Are you interested in becoming a life coach? If so, you might be wondering if you need special training to become a life coach?
The answer is yes and no. As a life coach trainer and former certifying examiner for one of the largest independent life coach certification bodies, I explain that yes, you do need training; but no, it does not have to be any particular course or degree.
Think of other service professionals such as consultants or interior designers. A consultant needs to have a high level of skills in her area of consulting, but there is not a “consulting degree”. An interior designer needs training in interior design in order to provide quality service, but there is no particular degree required. Similarly, a coach does not need a degree or certification to begin coaching.
So what kind of training do you need to become a life coach? Many people who enter the coaching field come from careers that already involve people skills – such as teaching, counseling, personal training, human resource management, business consulting, sales, health care, journalism, ministry, parenting, and social work, to name just a few.
Certainly these backgrounds provide valuable experience for being a coach. But it’s not enough. Depending on how well their background has prepared them for coaching, they may need anything from a weekend workshop to a 2 year program to bring them up to a professional coach skill level.
As a life coach trainer for over 10 years, I’ve found that the hardest challenge for many students is to “unlearn” certain habitual ways of responding. For example, consultants often have great questioning and problem-solving skills but tend to jump into “fix-it” mode right away. They will need to learn how to back off and let the client develop their own solutions.
The best way to determine how much and what kind of additional training you need to be a professional coach is to get an assessment of your present level of coaching skill. You can get that assessment in some coach training programs (surprisingly, not all training programs provide personal assessment. Always ask for details before registering).
For more tips on how to start and run a successful coaching or consulting business visit Barbra Sundquist’s website Become A Certified Life or Business Coach.