. Training often includes spiritual guidance and counseling techniques. Many of the online life coach courses also include information about how to start and market a life coaching business.
The Work
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Certified life coaches work primarily over the phone, while the initial assessment may take place in person. The client fills out a questionnaire to give the coach an idea of the client's situation. Goals are set, and the coach describes the process. Coaches do not become friends with clients. Instead, they often challenge clients to live up to their own expectations. A coach often serves as a reminder to the client of the goals set and helps to point out ways and means to achieve the goal. As a trained listener, a coach should detect the obstacles that are hampering the client's success. Often a coach can help a client to understand underlying desires. For instance, a client may believe she wants a promotion and instead discovers through coaching that she's in the wrong business altogether.
Continuing Education
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After receiving a life coach certificate, coaches may add additional certificates to increase their offerings. Courses are available to expand a business in areas such as executive coaching, specialized coaching for doctors and medical professionals, Christian coaching and metaphysical healing coaching. A master coach has undergone extensive training and can typically charge more for the 30-minute telephone coaching sessions. Coaches attend seminars and workshops to stay up on current techniques and to gain continuing education credits.
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