1 What is life coaching, and how does it differ from therapy?
Life coaching is a solution-focused form of support, grounded in the present and firmly oriented towards the future. While psychotherapy often explores why past suffering occurred in order to heal psychological wounds, coaching focuses on how: how to move through a turning point, overcome a limiting belief and put an inspiring life project into practice. A certified life coach makes no psychiatric diagnosis, working instead with people seeking clarity, energy and action.
2 The coaching method: a structured session framework
A coaching programme usually runs for a defined period of six to twelve sessions, held a fortnight apart. The practitioner uses powerful questioning frameworks such as GROW: Goal, Reality, Options and Will. Each meeting helps formulate measurable, realistic SMART goals, take stock of talents and inner resources, and devise concrete action plans supported by practical exercises to try between sessions.
3 Key situations: life transitions and alignment with values
Life coaching is particularly relevant during a career change, a change in marital status, a loss of motivation or recurring difficulty managing time and priorities. Coaching restores self-confidence, teaches ways to overcome procrastination and encourages a better-balanced life in keeping with one's fundamental values.
4 Coaching ethics: no curative purpose and appropriate referral
A certified life coach respects a clear ethical boundary: their role is not to treat psychiatric illnesses, profound depression or personality disorders. When they identify distress requiring clinical care, they have a duty to refer the client to a qualified physician or psychologist, potentially working alongside them once the patient's condition has stabilised.