Ethics and Training of a Life Coach Vs. Therapist
A Psychology Today article challenged the effectiveness and ethics of life coaches as compared to licensed mental healthcare professionals. Currently, there are more life coaches than certified therapists and the coaching profession growth has become a billion-dollar industry. Partially this is due to the stigma of mental health care and ease of identifying oneself as a coach vs. extensive education as a therapist. Currently there is also a lack of access to mental health care professionals, providing a vacuum for coaches to provide services. With such an unmet need, life coaching has a purpose to fill.
A similarity in therapists and coaches are the creation of standards and licensures within the professions. There was a point in time where therapists were not required to have a graduate education, licensures with ethical standards, and ongoing education requirements. Presumptively that led to incompetent services and unethical conduct as a motivator for oversight.
Currently coaching is in a similar situation. Many coaches have a specific life experience they think is marketable. For example, one of the most common, and highly priced, coaching services is for an “Executive Coach”. Many self-professed Executive Coaches were once executives themselves. Technically this could be advertised as hiring a mentor, getting advice from someone who has achieved a position you desire to attain. This does not guarantee an Executive Coach possesses the ability to “coach” adequately.
A coach’s process is truly collaborative. The coach does not have to be an expert in the issue at hand (ie being an executive) but does have to build rapport and focus on a results-oriented approach to maximize a client’s capacity towards their goals. The approach is different than psychotherapy in that there is not a diagnostic capability or a focus on the past. This is the helpful, non-stigmatizing model that works extremely well for some clients who would not otherwise seek services. However, there is a similar model used in coaching that is also present in psychotherapy, called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This model shifts power away from the therapist in favor of a more level, collaboration-based approach between a patient and practitioner. CBT and coaching are similar in that they are designed to be relatively short-term with CBT lasting around 15 to 20 sessions.
Acknowledging the potential harmful effects of anyone being able to identify themselves as a coach, there is a shift in coaching to provide trained coaches, standards, and ethics. A good life coach has received training, possesses a certification and is also insured. The Certified Coaches Alliance tests and certifies coaches based on their knowledge of coaching topics, including what is inappropriate service for a coach to provide. The International Coaches Federation provides guidance for training programs and sets a curriculum for learning and an ethical code of conduct for coaches to operate under. The ICF requires coaches in training to do coaching under mentorship which often looks like peers in a cohort or volunteers undergoing coaching by the student who is then evaluated and given feedback by an instructor coach.
The coaching profession is here to stay and is likely to become more regulated, requiring approved training programs, licensure status, ongoing education, and an acknowledgement of ethical practice standards. This currently exists with some coaches and any potential client researching using a life coach can ask about their coach’s qualifications for the services they advertise to offer. Formalizing the profession of coaching would also help ensure the healthy growth of a promising new service.
