Before tackling this subject it is important to note the difference between therapy and life coaching. While therapy is a more regulated profession focused on uncovering and understanding your past, life coaches are less regulated and focus more on your future path to reach your goals. A certified life coach with a background in psychotherapy is, essentially, the best of both worlds. With a background in psychotherapy, they have been formally trained and educated in matters of mental health and therapy treatment. On the other hand, as a certified life coach, they are prepared to help someone identify their future goals and then guide and support them in reaching those goals. Finding a ‘certified’ life coach ensures that the individual went through some form of training or certification process. Utilizing psychotherapy techniques, paired with a focus on reaching future goals, helps the client tackle problematic thinking patterns and reframe the brain to maximize their full potential.

How is Your Past Affecting Your Present?

            A study done by the National Institutes of Health concluded that people’s past behaviors are often indicative of their future behavior. Behaviors become habitual, but the root causes of common behaviors can be difficult to uncover. Psychotherapy uses methods to try to expose and better understand the root causes behind problematic behaviors. By first understanding your past behaviors and developed ways of thinking, you can more easily start rewiring your brain to react differently. In psychoanalytic thought, much of our psyche operates on an unconscious level. Bringing unconscious thoughts into the conscious level of the mind allows for reactivation of cortical circuits. If in your past you have struggled with successfully reaching your goals, it is important to understand the root causes why to move forward effectively. The same learned behaviors could continue to prevent you from succeeding. By first dealing with issues you have faced in the past, you can work to reframe your mind to avoid similar failures in the future. In this way, psychotherapy and life coaching go hand in hand.

Who Would Benefit From Seeing a Life Coach?

            Life coaching provides an opportunity to sit down, pinpoint goals, and develop strategies to obtain set goals, personally and professionally. The coach shines light on personal strengths and how these strengths can be utilized to help a person achieve their goals. A life coach also acts as a supportive figure to guide you through tough obstacles along the way. With this said, really anyone could benefit from seeing a life coach. Again, the benefit to seeing a life coach also trained in psychotherapy, is the added attention to understanding one’s past to better perform in the future. According to the Institute of Coaching, cited by Forbes Magazine, 70% of individuals who receive coaching benefited from improved relationships, communication, and work productivity. It is also noted that 80% of people who receive coaching become more self-confident. Overall, life coaching increases your motivation and provides you with the tools to more successfully achieve your goals.

What to Look for in a Life Coach

            As mentioned earlier, the life coaching industry is not at all regulated or licensed the same way therapy professions are. Anyone can assume the life coach title. However, there are a multitude of certification and training programs available to increase the credibility of a life coach. This is also why it may be significant to find a certified life coach with experience as a licensed psychotherapist. Not only does this further prove their knowledge of the human psyche, it shows their dedication to utilizing your past to better your long-term future success. Chriselda Santos, a certified life coach with a background in psychotherapy, has committed her life to helping people define their strengths, adopt healthy behaviors, and work towards a successful future. If life coaching seems like it could benefit you contact Chriselda at 210-549-6663. You can also reach her by email at [email protected]. Visit her website for more details: https://lifebalancetherapy.org/.