The Top Four Types of Life Coaching

So you’re considering a career in life coaching? Maybe it’s something you’ve had your sights set on for some time. Or perhaps you want to find out whether it’s right for you. Either way, it’s a great way to help others achieve their potential and live more fulfilling lives.

In our top tips on how to become a life coach, we warned against falling into the ‘generalist trap’. So with an array of types of coaching available, we’ve identified the top four paths in this rewarding field. Simply choose where you would like to make a difference. Then start looking for the right qualifications, skills and experience to get started.

Supporting transformation

As a life coach, you help others get the most from their lives – exploring their hopes and dreams, and then supporting the transformation needed to achieve these. But with many different areas of life needing strategies for change, it can be hard trying to work out where to focus.

The top four areas that are popular with life coaches are:

• Career coaching (also known as professional coaching)
• Health coaching
• Child coaching
• Spiritual coaching

Helping find the right career

Many of us go straight into careers without even considering whether they are suited to our skills. This can create tension and dissatisfaction, and in some cases, may lead to stress and depression.

As a career coach, you can help people overcome any doubts they may have about their career. You will work with them to identify their professional goals alongside their individual strengths and weaknesses. Then you can help align these – either within their current roles, or through another more suitable position.

This might involve working in-house with an organisation’s HR function. Or you could work on a consultancy basis for individuals.

Sound interesting? Why not check out our ACCPH accredited Diploma in Career Coaching, which allows you to join as an ACCPH member after graduation.

Supporting young people

Young people today face a host of challenges in their everyday lives. Alongside pressures to succeed academically, they may be dealing with family problems, not to mention issues such as bullying – on and offline.

Children are usually less resilient and self-aware than adults, so these pressures can dramatically affect their mental wellbeing. At a time when they are feeling insecure and lacking in self-confidence, child coaching can equip them with the right skills and tactics to overcome these challenges.

As a child coach, you might work with private clients, at a school, charity, or mental health service. And your work can have a powerful effect – both in the short-term, and in the lives of those you support moving forwards.

Coaching for better health

Interested in helping people achieve optimum health through looking after their physical and mental wellbeing? Then health coaching may be right for you.

A host of different factors affect our health. There are those that are specific to the individual such as genetics, attitudes and lifestyle. But added to these, factors that are related to society, which include cultural issues, gender and even poverty.

As a life coach in this field, you can work in a variety of different environments – from the NHS, to private nursing homes to the public sector.

If you are interested in helping people achieve better health, our Accredited Level 3 Diploma in Health Coaching will give you a strong understanding of the issues relating to this field.

Helping find meaning in life

Not to be confused with religion, spirituality is about helping people find purpose to their lives. This is based on the idea that we are all here for a reason. As a spiritual life coach, you can help people explore and discover this true self. And also to help them to eliminate any limiting beliefs, which may be blocking their way.

In general, spiritual life coaching is done on a consultancy basis with private clients. Sometimes, however, it is delivered through workshops or classes – on or offline.

These are just a few of the options available to you if you choose to become a life coach. This is a growing area, however, so by all means, research a little more to find out if there is another specialism, which appeals more.

If you’re still unsure which is the most suited to you, why not explore coaching in greater depth on our Accredited Level 3 Diploma in Life Coaching or Level 4 Accredited Diploma in Coaching.