What Does a Life Coach Do? Who Goes to One and How Is It Different from a Psychologist?

A life coach is someone who talks with you and asks questions so that you can clarify your goal and plan the steps towards it. A coach does not decide for you, does not diagnose and does not treat. Coaching is not a health service, and it does not take the place of a psychologist or a doctor.

What does a life coach do?

A coaching conversation looks at the distance between where you are today and where you want to be. The coach does not walk that distance for you. The coach asks, listens and reflects back what you have said. The answers come from you, and the plan is your plan.

In general terms, a coach does the following:

• Helps you put the topic and the goal into your own words.
• Asks questions that let you notice options you had not seen.
• Helps you break the goal into small, workable steps.
• Looks with you, at the next meeting, at how those steps went.

What does a life coach not do?

What a coach does not do matters as much as what a coach does. Knowing this line before you start makes it easier to set the right expectations.

• Does not diagnose and does not label a situation as an illness.
• Does not provide treatment or psychotherapy, and does not suggest medicines or supplements.
• Does not decide for you or tell you what you should do.
• Does not promise a result; the process and the experience differ from person to person.

Who goes to a life coach?

People usually come to coaching when they are facing a decision, when they have a goal but do not know where to begin, or when they want to be clearer in their relationships and communication. A change of job, a new city, an unfinished project, a sentence that has never been said: these are frequent topics.

If you have ongoing psychological distress, a diagnosis or a treatment in progress, see your doctor or your psychologist first. Coaching does not replace that support.

How does a coaching session go?

Sessions are generally one to one and run like a conversation. In the first meeting you talk about what you would like to work on and how the work will be planned. In later meetings the goal becomes concrete, steps are set, and the steps already taken are reviewed together.

Confidentiality is one of the basic things people expect from coaching. A session can be held face to face or online.

What is the difference between a life coach and a psychologist?

Both work through conversation, but they are not the same job. In Turkey, additional article 13 of Law No. 1219 defines the clinical psychologist as a member of a health profession who holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology on top of a bachelor’s degree in psychology or in psychological counselling and guidance, or, coming from another bachelor’s degree, a master’s in psychology or clinical psychology followed by a doctorate in clinical psychology. Under the same article of Turkish law, in cases of illness the clinical psychologist carries out psychotherapy on the diagnosis and referral for treatment of the relevant specialist physician.

Coaching is not among the health professions listed in that article. A coach does not set out to analyse the past or to treat a condition; a coach looks at the present, the goal and the next step. For that reason the two are not alternatives to each other. They answer different needs.

What should you ask before choosing a coach?

Coaches come from different training backgrounds. Asking these questions in an introductory meeting makes the choice easier:

• Where did you train as a coach, and which body issued your certificate?
• Which topics do you work on, and which do you not work on?
• How are sessions planned, face to face or online?
• How is the confidentiality of what we discuss protected?
• If something goes beyond coaching, who would you refer me to?

If someone promises a result, offers a diagnosis or suggests that you stop a treatment in progress, the line of coaching has been crossed.

How does coaching with Merve Tüfekçi work?

Merve Tüfekçi is an ICF (International Coaching Federation) certified professional life coach and relationship coach. Her coaching work deals with goals, relationships and communication; strategies and action plans are drawn up in the sessions. Sessions are one to one, at Şifa Köyü in Şile or online, and can be held in Turkish or in English.

First contact is through our team. When you write to us, a short introductory meeting is arranged and the programme is planned together there.

In short, a life coach is someone who talks through the road to your goal with you; diagnosis and treatment are not part of coaching. If you are not sure which one you need, you can speak to your doctor or a psychologist first.

This post is for general information only; it is not medical or legal advice.

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Source: Turkish Law No. 1219, additional article 13 (mevzuat.gov.tr, in Turkish) →

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