More and more of my friends go to meetings with a coach. Is coaching really a cure-all?
Your question seems perfectly legitimate. You are right, for several years the word coaching has been abbreviated by all cases, wrongly used as a synonym for training, counseling or even "new therapy". In fact, well-conducted coaching can help with many difficulties in professional and personal life, but it is based on the client's willingness to change. Without this element, the process seems unfounded.
Who is a coach?
The basic principle that guides this trend of personal development is the assumption that the client is not broken and does not need to be repaired. It is the client who has all the resources and wisdom to overcome the difficulties that are the subject of his coaching. A coach cannot advise or give ready-made prescriptions. He is to accompany the client in reaching the best solution, support in discovering and developing the resources that will make it possible.
There are many types of coaching, depending on the areas I deal with, but the two main ones are: "business coaching" and "life coaching". An issue often discussed in sessions is the goal and all that is related to it.
What is life coaching?
The common denominator of clients who use life coaching is the accompanying feeling of pointlessness or even stuck in a dead end, the feeling that they do not know what they want and where they are going. Often, clients come to sessions with a specific goal in mind, then most often there is a need to check whether the initially declared goal is actually theirs, and not, for example, a response to the expectations of others. Another difficulty that often appears during sessions is the so-called straw enthusiasm, i.e. a situation in which the client has his goal, but usually does not reach it, and wants to look at, for example, his motivation or resources that will help him reach the finish line this time. It also happens that the client knows what he is trying to achieve, but has no idea how to do it. The main difference between life coaching and professional coaching does not lie in the method, because the method is the same, but in the primary motivation to undertake the process.
What is business coaching?
Usually the sponsor in this arrangement is the boss, who treats coaching sessions as investments in the employee, it is often associated withpossible promotion. The topics most often taken up in this situation are the new role or even professional identity. Well-conducted coaching is an excellent catalyst accelerating the effective implementation of new tasks by an employee. Coaching is also an effective tool for developing adaptive skills, managing a company, a specific team, exploring client's resources, etc. Knowing and improving one's abilities, changing attitudes, behavior and beliefs - these topics usually appear at professional sessions.
Coaching is an effective and fairly quick tool that helps the client to make a change or achieve a specific goal. However, it should be remembered that it is not the same as therapy, training, counseling or mentoring. In conclusion, coaching is not a remedy for everything. His task is to extract from the client those resources that will allow him to take responsibility for his decisions and plans, showing that he is an expert in his life.
Remember that our expert's answer is informative and will not replace a visit to the doctor.
Patrycja Szeląg-JaroszPsychologist, coach, personal development trainer. She gained professional experience working in the field of psychological support, crisis intervention, professional activation and coaching.He specializes in the area of life coaching, supporting the client in improving the quality of life, strengthening self-esteem and active self-esteem, maintaining life balance and effectively dealing with the challenges of everyday life. She has been associated with non-governmental organizations in Warsaw since 2007, co-runs the Center for Personal Development and Psychological Services of the Compass
More advice from this expert
Is coaching good for everything? [Expert advice]What is coaching and what is training? [Expert advice]The girl does not want to return to Poland. How am I supposed to talk to her? [Expert advice]How to regain trust in men? [Expert advice]How to deal with lying to loved ones? [Expert advice]How to cope with the expectations of the environment? [Expert advice]How do you talk about the need for engagement and stability? [Expert advice]How to recognize low self-esteem? [Expert advice]How to find a passion that will become a new profession? [Expert advice]How to organize remote work performed at home? [Expert advice]Another betrayal of her husband. I do not recognize him and do not know what to do [expert advice]The teenager and sadness, tearfulness and being influenced [Expert's advice]Unwanted pregnancy and suicide [Expert's advice]Partner wrote with other women: what to do with jealousy and low self-esteem? [Expert advice]ResolutionNew Year's Eve: How to find motivation to exercise? [Expert advice]Stress in pregnancy [Expert advice]Stress at work. How to deal with a mad boss? [Expert advice]My boss is sending me to coaching [Expert's tip]Difficulty moving, pain, depression. Where to go for help [Expert advice]A trip for the sake of a relationship and longing for work, family [Expert's advice]Malaise, anger, aggression of a teenager after difficult experiences [Expert's advice]