You are the only expert on you!
I searched Twitter for "life coach" and saw several tweets disparaging life coaches. One of them posed the question, "What make life coaches think they're the experts?"
There are people out there calling themselves life coaches who have never been trained in the coaching process. A good life coach knows she is NOT an expert on anything but the coaching process. A good coach understands the the only expert on you is YOU. A good coach will ask thought-provoking questions to guide you to the answers that already exist in you.
An ethical life coach will ask you what you want, not tell you what you should want. She will offer resources, but not dispense advise. There will be a beginning, middle, and end to your work with a life-coach based on the goals you set for yourself. Since life coaching is meant to be client-driven, an ethical coach will not tell you when he wants to see you; you will set the frequency of your visits. The exceptions to this might be specific programs designed for specific goals, like fitness or weight-loss coaching.
Trained life coaches spend more time listening than talking. Good coaches see your strengths and weaknesses, potential problems, and blind spots. They have right level of empathy to ask questions that will bring you clarity and a new persepctive. The objective of the coaching process is to empower you and move you forward.
Copyright ©️2016 by Gina Manskar