Therapist as Life Coach
The Book “Therapist as Life Coach: Transforming your Practice” written by Authors: Patrick Williams and Deborah Davis is a splendid book that guides promising coach professionals. The book aims to aid potential executives that handle both stress management and guiding others to achieve self awareness and a balanced life. It is made to help out promising executives handle stress and at the same time achieve a well balanced life and self awareness.
The book discusses the purpose of coaching profession and their role in transforming lives. It contains various tips and tools in coaching and the transition from own personal interest towards expansion of one’s coaching ability and sharing it with others who need it the most. It gives much emphasis to roles of coaches and what lies ahead in the coaching profession.
Life coaching is powerful enough in the lives of human beings and how the relationship towards one another is shaped. Coaches are destined to help others face the future and move on from past failures. It is also the main responsibility of the coach to determine potential qualities of clients and how their brilliance can be utilize as powers for them to achieve a transformed successful life. The underlying contents of Therapist as life coach are considered to be adaptable and really powerful. The book is set to empower people who are gifted with coaching abilities. It is a means of sharing what you have without loosing your sense of profession.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the book
The book provides therapist almost all of the things that they need to know about coaching and coaching relationships. It includes practical advices that are very easy to follow. I believe that this is part of the strengths of the book. It carefully detailed the description of the coaching model as something that is more compatible with holistic medicine rather than the traditional psychotherapy. The coaching suggestions in the book are easier to follow rather than doing the stereotypical way of engaging in sessions of psychotherapy. The book is good in speaking about coaching and the role of coaches that lessens the awkward relationship between counsellors and patients.
The model is discussed in the book as something that is of great important in transforming the lives of both the clients and the coaches. One needs not to belong in the corporate world to be engaged in coaching sessions. It is mentioned in the book that coaching was only available for managers and CEOs in the corporate culture (Williams et. al., 2002, p.1). This is because it is considered as the only field that needs attention and change when it comes to performance success. But due to the fast changing events in the society, people are motivated and refuelled by experience to make a greater step and aim for more possibilities of gaining coaching careers. Coaching is considered as a life make over approach (Williams et. al., 2002, p.2).
Famous personalities like Bertman Fortgang and Cheryl Richardson was honoured in the book as top coaches who is a living proof of total transformation in the coaching profession (Williams et. al., 2002). Readers will be strengthened and empowered by the way stories of successful coaches are introduced in the book. The phenomenon of life coaching is totally transformed and it is spread worldwide (Williams et. al., 2002, p.2). The book gives advice on the role of coaches, does a person needs a coach and how to find one for them (Williams et. al., 2002, p.2).
Coaching along with its details, skills definition and the various techniques are described in the book. I was able to comprehend many things about the development of the coaching profession that sets them apart from a regular therapist. The continuous change in careers made a great impact in the availability of mentoring. Bigger companies need more coaches to serve employees. They will bridge whatever gap may arise and at the same time empower people to change and be successful. In coaching, one acts as a life therapist because it does not provide a temporary impact on the client’s personality. Coaches are tasked to keep individuals focused, connected and to live life base on purpose (Williams et. al., 2002, p.3).
I am fascinated with how the book was written. It has the holistic nature of coaching in general. Talking about the life coaching relationships, hiring a coach is not like psychotherapy. It is more than buying a friend whom you can talk with when you are depressed. Even normal people who are ill free can hire a coach for themselves. Coaching is building a deeper connection with your client which will help them be more confident of your capability. It is also one way of earning their trust so that they can relay to you every trouble that you are having. It is the main role of coaches in this world to define, reverse, restore and uplift one’s personality. Coaches are given a moral boost in this book because of the many ways that the profession is described in the book.
However the book also contains certain flaws which made it boring. There are some ideas in the book that are prolonged. For a lazy reader, it would be better to sum up the idea rather than elaborating the topic and make the idea vaguer. There were also parts of the book that made me a little disturbed. This is because of the idea that the coaching profession makes the facilitator the one who can renew souls of clients. It made me think if I can really stand up until the end in the coaching field but nonetheless, the totality of the book is superb.
Major Personal Insights Gained from the Book
I was able to gain knowledge on distinctive qualities of coaches that separates them from ordinary therapist or counsellors. I also gained more knowledge when it comes to different coaching types that are available for all people from different walks of life. It is cited in the book coaching types as follows:
(1) Relationship Coaching
(2) Teen Coaching
(3) Parenting Coaching
(4) Family Business Coaching
(5) Corporate Relationship Coaching
The book allows coaches to learn different techniques in coaching. It also allows readers who are in the non-coaching profession to seek for possible potentials in this field. “More and more people are getting more interested in having a life and a job at the same time” (Williams et. al., 2002, p.4). Coaches are change masters in the lives of people. It is also the role of coaches to stand up with their clients no matter how tough the situation may be. Life coaches are transforming the lives of clients in terms of therapy support in keeping them more motivated, focused, accountable and purposeful (Williams et. al., 2002, p.4).
The discussions in the book about the unique skills of trained and experienced helping professionals bring coaching relationships to life made me more driven. I was able to feel worthy of my career path and at the same time more than willing to take all the risks that is involved in my choice of field. I also gained insights on how a coach should view their job as client centered (Williams et. al., 2002, p.93). This way the idea that coaches are life therapist is always considered.
