If you are considering coaching, you may be wondering what it's all about. After all, the world is full of psychotherapists, consultants and mentors, not to mention friends and family members who are willing to offer their advice and opinions, so what's different about coaching?

One of the benefits of working with a coach instead of a friend or family member is the coach doesn't have any stake in the outcome. That way you are not dealing with potential agendas that others may have for you. A good coach will work with your agenda and your value system, without imposing her own.

Coaching is different from psychotherapy in that coaching is focused on setting goals and developing action plans for achieving those goals, whereas therapy focuses significantly on emotions and internal processes. Emotions may come up from time to time in a coaching session but they are not the focus of the session. Sometimes, it may be necessary to work on certain issues in psychotherapy that first came to light during a coaching session. In that case, it is certainly possible to continue coaching if you choose to, or you may find you want to hold off on coaching for a while until you resolve your issues with a therapist. Good coaches are comfortable telling you when what you are dealing with is out of their league. If a coach mentions the idea of therapy, it is generally a sign she is dedicated to your wellbeing and knows her limits.

Coaching is different from consulting in that consultants generally have a knowledge base and experience in an area in which they help trouble shoot by assessing problems and offering strategies for solving the problem. A coach does not need to know anything about the field of the problem because a coach helps you come up with your own solutions. Why would you need another person to help you come up with your own solutions? Because coaches are trained to help you where you are stuck. A coach can help you shift your perspective so you can move beyond your current limitations. A coach is also a great sounding board, brainstorming partner, cheerleader and accountability buddy.

Coaching is different from mentoring in that mentors generally offer their knowledge and experience to someone who is new to a particular field. Although mentors do get a great benefit out of mentoring, the transmission of knowledge is primarily in one direction, from the mentor to the student.

Generally speaking coaches often offer to help you design your dream life, create fulfillment and live up to your potential, but what does that really mean? Those are all great abstract ideas, but how does a coach actually help us turn these ideas into reality?

The primary tools for coaching are listening and asking questions. Not just any questions, but questions designed to help you see things in a different way and notice options you may not have recognized before. Often it is difficult to see the forest for the trees in your own life, but someone else who doesn't already know you may have lots of questions about what you do, how you do it and why you do it that way. As simple as it sounds, answering very basic questions about your root assumptions will generally lead you to you a little "aha" here and there, and before you know it all those abstract ideas about fulfillment and potential can become a reality.

A coach also offers feedback to help keep you on track. It's like having a navigator at your side. You are the captain. You set the destination. Sometimes, it's simply easier and more fun to get there with a little support.

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