When you have a problem that is too big to handle alone, it's best to seek out help.
Sex addiction, gambling addiction, trauma therapy; there is a specialist that is trained to handle any sort of malady or monkey that may be on your back.
However, when you're in and out of counselor appointments and therapy sessions it's easy to become disillusioned.
With so many therapist working different philosophies on treatment and procedure, some people have been seeking out more proactive methods of treatment.
That is where a life coach comes in.
A life coach does exactly what it sounds like.
They take a more proactive role in your life than a counselor or therapist.
A life coach will talk with you to find out exactly what it is that you want to achieve and then pushes you to achieving that goal through direction and questions rather than invasive therapy with minimal progression.
If you have been struggling with a gambling addiction, an effective leader will discuss ways to keep you away from casinos and empower you to rise above those urges rather than employing couch sessions and soft exercises that will merely give you more time to live out your addiction.
This emphasis on "coaching" vs.
"advice" is fundamental to the essential qualities of a successful and impactful experience.
The distinction is that in "coaching," one will work towards a goal with the tools that his subject has available.
"Advice" is suggestions and tips given by a person coming from a seat of knowledge.
Advice can be useful to many people; however, advice is not for everyone.
Advice is not specialized; advice cannot deal with problems immediately, as it does not directly address a situation.
It is through this adaptable method of direct problem solving that life coaching finds its strength.
This adaptability translates to the life coach itself in how they are usually trained or educated.
Being that this is such a new and unconventional profession, there are not many accrediting programs currently in place outside of professional organizations like the International Coach Federation (ICF).
The nature of the work does not require any specific knowledge or credits, but does require experience.
A life coach needs to come from an honest place of experience and empathy to best suite their client's needs.
That is why a life coach who has seen and experienced a wide variety of people and problems will usually be best.
Also, many of the people who are part of this new breed of professionals tend to synthesize therapy techniques and psychology to supplement their proactive approach to treatment.
These life coaches tend to be on the cutting edge of their practice and have many more tools at their disposal when it comes to treatment.
If you're feeling stagnant in your life, or you find yourself staring down a monster of a problem that you don't know how to overcome, consider a life coach.
Their unconventional methods and specialized approach could be the formula for success where so many other treatments have failed.