Most coaches don’t have a model like yours where they stop after a breakthrough. It’s usually very clear when a client is keeping their breakthrough or not. I think for a client to have a breakthrough and a coach to not see what happens over at least the next months is the exception
I guess the exception to this is “experience based” things like retreats, ceremonies, workshops, etc, which compared to log term coaches ime tend to way over index on flaky breakthroughs
It’s the idea that a coach is someone that resolves one specific issue that’s actually weird here, no offense intended. ;-) If all one does is address one specific issue, they fall more under the umbrella of either “consultants” or therapeutic “practitioners” (such as hypnotherapists, NLP practitioners and so on).
While coaches often practice some of these modalities or methods as part of coaching, it’s not at all the same thing. (But of course a practitioner can still call themselves a coach, and there’s probably been a lot more bleedover in recent years.)
But in the broadest sense, the idea of a coach is to provide you with an outside view combined with specialized knowledge or skills, to help you be more successful through advice and feedback (possibly including accountability), often combined with inspiration, encouragement, or some other parasocial relationship aspects (such as being an example to aspire to or look up to, someone whose approval you want to earn, etc.). This definition encompasses sports/athletic coaches, executive coaches, life coaches, health coaches, etc., which is the approximate historical evolution of the field I believe.
(Notice, btw, that nearly all of these names imply you keep the coach for as long as you want to do well in sports, be an executive, have a great life or good health, etc. That’s the job!)
It’s true nowadays that there are many coaches with narrower or more problem-oriented foci, like e.g. different health coaches may work on either specific goals vs. specific health problems. In general coaches who help with goals work with people longer than ones who help with problems, unless of course the problem is chronic or difficult to solve.
Things are made more complicated by the fact that you can pretty much do or call yourself whatever you want, assuming it works! I used to call myself a “mindhacking instructor” because I wanted to avoid certain aspects of the coach concept, and then basically realized at some point 1) nobody knows WTF a mindhacking instructor is, and 2) it was just ego on my part anyway. (While it’s true I do more instruction than anything else, that’s still part of coaching, so I was just being a semantic nitpicker not wanting to be in the same category as certain people calling themselves coaches or claiming to sell coaching.)
Anyway. It’s certainly the case that there exist coaches who specialize in short term actions and one-offs, but in general I’d say if there’s no relationship aspect to what you’re doing, you’re probably not a coach, but a consultant or practitioner of some kind, more akin to a hypnotherapist or a specialist in NLP, EFT, or some other change modality. Such people don’t really have relationships with their clients, as they’re more problem-solvers rather than people-helpers.
Yeah—that’s maybe a better way to put it. Coaches are people-helpers who can also solve problems or practice some particular Art. Practitioners just practice their Art. I used to try to define myself in the latter category, then ultimately realized that a lot of what goes into long-term change and personal growth is actually social in an incredibly fundamental and inherent way.
For some kinds of change, for example, the experience of having “someone on my side in this” or “someone who believes I can do this” is absolutely critical, and a coach may literally be the only person in your life who can give that to you, especially with problems you’re experiencing shame or feelings of inadequacy about. In that context, trying to cut the process as short as possible is about the worst possible thing one can do, if it implies that the person is not worth the effort (e.g. if their experience of life has been that nobody gives a crap about them, everybody leaves/gives up on them, etc.).
Eh, I wouldn’t say you’re necessarily not a coach, in the same way that an emu or ostrich isn’t not a bird, it’s just that I don’t think your approach is a central example of the genre. Short-term coaches do exist, after all, just like flightless birds.
If you’re asking from a marketing perspective, I wouldn’t use consultant or practitioner, I’d either say “specialist” or “coach”, i.e. secure attachment specialist or secure attachment coach. If you hardly ever work with anyone for very long or only work with people to solve a specific problem, I’d lean towards specialist. (Then again, I’m not sure I’d say “secure attachment” unless the people you work with already know that term and are looking for that. But I’m not the best person to ask marketing questions, anyway.)
I think in general I tend to be helping them develop and thrive, be more integrated, and whole, have deeper spiritual insight, etc. The specific issues are all part of this.
But I imagine different coaches view this differently.
While that might be true for many coaches, the field of hypnotherapy provides plenty of hypnotists who work very focused on a certain issue and assume there a point where the person is cured of their problem and the work stops.
David Burns also comes to mind who claims to be able to cure depression in a single session but somehow doesn’t follow up with people a year later to see whether they are still cured.
