Life Coaching

Life coaching is a  profession that can focus on a variety of areas including career development, relationships, spirituality and more. A simple way to define a life coach is someone who can help you span the space between where you are right now and where you want to be in life. Life coaches focus on the present and future. I help you to identify goals, leverage personal strengths and take action.

While some of my clients come into the coaching relationship knowing exactly what they want to focus on, most come in with a vague sense of… 

• • Not being able to move on from a situation
  • Feeling stuck
  • Feeling unsatisfied
  • Wondering if there’s more

So, that’s where we may begin, looking at what those feelings of dissatisfaction are, and what the underlying issues are. That guides us then to begin to explore “What do I want in my life?” “What is important to me?” As a life coach, I help people grow and improve the quality of their lives through the tools and techniques that I have trained in. I work with both individual one-on-one and with groups. The client determines the the focus of the sessions. I ask reflective questions in line with this and use coaching tools to guide the client in their desired direction.

But, I do need to be clear that coaching isn’t the same as psychotherapy. It can be confusing at times; maybe the lines seem blurry. But I can assure you that I know the “lane” I operate in now. I often work with clients who have completed traditional therapy. But for a growing number of clients, they choose to begin to work with me once they’ve achieved some healing and stability. Instead of waiting until therapy is over, many are choosing to begin now, looking at what they want to add into their lives. 

Probably the most significant difference between coaches and psychotherapists is that that most psychotherapists focus on understanding and healing wounds from the past. Psychotherapists focus on treating mental illness; first by clearly identifying the issues (diagnosis) and then developing treatment plans to develop a path for healing. They have achieved a high level of education, Master Degrees and up; they have passed state and national testing; and they have met state board requirements governing their training and experience.

Coaching is, as of now, in most states, unregulated. So, there are a variety of training programs available, but not every coach has gone through formal training. I personally attended an International Coaching Foundation, ICF, 60 hour approved course in life coaching through The World Coach Institute. I voluntarily belong to ICF and uphold the ICF Code of Ethics. At this point in my career, I am working to gain certification as a Professional Certified Coach, PCC. Additionally, my life coaching training was gained after completing my MSed in Social Agency Counseling from the University of Dayton and working in the field in a variety of settings including crisis counseling, hospital intakes, brief therapy, residential treatment centers, IOP and PHP programs in addition to individual and group therapy with clients who had experienced complex trauma, and developmental trauma including neglect and deprivation. I have a highly developed set of relationship building and attunement skills. 

I bring nearly ten years of experience as working as a psychotherapist. I diagnosed, developed treatment plans, and provided depth individual and group counseling using skills like EMDR and Brainspotting. In coaching, I don’t use those skills, but am formed my training and experience.  

I offer a number of different types of life coaching. Generally, my clients tend to have trauma histories who have worked really hard in therapy and life become to become functional, and finally find themselves at a place where they want more.