Choosing a life coach doesn’t have to be difficult, but it’s important to take your time. Fortunately, Emotiquo helps to make the task a little easier. Simply by browsing the online content and filtering coach profiles, you can get a good idea of who you might connect with and who specialises in life areas you’re interested in. Here is a handful of basic considerations to use as a checklist when looking for a coach.
- Do you need a life coach or a mental health professional?
This is important. If you have been diagnosed with a mental illness, or you suspect you are experiencing a clinical disorder, you must seek the services of a trained medical professional for treatment. Unless otherwise stated, life coaches are not trained nor qualified to diagnose or treat mental health conditions. - Find a coach that specialises in your life area.
Most people look for a life coach when they’re struggling in a specific area of their life. It could be relationships, family, career or perhaps just how they’re fitting into today’s world. Whatever the reason, find a life coach that specialises in the life area in which you need help. - Look for trained and certified coaches.
Life coaching is still an unregulated industry and as such, anybody can call themselves a life coach regardless of adequate training or accreditation. We encourage you to independently verify a coach’s training and certification, but Emotiquo gives you a start. Profiles include Training & Certification, and all coaches are required to declare at least one completed and approved training course as part of their registration. In addition, profiles displaying a ‘Green Tick’ have had their nominated certificate/training manually verified by Emotiquo. - Discuss methodology and techniques.
Different coaches have different approaches, techniques and styles, and it’s important to discuss the coaching process and anticipated outcomes. For example, does the coach use a structured, staged, set program, or do they use a more fluid, dynamic, customised approach? What coaching techniques do they use (e.g. guided meditation, affirmations, NLP)? And what modalities do they focus on (e.g. visual, auditory or kinaesthetic)? You do not need to know everything, however a brief discussion up front can be useful in addressing any potential differences in a prospective coach/client relationship. - Ensure you have good chemistry.
Life coaching is a special partnership between you and your coach. As such, good rapport, trust and understanding are critical to a productive outcome. You can only gain so much insight through a profile, emails and messages. We encourage you to have verbal conversations with several coaches before making a choice. You want to find someone who can understand and relate to your situation, but also shares similar values, ideas and even good humour. It’s important to feel comfortable that you can open up to this person and reveal your authentic self. - Find a local coach.
Although proximity is not critical, face-to-face meetings can be beneficial in building trust and rapport. Good online alternatives include Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime , and other mediums where video is enabled. At the very least, we recommend finding a coach in your own country or time-zone for the convenience of scheduling appointments. - Find a coach within your budget.
Always view life coaching as an investment in your future well-being, prosperity and happiness. But, never stretch yourself beyond what is affordable and comfortable for you to enjoy the process. And be sure to agree on rates, length of engagement and any other terms and conditions before signing with a coach.