Most coaches don’t have a model like yours where they stop after a breakthrough. It’s usually very clear when a client is keeping their breakthrough or not. I think for a client to have a breakthrough and a coach to not see what happens over at least the next months is the exception
I guess the exception to this is “experience based” things like retreats, ceremonies, workshops, etc, which compared to log term coaches ime tend to way over index on flaky breakthroughs
It’s been surprising for me that most coaches don’t see their role as helping people resolve specific issues. What do they see their role as?
It’s the idea that a coach is someone that resolves one specific issue that’s actually weird here, no offense intended. ;-) If all one does is address one specific issue, they fall more under the umbrella of either “consultants” or therapeutic “practitioners” (such as hypnotherapists, NLP practitioners and so on).
While coaches often practice some of these modalities or methods as part of coaching, it’s not at all the same thing. (But of course a practitioner can still call themselves a coach, and there’s probably been a lot more bleedover in recent years.)
But in the broadest sense, the idea of a coach is to provide you with an outside view combined with specialized knowledge or skills, to help you be more successful through advice and feedback (possibly including accountability), often combined with inspiration, encouragement, or some other parasocial relationship aspects (such as being an example to aspire to or look up to, someone whose approval you want to earn, etc.). This definition encompasses sports/athletic coaches, executive coaches, life coaches, health coaches, etc., which is the approximate historical evolution of the field I believe.
(Notice, btw, that nearly all of these names imply you keep the coach for as long as you want to do well in sports, be an executive, have a great life or good health, etc. That’s the job!)
It’s true nowadays that there are many coaches with narrower or more problem-oriented foci, like e.g. different health coaches may work on either specific goals vs. specific health problems. In general coaches who help with goals work with people longer than ones who help with problems, unless of course the problem is chronic or difficult to solve.
Things are made more complicated by the fact that you can pretty much do or call yourself whatever you want, assuming it works! I used to call myself a “mindhacking instructor” because I wanted to avoid certain aspects of the coach concept, and then basically realized at some point 1) nobody knows WTF a mindhacking instructor is, and 2) it was just ego on my part anyway. (While it’s true I do more instruction than anything else, that’s still part of coaching, so I was just being a semantic nitpicker not wanting to be in the same category as certain people calling themselves coaches or claiming to sell coaching.)
Anyway. It’s certainly the case that there exist coaches who specialize in short term actions and one-offs, but in general I’d say if there’s no relationship aspect to what you’re doing, you’re probably not a coach, but a consultant or practitioner of some kind, more akin to a hypnotherapist or a specialist in NLP, EFT, or some other change modality. Such people don’t really have relationships with their clients, as they’re more problem-solvers rather than people-helpers.
Yeah—that’s maybe a better way to put it. Coaches are people-helpers who can also solve problems or practice some particular Art. Practitioners just practice their Art. I used to try to define myself in the latter category, then ultimately realized that a lot of what goes into long-term change and personal growth is actually social in an incredibly fundamental and inherent way.
For some kinds of change, for example, the experience of having “someone on my side in this” or “someone who believes I can do this” is absolutely critical, and a coach may literally be the only person in your life who can give that to you, especially with problems you’re experiencing shame or feelings of inadequacy about. In that context, trying to cut the process as short as possible is about the worst possible thing one can do, if it implies that the person is not worth the effort (e.g. if their experience of life has been that nobody gives a crap about them, everybody leaves/gives up on them, etc.).
Ah okay. Also, given this, what would you call what I do? Consultant? Practitioner?
Eh, I wouldn’t say you’re necessarily not a coach, in the same way that an emu or ostrich isn’t not a bird, it’s just that I don’t think your approach is a central example of the genre. Short-term coaches do exist, after all, just like flightless birds.
If you’re asking from a marketing perspective, I wouldn’t use consultant or practitioner, I’d either say “specialist” or “coach”, i.e. secure attachment specialist or secure attachment coach. If you hardly ever work with anyone for very long or only work with people to solve a specific problem, I’d lean towards specialist. (Then again, I’m not sure I’d say “secure attachment” unless the people you work with already know that term and are looking for that. But I’m not the best person to ask marketing questions, anyway.)
Specialist is nice and neutral, thanks!
I think in general I tend to be helping them develop and thrive, be more integrated, and whole, have deeper spiritual insight, etc. The specific issues are all part of this.
But I imagine different coaches view this differently.
While that might be true for many coaches, the field of hypnotherapy provides plenty of hypnotists who work very focused on a certain issue and assume there a point where the person is cured of their problem and the work stops.
David Burns also comes to mind who claims to be able to cure depression in a single session but somehow doesn’t follow up with people a year later to see whether they are still cured.