Becoming a Life Coach

How to become a life coach, life coach certification, and promoting your life coaching practice

Recently, a lot of my clients and colleagues have been asking me about life coaching: What do I think about it? Do I know any good coaches? How are life coaches accredited? Are life coaches helpful? I decided to create this page for those of you who have questions about life coaching, how to become certified, and which problems are well-suited to coaching.

What is a life coach?

Life coaching is a future-focused practice with the aim of helping people determine and achieve personal goals. Life coaches use multiple methods that will help clients with the process of setting and reaching goals. Coaching is not focused on "treating psychological illness" or "diagnosing mental health problems." According to a survey of coaching clients, "sounding board" and "motivator" were the top roles selected for a coach. Clients are looking for a coach "to really listen to them and give honest feedback."

Life coaching has its roots in executive coaching, which itself drew on techniques developed in management consulting and leadership training. Life coaching also draws inspiration from disciplines including sociology, psychology, positive adult development, career counseling, mentoring and other types of counseling. Contemporary life coaching can also be traced to the teachings of Benjamin Karter, a college football coach turned motivational speaker of the late seventies and early eighties. The coach may use mentoring, values assessment, behavior modification, behavior modeling, goal-setting and other techniques in helping their clients. Many life coaches have backgrounds in business, education, and psychology that they are able to weave into their coaching practice to help certain types of clients.

How do I become a life coach?

You can become a life coach by completing training online. I recommend the program offered by CEUpros.com for three reasons. The first is that I was part of the team that selected the materials, so I believe in the quality and caliber of the training materials themselves. I selected the books for the series with a team of coaches, therapists, and psychologists, so I whole-heartedly believe this series will teach you what you need to know to become an effective life coach. Secondly, the program is self-paced and completely online - so you can complete your course of study as quickly as you like. This makes it ideal for people who want to transition from one career to another while working during the day. Coaching is also ideal for any stay-at-home parent! When you complete the series of six classes at CEUpros.com, you will earn your certificate of completion in life coaching, so you can say you are a certified life coach (CLC). The final reason for my recommendation is that the program is affordable - at only $400 for the series, it is one of the best values available. If you do decide to pursue your training through CEUpros.com, don't hesitate to contact me and ask for some guidance and advice; I'd be happy to help you.

From CEUpros.com: "Life coaching is quickly becoming one of the most popular professions. Many therapists are turning to life coaching as a way to boost their incomes and revitalize their practices. In this series, you complete 6 book classes designed to teach you everything you need to know to start a successful life coaching practice. Upon completing the series, you will be sent a formal certificate of completion to display among your credentials, showing that you're a certified coach."

Is there any formal licensing or credentialing that comes with being a life coach?

Government bodies have not found it necessary to provide a regulatory standard for life coaching, nor does any state body govern the education or training standard for the life coaching industry; the title of "coach" can be used by any service provider. Multiple coaching schools and training programs are available, allowing for many options (and sometimes causing confusion) when an individual decides to gain "certification" or a "credential" as they apply to the coaching industry. Multiple certificates and credential designations are available within the industry.

To be clear, there is no agency that licenses coaches. Many organizations would like to believe that they are "the" agency that accredits coaches, but no state or federal board exists that decides who can or cannot be a life coach. This is in contrast to someone who is a licensed clinical psychologist. To use the title of psychologist in the state of California, you must have earned a doctorate degree from an accredited institution, successfully pass two licensing exams, and complete 3000 hours of supervised training. Then the state of California bestows upon you a certificate that indicates you are a licensed psychologist. There is no process like this for coaches.

Some assert that life coaching is akin to psychotherapy without restrictions, oversight, or regulation. The State of Colorado, after holding a hearing on such concerns, disagreed, asserting that coaching is unlike therapy because it does not focus on examining nor diagnosing the past. Instead coaching focuses on effecting change in a client's current and future behavior. Additionally, life coaching does not delve into diagnosing mental illness or dysfunction.

After I become a coach, how do I start my practice? How do I promote myself?

There are a number of things you can do. You can advertise locally, in a community newsletter or publication; you can advertise online through a Yahoo, Google, or Facebook ad; or you can partner with a psychologist or therapist who has clients they can refer to you.

I collaborate with several coaches and am happy to refer many of my clients to them. After someone has graduated from therapy, they often can use follow-up from someone who will help hold them accountable, and this is how I like to utilize life coaches.

I see the greatest opportunities for coaches online. Many licensed therapists are not able to practice online or across state borders, so this is an area where coaches can flourish. In recognition of this, I have partnered with some colleagues to create FeelBetterNetwork.com.

On FeelBetterNetwork.com, you can create a professional profile, upload your bio, description of what types of clients you like to work with, and even offer your services online. One of the most popular tools Feel Better Network offers is Feel Better Live, which is a private live chat between you and your client. During a Feel Better Live chat session, you and your client chat in your own private window; with the client paying by the minute through PayPal.com. A basic professional listing on Feel Better Network is completely free; expanded listings start at $20 per month and you can read more details here: Professional Packages for Life Coaches.