What Do I Think About Life Coaches?
Hi Kati! I think an interesting video would be your thoughts on life coaching. I'm seeing this sprout up more and more and I wonder how therapists feel about this trend.
First I think it’s important to know if someone is a real certified life coach or someone who just calls themselves a life coach. Both can help you, but making sure someone is certified can ensure you are in good hands. Or at least mean that they have completed some sort of training. Now in order to become a real life coach you have to complete a training program, get certified but every state may have their own laws and regulations, so it could be different all around the world, so make sure you ask. Because if someone is certified that means that have at least 300-500 coaching hours under the belt.
Now here is what I think about life coaches overall. They can be very helpful when you just need another perspective or a kick in the pants to get you going on something. You would be surprised how helpful it can be to just get some advice and action items from someone who isn’t a friend or family member. Where I feel coaches don’t help completely is when we have real mental health issues that we think could be a mental illness. As a therapist I have no problem working with a life coach to ensure you are getting what you need from both of us, but that’s really where I draw the line.
I do know that some mental health professionals don’t like life coaches because many don’t go through certifications, and only hinder their treatment with patients. Some going against what their therapist or psychiatrist said and slowly a patient’s progress. But just like any job, there are people who are good at their job and people who totally suck.
And finally, how I feel about them cropping up more and more and the feeling that this is a trend? I think it’s great! If there is ever any trend that encourages people to talk about how they feel and get some sage advice from someone else I am all for it
I'm Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!
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I’m a certified life coach and after spending $8000 on my certification, I quickly learned that many people come to coaches with underlying mental health issues, trauma, etc. that have not been addressed. And being that those issues were never addressed, my clients couldn’t reach the level of success that they wanted. So now, I’m working on becoming an LAC because I recognized that I couldn’t help people the way that I wanted.
@Sharen Lin A Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) is a provisionally licensed professional counselor who has completed a master’s level counseling program and passed necessary national examinations.
@Leslie Davidson <3
@SuperLucylola yes and no. I’ve worked with people who either didn’t have trauma and just needed direction, or had trauma that they’d already worked through and just needed additional support.
@Kimberly Rivera things are working out great thanks so much for asking!! I’m currently in my internship which has been very interesting. I’ve learned so much and although I’m utterly exhausted from having such a full plate, I definitely know that I made the right decision. ?
thank you, great comment
I’m a certified life, relationship and dating coach (most of my clients are for dating) and I try to never keep a client more than 12 weeks. The max I will is 16. That is a value I hold for myself as a coach and my clients. Probably 60% of my clients are seeing a therapist as well and I hold strong boundaries about suggesting clients tackle something that comes up with their therapist if it’s not a coaching issue.
@Sigh Yawp That’s great. Maybe you should minor in phrenology.
@Daytona Says What?! I’m looking to study life coaching.
@Sigh Yawp it’s all bullshit. if you need some life advice, find someone more experienced than you who excels in a particular area in which you think you need help. Reach out to them and be sincere and ask if they would be willing to mentor you. If they are truly successful and reasonable people, they will accept and not charge you anything. That’s how you learn to get in ahead in life. Not by hiring some nobody who can’t do anything else to give you advice on something I’ve never done.
@Daytona Says What?! What are some of the best life coaching programs available online? By best, I mean, people over profit, content over packaging, and compassion…empathy before anything. I am not looking for the most expensive, or the most internationally recognized school, either. I am based in Canada. Thank you in advance. Have a great day! ?
@tammyjoma Anyone who deems them self a “life coach” isnot someone you should really take advice from. The true “life coaches” are the successful people out the work who mentor other people and don’t try to make a title or career out of it. Truly successful people have enough to go around. Life coaches are never weres trying to find a job. I couldn’t think of anything more asinine than paying someone to give me advice on something at a level they’ve never been to.
I got Autism, PTSD, Crohn’s Disease and asthma. I got autism specialised coaches. My previous coach was certified and she was awful. She ignored everything my psychologist said, and just because I didn’t have a diagnosis for it yet (it was Crohn’s) and my doctor didn’t believe me, she decided I was just spoiled and forced me to do all kinds of stuff that was bad for my health. So she went both against my mental and physical health needs, just because she didn’t believe me, nor my psychologist. Within 8 months she had gotten me 5 times more sick than I was before I met her, and I was in mental health crisis.
Now I have 3 coaches. My sister, a new certified coach, and a non-certified coach who did have a lot of trainings and knowledge.
