Now that I'm taking a few baby steps at putting myself out there as a real life coach, I am starting to see that there is a mixed reaction to the life coaching profession. Many are enamored with the idea. We often hear that every one of the super-successesfuls have coaches. And nearly every one of those super-successfuls will tell you that they never would have come so far without their life coach. I recently heard someone say that the question is no longer, "Do you have a life coach?" but rather, "Who is your life coach?" It is definitely a growing industry. And I predict it will continue to grow. Twenty and thirty years ago, it was unusual for people to talk about going to the gym. Gym memberships weren't a thing. Now, it's a huge industry. People are thinking about their health and maintaining it in ways they just didn't back then. Now, the movement is to think about our thinking. (Which is really the crux of life coaching.) As we, as a society, becomes more aware of the power of that thinking, and what having a coach can mean for that power -- to feel better, accomplish more, and connect more deeply with people -- it's going to become as normal as working out.
What that means for the life coaching profession as an industry is that it's likely going to evolve quite a bit. Right now, the industry has no legal regulations. There's a lot of good in that fact. Regulating a personal profession, like other mental health professions, steals freedom from both the client and the coach. However, while it's not regulated, there's a much bigger chance that some coaches are going to unknowingly step past what they are qualified to do, and that is quite a risk. Dealing with serious mental health issues such as suicide, depression, bi-polar, and etc without enough knowledge of the potential dangers is, well, dangerous. Without being properly taught about confidentiality, ethics, and a list of other matters, a life coach may do some serious damage. I am grateful for my background as a Bachelor's level Social Worker. I feel that I was prepared to recognize and respect my limitations, and taught where to recommend for clients to go for more qualified help.
There have been a few agencies that are attempting to regulate the profession somewhat, but because they are at the same time trying to sell their own training programs, they have a conflict of interest. Which doesn't work. I predict that the time will come when the government will become involved, as they often do, and there will be state licencing with state requirements. My guess is that the training required will probably be similar to an SSW (State Certified Social Worker). I'm not saying that simply because I have that licence, but rather, because the training I received in the social work program prepared me to run groups and do individual casework -- which is exactly what I'm doing as a Life Coach. State or Federal regulation will also answer the problem that has developed of the huge influx of Life Coach Certification programs. Of necessity, they will be regulated as well. When I google life coach, I have to sort through more than a dozen life coach training programs before I find any links for finding an actual life coach. I believe that this is one of the reasons the professions is getting a bad name.
I have to say, that although I predict it, I'm not necessarily in favor of this government regulation. I would rather the government keep their noses out of the industry. I would rather coaches and coaching programs have the integrity to take pride in what they are doing, and become trained and educated to do so. While there are many coaches trying to coach without understanding limitations, ethics, and many life coach training programs trying to make a quick buck off an exploding profession, I believe there are plenty of good qualified coaches and trainers. The responsibility is on both coach and client to be profession, and to check and re-check the qualifications of the professional. It's a great profession. It's rewarding to both the coach and the client. My hope it will continue to change the world.
