Change is hard, no matter what type of situation the person is going through. Whether change is coming from switching careers, beginning or ending relationships, acquiring additional skills, or breaking bad habits, it can be an uncomfortable time for anyone, no matter their age. Fortunately, life coaches know how to help their clients build the confidence and skills they need to adapt to future challenges in their lives.
The role of a life coach can be extremely important in a person’s life, especially when they are seeking ways to transform their day to day to better reflect their goals and desires. Quality mentorship has been shown to create more effective changes in behaviour, which makes a life coach a good asset for anyone to have (Ocobock, 2020). Continue reading to learn more about how you can help clients embrace change after you complete your training.
Accepting Your Clients’ Values to Build Trust
Embracing your clients’ values can help build a foundation of trust (Benzo, 2013). When clients receive this support and acceptance, they become more willing to identify realistic ways to change, increasing their overall genuine motivation (Benzo, 2013). Life coach training with Rhodes Wellness College gives students the opportunity to learn how to listen and ask questions with empathy, giving them a pathway to encourage and support their future clients.
When life coaches are able to accept where their clients are in the present, the client feels seen, heard and cared for. Important progress can be made when this trust is established within the coach-client relationship (Erdos, 2021). Meeting clients where they are helps them see why your plan for their future is one that will be worth the work to get there. This understanding and acceptance provides the first step to helping clients embrace change (Benzo, 2013).
Encouraging Clients to Envision Their Ideal Self in Your Life Coach Career
After working to embrace your clients’ values, you can move on to help them envision their ideal self. This will help your client identify who they wish to be, either professionally or in all aspects of their life (Boyatzis, 2019). When you pursue a life coach career, you will get to manage coaching conversations and assist clients with improving their professional and personal relationships.
Part of this process involves developing a road map for turning aspirations into reality (Boyatzis, 2019). Once individuals feel comfortable with where they are currently and have a solid idea of where they want to be, they become more accepting of change, knowing that it is often necessary for reaching goals (Boyatzis, 2019).
Considering the Client as Well as Their Social World
It is also important to consider other factors that affect your clients’ adherence to their plan, such as their social world (Erdos, 2019). Considering their personal beliefs and habits, as well as the world they operate in and how it relates to their goals, helps life coaches understand in totality the variables at play that could affect their ability to embrace change (Sheldon, 2015).
Life coach students at Rhodes Wellness College learn how to enrich the lives of others to make a positive impact on the world. The feeling of reaching breakthroughs with clients and seeing their quality of life improve is a rewarding and gratifying experience. Whether you are looking to implement your skills in a private practice or pursue group coaching work, you can expect to help others navigate change and reach their goals.
Interested in learning more about how to become a certified life coach?
Contact Rhodes Wellness College for more information!
Works Cited:
Benzo, R. (2013). Mindfulness and motivational interviewing: two candidate methods for promoting self-management. Chronic respiratory disease, 10(3), 175–182. Retrieved on March 9, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23897933/
Boyatzis, R., Smith, M., Van Osten, E. (2019). Coaching for Change. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved on March 9, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2019/09/coaching-for-change
Erdos, T. (2021). Coaching: client factors & contextual dynamics in the change process. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice. Retrieved on March 9, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.580351/full
Ocobock, C., Niclou, A., Loewen, T., Arslanian, K., Gibson, R., & Valeggia, C. (2022). Demystifying mentorship: Tips for successfully navigating the mentor-mentee journey. American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council, 34 Suppl 1, e23690. Retrieved on March 9, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34664346/
Sheldon KM, Jose PE, Kashdan TB, Jarden A. Personality, Effective Goal-Striving, and Enhanced Well-Being: Comparing 10 Candidate Personality Strengths. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2015;41(4):575-585. Retrieved on March 9, 2022, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167215573211