I have never been happier with my coaches. My sister picks up any urgent needs that I have throughout the day, and guides me through appointments that might be hard for me. My certified coach helps me sort out social stuff that happened, understand that social stuff, helps me make life plans, helps me to fill out forms, etc. She also functions as a jobcoach.
My non-certified coach utilises her training methods to get my thoughts in order so that I don’t get overwhelmed, she has a history in helping people with finances and she uses that to help me get a better grip on my finances (I have no depts, but it just takes up too much energy to keep it all in order. This coach makes it easier), and she also helps me with social understanding. Mostly she keeps order in my life which I need a lot. Soon I’ll be moving into a new house and we’ll be making a lot of lists.
I appreciate all three of my coaches and need all three of them, even though just one is certified. And my old certified coach destroyed me. So being certified or not doesn’t really mean a lot to me anymore. What matters more to me is proper knowledge on the subject, respect for my psychologist, working together with my psychologist, respecting me as a full human being capable of making my own choices (I know not all clients can do this. But if it hasn’t been proven by a psychologist the client can’t do this, you respect their choice-making-rights), supporting neurodiversity, being able to support me in my needs.
That’s all that I really care about. Anyone else can buzz off, even if they’re certified.
(Same goes for therapists, psychologists and doctors in my opinion by the way. I don’t care if you’re certified; if you do a bad job and/or don’t respect me as a full human being, you’re out)
ChibiYotsuba so sorry for that experience.
Update! Moving into my own house went well. I live here for a bit more than a year now, and I’m really happy. ? My finances and administration are now in order, and I got a full grip on them. The coach who helped me with that has left, because her job is done, and instead I got a coach who helps me figure out my identity and where I want to go from here. I still have my other coach who helps me with my daily stuff, and my psychologist. I need my sister’s support less and less, as I become more independent. I’m happily moving forward. ?
????
ChibiYotsuba I can’t tell if the was meant as a troll or not.
@ChibiYotsuba Thats so great to hear!!! ?????? Im a nurse and I’m finishing my bachelor’s degree in psychology hopefully in less than 2 years from now. I want to coach and serve like I’ve always have but I started psychology because I really want to try to understand my clients psychology so I can REALLY help them with everything I got. This week I signed up for a nutrition program so I can also learn how to give them a proper diet and lifestyle. Your story truly inspires me and yeah its a shame cause your right, not everyone is qualified to be a coach. Hopefully that won’t happend to me and if it happens I’ll try to learn from it and get better. Excuse me, I know my english suck… working on that too lol
I think life coaches are more positive for people with developmental disabilities more than mental illness.
Some life coach used to be psychologists or have knowledge in it
Thank you so much for sharing!! xoxo
I would say be careful how that’s implied because mental disability exists on a sliding scale and I think it’s remiss to say that all life coaches can help people at any stage of impaired mental disability, in my experience as a person with both a physical and very slight mental disability.
Kati, I know you put up a video before about 25 things about you. Which was cool. Because it made it feel like you’re more “real” in a way. I think you should put up one with like 15 favorite things – food, drink, smell, etc. It would be fun to learn about you since you’re becoming much more well known. Plus, you can incorporate people learning their own self if they don’t know!
Great idea! Always happy to share more about me.. I just never know if people care or not, so thanks for letting me know xoxo
Kati Morton I think you probably could share most anything you want about yourself within your boundaries, and probably be fine. I think you’re at a point that people would like to know more. You hear all of our stories, likes, dislikes, and such. And so we would like to know love to know more about you!
i had no idea life coaches existed. also my therapist said that i have BPD tendencies, maybe even BPD itself, and she told me to watch your videos on it bc i told her how much you’ve helped me. thank you for all that you do!!!
As a life coach, I really appreciate this video! I know I wouldn’t have been at a place to receive coaching myself or study to be a coach/ offer coaching services without the inner reflection therapy has offered me. I love how you present the combo of coaching & therapy as a “team” – I find that my clients who do the best have this dual support and am blessed to work with both myself. One thing to mention, many coaches don’t necessarily give ‘advice’ per se, but rather help clients wade through their own stories to uncover their own personal truths. Love your channel, thank you!
As a helping professional I still believe I leant the most from examining my own life then I did from most my mental health training.
So for me, I would prefer to work with any mental health professional or life coach that is also continuously working on himself/ herself.?
I am curious, how many of you have tried working with a therapist or life coach?
If so, how beneficial was it for you? ??
Couldn’t agree more. And I’ve tried working with a therapist
Thanks Kati for another great video!
I’m a certified life coach, and I completely agree with your perspective.
