Coaching FAQs
Find a Catholic Life CoachCoaching Frequently Asked Questions
Why coaching matters to the Church?
There is a creative spark in the human soul—which although it may be buried, hidden, ignored, or neglected, never leaves us and can be revived and unleashed for God’s greater glory, at any time, at any age or stage of life.
Imagine the ripple effect throughout the world, if more believers in Christ were able to tap into that holy freedom and express their role in God’s plan of salvation with more joy, authenticity, and impact.
Whether it’s getting our dreams unstuck; discerning a path through a new season of life; living more intentionally in our giftedness, or delving deeper into the spiritual life—prayer-powered coaching is a game-changer.
What is the process of private life coaching like?
Listening: The principal dynamic of a private “coaching conversation” is that the coach listens very deeply (usually by phone), as you process your own thoughts aloud. The coach tunes in to shifts in emotion, energy, and pacing, looking for important statements and insights, and gently reflecting them back to you for further consideration.
Questioning: In a state of avid curiosity, the coach asks powerful questions that help you step out of your usual mindset to see things from a fresh perspective.
Designing Steps: Together, you and your coach design steps that help you to become, do, and create everything necessary to achieve your goals.
Focus: You are always in control of the focus of every session, every goal, and the degree and type of accountability you prefer. The coach never has an agenda or pushes against your personal vision.
Added Support: With your permission, the coach may supply additional resources, make recommendations, engage in specialized mentoring sessions, connect you with other professionals, participate in creative brainstorming, help co-design action plans, and establish milestones.
When should you seek coaching?
- You’re stuck and not sure why
- You need support launching or managing a project
- You’re working hard but success is not materializing
- You know you can do better than this, but you’re not sure how
- You’re facing a new season of life and asking, “What’s next?”
- You’re overwhelmed with busyness, but you’re not making progress toward your goals
- You have the nagging sense that you’re missing out on the real adventure of your life
Why coaching works best with prayer?
- Inviting God into the process ensures movement, growth, spiritual protection, and abundant new life!
- Recognizing the truth of your own heart draws you closer to Jesus, who dwells within you and has irrevocably planted the seeds of calling, giftedness, and peace. (Romans 11:29)
How does coaching help you?
Coaching helps you:
- Discover your God-given purpose
- Reboot your creativity
- Target your dreams, with confidence
- Jumpstart your development
- Manage your time and priorities
- Navigate successful life transitions
- Achieve a harmonious life/work balance
How is coaching different from therapy or counseling?
Therapy and counseling are focused on resolving emotional and psychological distress in the past or in the present. Both processes require a trained professional to work toward healing and resolution.
Coaching presupposes healthy emotional functioning. Coaching is future-focused. A coach will help you to define and determine goals for the future and help you to formulate and work a plan to accomplish them. A coach walks alongside you to offer guidance and support.
How is coaching different from spiritual direction?
Coaching as described above, is goal and action-oriented, to help you set and accomplish your predetermined goals.
Spiritual direction is focused on growing in your relationship with God and discerning the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in your life. A Catholic coach may offer some spiritual guidance and help in setting your goals, according to what you feel God may be calling you to, but are generally not trained spiritual directors. If you are looking for help in discerning God’s call for your life, you may want to start with a trained spiritual director. Once determined, a Catholic coach can help you formulate a plan to accomplish that calling.
Find a Catholic Life Coach
Unlike therapy that looks back with the goal of healing, coaching helps you to look and move forward. Integrating Catholic faith principles and practices into coaching can really supercharge the process and can protect you from New Age influences so common in coaching, that can lead you down dangerous paths where you don’t want to go.