Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute of Life Coach Training

Personal and professional coaching, which has emerged as a powerful career in the last several years, has shifted the paradigm of how people who seek help with life transitions find a "helper" to partner with them in designing their desired future.No matter what kind of sub-specialty a coach might have, life coaching is the basic operating system: a whole-person, client-centered approach.Here, Pat Williams, who has been a leader in the life coaching movement, has co-authored another essential book for therapists working as coaches. Becoming a Professional Life Coach draws on the wisdom of years of collective experience that have gone into designing the curriculum for the Institute for Life Coach Training. This curriculum has trained therapists and psychologists around the world to add coaching to their current businesses. This book presents the essential elements of life coach training program in a content-rich form that is equivalent to a graduate-level education in the field. Personal and professional coaching, which has emerged as a powerful career in the last several years, has shifted the paradigm of how people who seek help with life transitions find a "helper" to partner with them in designing their desired future. No matter what kind of sub-specialty a coach might have, life coaching is the basic operating system: a whole-person, client-centered approach. Here, Pat Williams, who has been a leader in the life coaching movement, has co-authored another essential book for therapists working as coaches. Becoming a Professional Life Coach draws on the wisdom of years of collective experience that have gone into designing the curriculum for the Institute for Life Coach Training. This curriculum has trained therapists and psychologists around the world to add coaching to their current businesses. This book presents the essential elements of life coach training program in a content-rich form that is equivalent to a graduate-level education in the field. Master-certified life coaches with the Institute for Life Coach Training, founded by Williams, introduce life coaching as an "operating system" for helping people navigate life transitions. After reviewing the history of this new profession, they discuss the skills entailed; distinctions between coaching, consulting, mentoring, and therapy; defining/refining life purpose; and dealing with obstacles by developing "flexible optimism." Chapters drawing on eclectic sources (e.g., poets, psychologists, The Purpose-Driven Life) include frequently asked questions, exercises for both coaches and clients, and resources

Personal and professional coaching, which has emerged as a powerful career in the last several years, has shifted the paradigm of how people who seek help with life transitions find a helper to partner with them in designing their desired future.