What's Life Coaching ?
Here is an introduction in Q&A format.
Q
How is life coaching different from counseling?
A
Counseling is an approach that focuses on supporting clients who are experiencing emotional distress. It involves exploring past experiences and identifying the root causes of emotional pain such as anxiety or fear, with the goal of easing that pain and helping the client return to a more stable mental state.
In contrast, life coaching focuses on the present and future. It supports clients in clarifying the vision of who they want to become and helps them discover their untapped strengths, insights, ideas, and methods through dialogue with the coach. The aim is to identify concrete actions that move them forward and support them in achieving their goals.
While we cannot change what has happened in the past, the future can be shaped in countless ways by how we choose to act from this moment onward.
Q
Can depression and other mental illnesses be treated with life coaching?
A
Unfortunately, coaching is not suitable for the treatment or improvement of mental health disorders.
If you suspect that you may be experiencing depression, or if those around you have expressed concern, we strongly recommend that you first consult with a qualified medical professional.
Once you have received appropriate treatment and returned to a healthy state, we would be happy to support you in planning a bright future through life coaching.
Q
Does life coaching give advice about the future like fortune-telling?
A
Coaching is not fortune-telling.
Rather than predicting the future, coaching focuses on what you want to achieve and who you want to become. It supports you in discovering, at your own pace, the actions and realistic plans that will lead you toward your goals.
Therefore, a coach does not give direct advice or make suggestions.
This is because we believe that the most meaningful answers and insights already exist within you.
Q
What kind of session style do you use for coaching?
A
My coaching sessions are conducted one-on-one online using Zoom or Google Meet.
They are held in a face-to-face format via video call, with both myself and the client keeping our cameras on as a basic practice.
Having the camera on allows for communication through facial expressions, which fosters deeper understanding and trust.
Non-verbal cues often convey subtle nuances that words alone cannot, enabling me as a coach to ask more effective questions and choose the most appropriate approach. This leads to a higher quality coaching experience.
When attending a session, I kindly ask that you choose a quiet and private environment rather than a noisy place such as a café or restaurant.
A calm and focused setting will help you get the most out of your time.
Q
Do I have to take life coaching regularly?
A
My coaching is on a one-time-only basis, so I do not solicit my clients to sign up for coaching on a regular basis.
There is nothing wrong with having one session and then never seeing the client again. What is most important is how much the client is able to apply what he or she has noticed after the first session. Some clients ask for another session at a later date to extend the same content, while others come back for a completely different content.
We also believe that it is very important to choose the right coach for you. Have you ever had this experience? When you look for a doctor because you are not feeling well, and you don't really get along with the doctor, so you go to him or her only once, or vice versa and the fact that you get along with the doctor makes you trust him or her all the time...
I believe that choosing a coach is the same as choosing a teacher or trainer, not only a doctor, but alsoa hairdresser, a clerk at the store you always go to.
Q
What is NLP?
A
The method I incorporate into my coaching practice, NLP, stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming.
NLP was developed in the 1970s in California, USA, by psychologist Richard Bandler and linguist John Grinder. They studied the language and behavioral patterns of three highly acclaimed therapists of the time, and from this research, they formulated the foundational theories of NLP.
Today, NLP is widely used across various fields including business, education, healthcare, and sports.
At its core, NLP is a form of psychology that focuses on how the human brain works. For example, our brains are naturally wired to seek pleasure and avoid discomfort.
NLP utilizes this tendency to guide the mind toward feelings of safety and comfort, helping to reframe negative thoughts or images into more positive ones.
Neuro
It refers to the neural circuits. It is the part of the five senses that we experience in our daily lives. We use hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch to convey information and experiences of the outside world to the brain, which recognizes and retains this information as memory.
Linguistic
Humans use their five senses to recognize information and experiences in the outside world, and then add verbal information to what they recognize to ensure memory. Language includes not only what we use as communication, but also non-verbal things such as gestures.
Programming
Humans, like computers, also work through programming. For example, the human brain is programmed to move the body in a pattern called "B" when an event called "A" occurs, and so on. NLP makes use of this habit.
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