Great video Kati!
I already posted this in your last video before this but can you please talk about sibling rivalry issues and how it affects emotional relationships between siblings? Me and my brother aren’t very close to each other even until now that we’re young adults, I’d consider myself as being bullied inside the household and overtime, I’ve developed anger, detachment, and I’m kind of terrified at him.
Kati why do I want my therapist to be sad and that she cries when she hears my story? Also, I want that she gets scared and worried about me because of my SH… Why is this and what can I do?
Yeah it could be that it provides validation or tangible compassion and empathy for your situation. I suppose you could talk to your therapist about it. It might be a really great conversation.
It’s also probably you want someone to validate your experiences and by showing that, they do valid.
you might be empathic and find it easier to process your emotions through seeing them in someone else
Sarah Hayes it sounds like it could be transference or attachment. Kati has several videos that may be helpful and I’ll put some links below! ❤️
https://youtu.be/aHaXLHRwh1U
https://youtu.be/peI9oiMbDhY
https://youtu.be/lx9tlkvmrSw
https://youtu.be/U3WzfyNTjwY
https://youtu.be/ZzvbIfLLrY8
Oh my G-d I relate , my first therapist cried and I switch counselor, it was about my healing not to double traumatizing both of us.
Hello, a life coach who was not certified helped me immensely more than I could’ve dreamed of. A piece of paper means nothing, real life experience is more valuable
A good life coach will listen, acknowledge and question to allow their client to find their own answers, I don’t think taking a course and getting accreditation means someone will be a better coach. I have seen plenty of experienced therapists who were useless.
I have a lot of family that seem to think they are qualified life coaches, but really they are just narcs.
also there is a difference between life coach and real healer
most are narcs
Mental Health 2.25.2019 – Great topic. I like the fact that some (researcher and therapist Ramani Durvasula) have started to label “nacissism as the second hand smoke of psychiatry”. I love that. My own experiences support that idea. Toxic/difficult/unsafe people (who create chaos, are aggressive often, etc.) can be so toxic, that they can truely create a toxic atmosphere, which can be a big factor for the creation and manifestation of mental illness – “nacissism is the second hand smoke of psychiatry”.
I had a really sweet life coach for a few years of high school. she definitely helped get me through all the hoops i needed to graduate.
I have been to a life coach and have been to many therapists. It’s a VERY different process. Therapists help talk through things, and like Kati said, are a support system with mental illness, and address things from your past that are stopping you from your future etc. The life coach that I experienced was much more forward-oriented. Taskmaster! helps you build a step by step plan towards your goals! My life coach was very “no BS” while still being kind. BOTH therapists and life coaches are VERY helpful in your life journey if you wanted to try it out. They truly don’t necessarily overlap with each other, at least not in my experience. But YES – make sure they’re certified. Sadly, I think thats the biggest issue that really discredits life coaches too and makes them “silly”. I’m all for both! <3
To be frank, you can get a task master for a way cheaper price, they are called EAP counselors (Employee Assistance). Who are trained, licensed, master level mental health clinicians who focuses is solution focus therapy. And guess what their services are covered by your employer so its free for you.
You literally summed up the difference in a very lovely manner ?
Sarah Miller, I am a certified personal and executive coach, and I thank you for your accurate description of the difference between life coaching and therapy. Kudos to your life coach and to your therapist. It sounds like both experiences have been beneficial to you, which is exactly the way it should be.
Woah, I just posted a video on the difference between coaching and counseling/therapy. I could have just used your comment as a script and saved myself a lot of preparation time! Very well stated 😀
It’s my birthday and this is the video I requested! Woo hoo! ? Thanks, Katie!
Music Is A Rainbow happy birthday! ? ✨
Happy Bday!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday ??
Happy Birthday!!!
Hi Kati,
I‘ve heard you‘re in Zurich. Welcome in Switzerland! I hope you’ll have a nice stay. ☺️
Will you do a meet and greet? ??
I think a lot of life coaches charge way too much money. I have seen some who charge more than my therapist, who is a registered psychotherapist (Canada). It doesn’t make sense, since the training and certification is nowhere near the same.
@Victa Sempre Show me 1 person who went with the exact same problem to a therapist and to a life coach and the life coach doing better
@Startina Jackson Don’t you think that might be a shallow thought process?
@Victa Sempre exactly me to
If the coach is helping you then and hey deserve the money, if they are not then you wouldn’t be seeing them
@Victa Sempre True and we have to stop comparing life coaching with psychologist they are too different things. One shouldn’t take less because people see it as less.