Personal Crisis Life Coach

Time and again, I have people ask me "What is a life coach?".  There are many types of life coaches who help guide clients into making better choices, from diet and exercise, relationship decisions, correcting bad behavior, etc..  My life coaching focuses on helping clients who have experienced a tragic or traumatic life event, get back on their feet and overcome the fear and self-doubt that often accompanies tragedy in one's life.  I use several tools to help with the process.  With access to over 46 workbooks written by Dr. Frank Minirth, a distinguished psychiatrist and author, each designed for a specific personal trauma, there is usually one or more workbooks the client can work through to help them challenge the thought processes that keep them from moving forward with their life in a positive, healthy way.  Listening is my greatest tool.  Because of the retreat environment in which I work, I make an effort to spend time with clients before I sit down with them for a personal one-on-one coaching session.  After observing a client for a while, we meet privately and I invite them to share with me the events that led them to seek help.  I listen to them with empathy and never morally judge them.  It is through this time of openess that I earn their trust so the client will be receptive to advice.  After deciding which workbooks will help the client gain emotional strength, I begin to guide them through the workbook and they work sections by themselves, then we meet together at least once a day to go over their progress.  The progress stage is different with each client.  No two people are alike, and I respect the differences in each individual.  I pray for wisdom while life coaching because helping a distraught client is a great responsibility.  Later, I will blog about another tool I use when coaching:  How to banish negative thoughts from the mind.