Should Coaches Also Offer Counselling?

Author: Olivia Stefanino

| Posted: 30-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 3 | Rating: (50)

(?)

Related Videos

Play

How to Avoid Swimming Pitches

Coach Gilman offers a tip on how to practice to avoid a...

Play

How to Use Backboards for Other Sports

It's not just for tennis! Coach Joe Dinoffer offers training opportunities for...

Play

How to do a Tennis Racquet Drop Drill

Coach Joe Dinoffer offers another reaction drill, this one involving a tennis...

Coaching is about helping the client achieve his or her goals and objectives - and as such is future paced. What's happened in the past is of no importance, right?

Wrong! Now, I'm aware that there are thousands of coaches out there who have already started frothing at the mouth. That's their prerogative. I'm just speaking from personal experience - built up from working with hundreds of clients for nearly a decade.

As I've said many times before, most clients aren't aware of the boundaries between coaching, counselling and consultancy. They simply know that they either need - or want - help. In what form that help arises is of little importance or interest to the client, providing of course they can see that they're getting to where they want to be. For some it's about achieving a particular goal while for others it's about letting go of something in order to be free to reach their full potential.

It's been said that roughly half the population is motivated by the carrot, while the other half require liberal use of the stick. And in the same way, while some people are indeed future-oriented, there are a good many whose focus in life is on where they've come from, rather than on where they're going.

Imagine for a moment, a "timeline" of your client's life. For the sake of ease, we'll assume that the past is on the left and the future on the right, with the present moment being in the middle.

When it comes to dealing with issues from the past, a counselling approach has to be more effective. Helping the client find out why they do what they do and then offering them the opportunity (through their own choices) to change their behaviour is the only way to help them stop sabotaging their best efforts. It's like getting the benefits of an "emotional detox" if you like.

And of course, when it comes to setting and achieving goals, coaching provides focus, encouragement and support.

But the real point of power is in the present, as anyone who's read Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" already knows. We take action in the "present" and it's the actions we take TODAY that dictate our success or failure in the future.

People choose to work with a coach because they know that when they've tried to achieve a particular goal in the past, they've failed. They've come to recognise that with the support of a coach, they're more likely to succeed.

What's been sabotaging their previous attempts? Often, it's the ingrained thoughts and beliefs that they've picked up as children - usually subconsciously.

Until these are dealt with, the client remains at a disadvantage. It's similar to a patient with a broken leg. Common sense tells us that the bone must be reset before any physiotherapy programme begins!

And while we may not be dealing with broken bones, as coaches we're in the business of beliefs, attitudes and choices - and it's up to us to ensure that our clients have a secure emotional structure in place before we begin helping them move towards their goals. Just because emotions aren't visible doesn't mean that their impact isn't just as intense.

Of course, if we're going to widen the umbrella of coaching to include an element of counselling, then the appropriate training must be in place! I am absolutely NOT advocating that untrained, unqualified and uninsured coaches are let lose on an unsuspecting public. And I'm also not suggesting that clients who want to achieve greatness should find themselves bogged down in years of therapy for past issues.

But what I do feel strongly about is that when clients' past emotional issues are preventing them from succeeding in their future aims and objectives, then there must be a case for helping them deal - swiftly and effectively - with their emotional baggage.

Suggesting that they go and seek help elsewhere is an abdication of duty. (Of course, it pays to be discerning and if you're out of your depth, you must refer your client on - but this should be an exception and not the rule. And let's face it, most people who find themselves in a life threatening predicament don't opt for coaching in the first place, so in reality it's less of an issue than you might expect!)

Finally, it's not about making our clients reliant on us but instead we must ensure that when we're offering coaching, we do so with a fully stocked toolkit!

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags: Counselling, Coaching, Reiki, Life Coach, Therapist, Therapists

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/should-coaches-also-offer-counselling-400089.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

Author & Coach Olivia Stefanino is Principal of "The Quantum School for Therapists". Join today and receive

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

Is it Time for Coaches to Offer a Guarantee?
By: Olivia Stefanino | 29/04/2008 | Self Improvement
Self Improvement related articles

What is the Goal of Coaching?
By: Reza Hossein Borr | 07/10/2008 | Coaching

Why You Must Understand Your Own Value!
By: Olivia Stefanino | 31/08/2008 | Self Improvement
Self Improvement related articles

Success is a Journey - Enjoy the Ride
By: Margaret Cowles | 19/09/2007 | Entrepreneurship

Hypnosis by Phone – Does it Really Work?
By: Tracey Burchard | 02/06/2008 | Coaching

Talents! a Remarkable Untapped Phenomenon
By: Bill Dueease | 26/08/2008 | Motivational

Accepting What is
By: Carey Powell | 18/09/2008 | Self Improvement
Self Improvement related articles

Why a Success Coach?
By: Shelley Herzog | 23/04/2008 | Business
Business Articles, learn about busines - An organization created with the objective of making a profit from the sale of goods or services.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Release of a player
By: djbr1383 | 14-09-2008
If a child is already playing with a team can he be released by coaches to play with some other team in conference?

