Life Coach London
 
 

Life Coach London: The Practical Psychologist

We are a group of Coaching and Clinical Psychologists vastly experienced in successfully guiding people through various personal and professional challenges. The coaching industry is a real minefield. Many underqualified people are over-promising and under-delivering using untested methods.

The Practical Psychologist is a reliable, competent and effective alternative. Our online service is convenient and accessed by people worldwide. Book your free meet and greet now.

We have provided some information below to help you make an informed decision when hiring a coach.

Hire a life coach?

Working with a coach is now commonplace. This is a popular personal development option. The rise of online coaching platforms and video conferencing mean that choice is greater than ever. Coaches come from various backgrounds and career interests (e.g., HR).

The estimated worth of the coaching market exceeded $2 billion in 2019 (1). But there is a dark side to this profession. This sector's large size is partly due to a lack of regulation. Anyone can start an online coaching business, and many people do.

There are many well-intentioned individuals out there. But, the lack of registration and licencing means you may not realise the full potential of coaching work. Few career coaches have formal training in psychology.

While there are board-certified coaches, you still have to do background checks. Research tells us that the most effective coaches are well-trained with excellent interpersonal skills and competently manage emotional elements of sessions (2).

Coach definition

First, a few basics. 

A coach’s primary role is to help you achieve your personal or professional goals. Goals may be performance (e.g., improve appraisal scores at work) and/or wellbeing-orientated (e.g., building confidence).

Whether individual or group coaching, practitioners should add something new and valuable to the goal-pursuit process. Coaches should also apply psychological thinking and skills in a clear, structured manner. Any coaching should be based on a reputable evidence-based ‘model’ of practice (e.g., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness). In other words, you should know what a coach is doing and why they are doing it.

This transparency holds a personal coach accountable and helps clients understand the approach being taken.

What is coaching?

Top life coaches will identify a specific goal aligned with personal or career development objectives. Vague statements like enhance personal growth can leave you chasing your tail, not knowing what you’re trying to achieve or why it matters.

Flexibility is important. You need to know when and how to pivot to another goal. But, there must always be an initial game plan.

Examples of specific goals:

  • 'Reduced anxiety' might be the goal to address nervousness when talking during a work meeting

  • If lost for words at social events, you may want to 'speak more frequently at parties'

  • 'Reducing social media use' might be a goal associated with decreased procrastination.

A coach's general approach will depend on their training and experience. But you should expect an assessment in the first session. This process should cover:

  • Completing a clear problem description

  • Identifying a clear goal (or goals) to achieve

  • Discussion about a step-by-step action plan

Alarm bells should be ringing if a coach doesn't cover these points.

Following a problem description, we look for psychological barriers that hold people back from their goals. We then target these barriers with proven, practical techniques. 

People usually know what they should do, but something stops them from taking action. These 'invisible barriers' of unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns are often to blame. A good coach identifies these barriers, then puts a plan in place to eliminate them.  

Be wary of the career coach who promises fast results. Rapid progress is possible in some circumstances. But some issues take time and effort to resolve. Every person and problem is different.

A coach needs the ability to adapt to individual circumstances.

Summary of key attributes

To summarise, here’s what to look for in a coach:

Beware of the bad life coach!

  • A solid background of formal training in psychology and behavioural science

  • Skills in communication and emotion management

  • Extensive expertise working with the issues you bring to sessions

  • Someone who takes a clear, structured approach to well-defined personal goals

  • Someone you feel comfortable around and form a good working relationship with

  • Successful life coaches know their limits. Look for someone who acknowledges this and refers you on to additional expertise where required (e.g., personal trainer, psychologist)

Find a coach

With the rise in online therapy services, there has been an increase in virtual coaching availability. Some of the major coaching organisations have searchable practitioner databases. You can also search online using terms like 'career coach near me'.

Working online gives you more choices. But you have to be comfortable working virtually. Face-to-face sessions may be your preferred option. Choose the best format for you.

Most importantly, do your research. Ask a coach about their training, approach, and experience. A coach should be familiar with your difficulties. You also need to feel comfortable with the person.

The fit between two people helps promote a successful outcome.

We’d love to work with you. But we hope you find this page useful, irrespective of the service you utilise.

References

(1) https://medium.com/journey-to-self/coaching-the-big-boom-and-challenges-of-the-still-expanding-industry-5d503ab11a4b

(2) Lai, Y-L., & McDowall, A. (2014). A systematic review (SR) of coaching psychology: Focusing on the attributes of effective coaching psychologists. International Coaching Psychology Review, 9(2), 120-136.