Long the object of heated debates, the profession of ‘life coach’ is inarguably affirmed as one of great potential in terms of income. Born in the general scepticism which did not see the economic potential of this type of expert, life coaching has positioned itself as a multi-billion-dollar industry and in recent years was able to look inwardly and clarify the definition of its own activity. So, what does a life coach do? This professional is a consultant whose objective is to acknowledge their client’s ambitions, assess their potential and indicate a strategy to achieve the desired objectives. Some life coaches stop at the consultancy stage and issue a memorandum of their directions, while others make themselves available to accompany their client along the identified pathway together. In this sense there is no difference between the work of an athletic coach in terms of the physical form. Typical clients of the life coach are professionals in other fields, such as entrepreneurs, directors and leaders who see in the life coach the figure who can help them to take their lives to the next level or, more simply, consider alternative life philosophies to those experienced til now.
Working as a life coach or counsellor in Australia
A source of heated controversy is the line, often barely evident, between the coach and the medical expert. The life coach operates on individuals who are not pathological and their mission is indeed to facilitate their client’s efficient use of their potential in order to achieve their objectives and improve their quality of life (or the perception they have of it). In more romantic terms, the life coach could also be called a ‘happiness engineer’, the happiness specialist, that is. So, we don’t see the life coach working on problems of a pathological nature. Other figures are found in a similar light although their role is very different: the counsellor, for example, operates pursuing a similar technique, but the purpose is that of increasing the client’s awareness in relation to a condition or a problem that generates malaise. The purpose of the counsellor is to prevent the situation where the malaise becomes pathology. In Australia, counsellors must have a University Qualification to be able to practise. The psychologist and the psychotherapist are, however, figures who work on the presentation of medical problems. The former is limited to diagnosis, assessment and prevention measures while treatment is the competence exclusively of the latter.
We can identify three categories of professional courses for the figure of coach:
Qualification: Diploma of Counselling
Skill Level: 2
Profession: 2721 Counsellors (Skill Level 1)
Course program: https://training.gov.au/TrainingComponentFiles/CHC/CHC51015_R1.pdf
Description: as it is not regulated, the life coaching industry has no corresponding Qualification. This type of Diploma actually emerged as a corresponding course in the first year of University for counsellors, who, in Australia, require a university Qualification to practise. For the aspiring life coach, this Qualification enables you to learn about specialised subjects and deepen your studies in key concepts such as Mindfulness, Feedback Informed Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Neuropsychology and Positive Psychology.
Qualification: Diploma of Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation
Skill Level: 2
Course program: https://training.gov.au/TrainingComponentFiles/HLT/HLT52615_R3.pdf
Description: this course aims to train the coach in the principles of Ayurveda, a term referring to ‘the study of life and health’ which has its origins in an ancient branch of Indian naturopathy. The course aims to deliver maximum potential as a whole, with its various units relating to the whole. The course is based on the body and Ayurvedic psychology, which are the foundations for the concepts of diagnosis of issues, consultation techniques and drawing up action plans.