A coach is a partner and guide in helping people attain better relationship with themselves and their partner. A coach helps individuals, and couples dig beneath the surface to get to know their values and goals better and decide what matters most to them. Clarifying one’s needs and requirements help tremendously when searching for, and adjusting to, life with a partner. 

Relationship coaching works from the premise that life is a process of discovering goals and individual values and applying those to a partnership. Misalignment between our values and life results in stress and conflict. It’s not an unsupportive partner making us unhappy, unhappiness happens when our values are ignored or neglected. A coach helps with identifying internal challenges in achieving the ultimate potential within a partnership to live a more fulfilling life.

Coaching is for anyone who wants to improve their life, who wants to be more successful, understand obstacles and close the gap between dreams and reality. Anyone can change, by identifying goals step-by-step they can then work on becoming the person they want. A coach can help you get to know yourself better so that you can live more in the present, challenge you to grow and be more motivated. Relationships have a profound impact on our happiness and approach to life. They impact us daily. A coach will help you determine what it is you envision in life and relationships, so you are able to better find and communicate with people who are most impactful to you.

A coach can help identify obstacles and blockages that are preventing you from achieving what you want in life. We’ll look at where you currently are (in life and relationships) and then create a plan for you to get where you want to go. A coach will empower you with insights to make those changes, then provide the structure, guidance, support and motivation to reach your full potential.

Life coaching is not therapy. 

A therapist, also known as a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist, is a licensed mental health professional. Therapy is a long-term process that uses clinical processes to understand, diagnose, and guide the client into understanding the reasons behind their actions: sometimes it may be trauma, a chemical imbalance, or ongoing behaviors that continue due to outside circumstances. Therapists focus on insight and resolution of emotional issues and works off the premise of past decisions to help you uncover reasons to understand why you’re here.

Coaching does not dig too deep into the past, and instead focuses on the present moving forward. The goal is action and change. A coach is a good choice if you’re feeling stuck or burned out. Coaching works from the premise that an individual is the expert in their life, is fully capable of achieving their goals and focuses on supporting them in the journey. A coach will look at your current behaviors and limiting beliefs, help you determine your goals, then built a road map for you to get there.

There is a distinct difference between coaching and consulting and many coaches adhere to the policy of refraining from consulting. I adhere to both coaching and consulting. Consulting typically provides advice and solutions, aka opinions, based on years in the field. I believe that when a client hires me for advice and support, it may be conducive to their growth for me to share insight based on my experience. I feel it’s in everyone’s best interest to exchange thoughts during a session and to refrain is doing my clients a disservice.

If your goal is to take action, if your desire is to go from being single into a relationship, if you’re newly committed or thinking of becoming committed and want to take your relationship to the next level with insights that give you an advantage of making it successful, if you want to add something back into your marriage, then a coach is likely a good choice for you. 

However, if you want to understand the reasons you’re feeling the way you do or understand why you have hang-ups or obstacles to working toward your goals, then a therapist might be a better choice. Therapists can help partners work through disconnect, past issues, anger and pain, and act as a buffer to understanding roles and responsibilities. A coach on the other hand respects the belief that couples are already experts at their own relationship, and provides them with tools to change, adjust, and achieve the partnership they want.