The industry of coaching/consulting is constantly booming every now and then. I for one can attest that it is the best way towards life transformation. A coach must learn how to listen, encourage and facilitate change in the client’s life. This book made me aware that therapies are not only given to mentally ill patients. It is given even to those who are not suffering from mental illness but wishes to maximize life’s potential. The book is also encouraging because I gained knowledge that coaching is not only focused on people but hence it also includes marketing know how. It gave me a total exploration of the coaching field.
The book restates the role of life coaches. Why they are considered to be coaches aside from therapies is also given more explanation. I believe that this gave me much favour as a staring clinical rotation counsellor. I believe that the book made my knowledge more deepened. The life of coaching relationship may not be as easy as one thinks but for me the book made me more than ready to do the job. Life coaching relationship is giving more favour on your client and not missing every chance for change (Williams et. al., 2002, p.65).
Reclaiming the soul of the coach is also given priority because it give more joy to coaching (Williams et. al., 2002, p.56). Coaches are expected to guide clients but they should also keep in mind that the experience and the professional knowledge should be equal with the spiritual aspect. The willingness to serve without sacrificing one’s self is a given fact on the book.
The book also instils courage on the personality of the coach and to have a firm conviction on the profession (Williams et. al., 2002, p.19). Since I am just on my starting point, the book gave me more courage tips on how to begin the job and how to not loose myself in the process. It also encourages the use of various skills like listening, giving good advice and contemplating on possible solutions
Personal and Professional Application of the book’s content
The book serves as an inspiration for me to imitate famous life coaches. The style fo Dave Ellis is one of the motivations that I gained from the book (Williams et. al., 2002, p.66-67). I believe that his story is very inspiring since he is more that just a coach. The influence of a coach is just like Ellis who focuses on electrifying lectures that can be carried out by clients all life through. Practice what you preach is the main point of Ellis (Williams et. al., 2002) He is one notable life coach that made me eager to apply his personal thought into my profession. It will benefit my clients and at the same time give me the same effect of gaining more confidence to be the best life coach. I believe that the authenticity of the coaching/counselling profession is further enhanced by the book’s content. I was able to determine several points to ponder and knowledge that will really aid me in future clients to work with.
I also learned how coaching made it through continuous evolution in the world of therapy and counselling. It can be traced from previous explorations of life coaches like the famous Carl Jung who is known for his analytical psychology (Williams et. al., 2002, p. 10-12). This gave me enlightenment in treating the profession more than just a job. The ability of a coach is more than the realms of the word therapy. It goes beyond life’s meaning and analyzes possible influence that can make or break a person. The capability of coaches cannot only be determined by using science and logic. Jung insists that a good coach must also utilize harmony and balance in assessing the needs of others (Williams et. al., 2002, p. 10-12). This can be best applied on my profession one’s I finished all my requirements. I affirm with Jung’s idea of analyzing the whole picture. This aids coaches in transforming not only the client’s needs and ideas but also combining it with the skills and knowledge of the coaches themselves.
I also earned that clients must coordinate with coaches at all times. It is also the responsibility of coaches to monitor their clients and carefully give them the service that they need. Coaches are not only made to cure the psychological aspects but the whole life as well. The effect of services rendered by coaches are expected to be authentic and based on mutual trust.
Major areas of interest in the book
Broad issues discussed on the first part of the book made me hooked on it. I am really proud of the profession itself upon reading the history of coaching and how the field made it through the years. I also fascinated by the fact that coaches are more than just therapist. They are armed to shape the lives of people. There are exercises in the book that made me more aware of my capabilities in coaching.
The coaching relationship will not be possible without the impact of the process to the client. I was also mesmerized by the fact that there are parts of the book that detailed the differences and similarities of coaching and therapy. It works on more than just for those who are suffering from mental illness. It also transforms lives even of the normal human being. The book is really made to develop readers both personally and as a coach.
The book also inspires graduates of other profession to search within themselves the potential of being a coach. Diversity of knowledge makes it more possible for life coaches to help people make a total transformation on life towards success. But then, change is not associated with magic that can make everything possible in a snap. Coaching despite of what profession you are in also requires hard work, persistence, focus and discipline.
Ingredients towards successful coaching relationships were also discussed in the book. This includes the basic coaching principles and how different types of clients made coaching really different from therapy. I feel good learning that there are different types of coaching which will make it easier for me to determine types of future clients and how to handle them properly.
The aforementioned discussion that deals with transition of professionals fro one field to coaching is quite lengthy in chapter III but it really helps. There are discussions that catch my whole interest because there lays the step by step process of the session. There is a discussion from the first contact with the client down to coaching agreement, how the individual session is structured and the fees to be collected. This ensures that the coach should be liable enough and does not violate ethical means in dealing with clients.
I also like the idea of how the book encourages readers to use effective questioning. It keeps the coaching profession a vital part in marketing the service and keeping it running towards life’s success.
Overall, the book is indeed focused on how special coaching is. It is unique and opens up gates of opportunities from all people regardless of the profession that they have. What matters is the way the coach was able to coach the client and make life a success.
Reference:
Williams, P & Davis, D. (2002). “Therapist as Life Coach: Transforming your Practice” New
York: W.W Norton & Company Inc.