If you're going through a divorce, a life coach may be able to help you get through the pain and set new life goals for yourself. A life coach is not a therapist. However, a life coach can be a partner that guides you through identification of your life goals and helping you identify and take the steps needed for you to achieve them.
To get the most from your experience, you have to be able open your heart to your coach, according to several coaches who spoke with Divorce360. You have to be able to trust that what your coach tells you is in your best interest. However, coaching is an unregulated profession, which means anyone can call themselves a coach -- so you also need to be careful.
“It’s important to educate consumers in how to make a wise choice when hiring a personal coach,” said International Coach Federation President Kay Cannon, who is an ICF master-certified coach. Here are tips to help you choose a personal coach with the credentials, experience and expertise to help you:
1. Ask if they adhere to a Code of Ethics.
“That guarantees confidentiality and means they have pledged to act only in your best interest,” said Cannon. (See ICF ethics code below.)
2. Ask if they have coach specific training.
Coaching requires specific competencies and different coaching schools have different philosophies. Find out where your coach developed those competencies and learn about the philosophy behind his/her coach training.
3. Ask if they have experience in the particular area you want coaching in.
Cannon thinks having a coach with experience in the subject you’re seeking coaching on can be beneficial. This is particularly true when seeking a coach to help you through divorce.
4. Interview, interview, interview.
Most coaches will give a complementary 10 – 15 minute coaching session. Cannon recommends that you start by interviewing coaches and then work with the top three or four in a complementary coaching session to pick the one that “fits.” “It’s important that there be good chemistry between you because that allows trust,” Cannon said.
5. Ask for references.
Natalie Tucker Miller, president of the International Coaching Association, recommends that you ask for references. While coaches are confidential about releasing information, most coaches have several clients who are willing to talk about the value they have received from coaching. “By checking references, you can help assure yourself that you’re hiring a good coach,” Miller said.