Learn real estate investing
By: larryking | 11-09-2008
Where can I get information about learning to invest in real estate?

Wher can i find staffing guidelines for the ...
By: al87vette | 25-08-2008
Wher can i find staffing guidelines for the required number of therapist per linac in radiation oncology

Web counselling
By: rose | 24-08-2008
I got eamcet Medical rank 16561 ,i wanted to attend web counselling shall i get seat in MBBS,BDS seat,how to attend the web counselling my Mobile No.9247369696,9912755363

States d,nt require to have license to work as PTA ...
By: mk | 21-08-2008
states d,nt require to have license to work as PTA in USA?

States in which i d'nt need to give exam to get ...
By: mk | 21-08-2008
States in which i d'nt need to give exam to get license as pta i mean state in which there is no state bord required?

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Self Improvement Articles

The Truth Why so Many People Fail With Self-help Programs
By: Barry Share | 11/10/2008
There are thousands of self-help or life improvement programs for sale everyday world wide, so why is it that of those that are sold, 99% of the purchasers will not achieve their hopes and dreams.

Life Balance and How to Get Yours
By: Kym Robinson | 11/10/2008
If your life has gotten to the point where it seems there are endless demands on you, you will feel stressed out, frazzled, and fatigued. You need to de-stress by balancing out your life.

The Most Important Discipline of Employee Motivation
By: Bob Urichuck | 11/10/2008
Employee motivation can be an easy task especially when the team leader demonstrates the appropriate disciplines. The simple disciplines encourage employee motivation to happen naturally. The wonders of "monkey see, monkey do" approach. Find out how you can have the most important discipline of employee motivation

Death by (electronic) Chocolate
By: Denise Ryan | 11/10/2008
This article gives tips on how to feel less overwhelmed and stressed out by our increasingly demanding lives.

How to Make Time for Self Meditation
By: Lee Boniface | 11/10/2008
One of the areas of meditation that seems to come up again and again is do I really have the time to meditate? In this article I look at by turning around your way of thinking by illustrating the value of meditation, can make it seem as though the time is suddenly there.

It is All in the Plan!
By: Ursula Knecht | 10/10/2008
Have you ever wondered why the things you want the most in life take so long to achieve. Then because it's takes so long to achieve it, you just give up and start on something new.

Getting More Out Of Life With Life Coaching
By: Koz Huseyin | 10/10/2008
Are you a goal setter? Are you a self starter? Do you feel geared for success? In life we find that coaches are present wherever there is high performance. From business men and woman to actors and actresses, and even athletes, they all rely on coaching. As you read this article, you will discover how life coaching can transform your life for the better.

Expect the Unexpected When You Learn to Meditate
By: Donald Mitchell | 09/10/2008
In this article, I describe how learning to meditate led me into unexpected learning.

More from Olivia Stefanino

So, You Want to Write a Book - But You Don't Know Where to Get Started?
By: Olivia Stefanino | 31/08/2008 | Writing
Few would disagree that one of the quickest ways to elevate your career is to write a book on your "subject" - but if the whole idea has your knees knocking like jelly, then you'll definitely want to discover the quick and easy route to becoming an author...

Why You Must Understand Your Own Value!
By: Olivia Stefanino | 31/08/2008 | Self Improvement
If you're like most therapists, you'll find that because you love what you do so much, you're happy to give it away for free! This is a very big mistake...

Does Anyone Understand How Coaches Set Their Fees?
By: Olivia Stefanino | 02/08/2008 | Self Improvement
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I celebrated my birthday recently - and as a Gemini, it's all too easy to see both sides of the argument! So, help me out here - because I've been wondering about how coaches actually decide what to charge their clients

How to Stop Fear Getting in the Way of Speaking in Public
By: Olivia Stefanino | 01/08/2008 | Self Improvement
As the old adage goes, "More people are scared of speaking in public than are afraid of dying!" If you're one of those people, don't worry, with these ten tips you'll soon have them eating out of your hand...

Sometimes it Pays to Fire Your Clients!
By: Olivia Stefanino | 30/07/2008 | Fitness
Have you ever wondered whether some of your clients are actually more trouble than they're worth?

Is Coaching the Way to Beat the Threatened Recession?
By: Olivia Stefanino | 30/07/2008 | Business
With more news coming in every day about companies hitting the wall, it's fair to say that even if we manage to escape a full-blown recession, it's going to be a pretty bumpy ride for the next few months, if not years...

Discover Why You Absolutely Have to Specialise..
By: Olivia Stefanino | 01/05/2008 | Self Improvement
If you know that your soul purpose is to help others and yet you're having difficulty finding the right clients, then you're being given a gentle spiritual nudge!

Is There Really Less to Coaching Than Meets the Eye?
By: Olivia Stefanino | 01/05/2008 | Self Improvement
As hot debate continues to rage over the thorny issue of what actually comes under the umbrella of "coaching" and what falls outside its remit, it's time to start being honest with ourselves...

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.22, 16)

Should Coaches Also Offer Counselling?

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Self Improvement Articles

More from Olivia Stefanino

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter