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Guide to getting an online Life Coach

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Alex, Staff Writer

Monday, 25 January 2021

Life Coaching

Feeling a bit stuck in life? Sometimes we feel like we are in the wrong career or even lack confidence in our own abilities. Life coaching is all about unravelling what is preventing you from being who and where you want to be in life and helping you to tackle that head-on. Whether it's stress management or confidence building, life coaching will help you to overcome whatever it is that may be holding you back.

For more information on what Life Coaches do and how they can help you, we've created a handy guide to help you better understand.

Life coaching is a service that can be accessed in person, though online life coaching is booming in popularity. Not only is online coaching convenient, but it also means you can choose the right professional for your specific needs, regardless of their location. 

If you’ve been considering life coaching to reach the next step in life, here is what you can expect when you work with a life coach online.

What can a Life Coach help with?

  • Career goals

  • Starting a business

  • Personal development

  • Performance management

  • Health & wellbeing

  • Relationships

  • Youth Coaching

What does having an online Life Coach involve?

Life coaching aims to take you from where you are now to where you want to be - whether that’s within your career or life in general. It draws on creativity and resourcefulness to work through any stumbling blocks that are preventing you from reaching your potential. 

Your life coach is going to ask you about your goals, as well as any thoughts or worries you have in relation to these goals. The questions will be posed in a non-judgemental way, as they aim to overcome any barriers and help you develop a strategic mindset.

An online life coach will focus on exactly the same topics they would in person. However, the sessions will be held over video call instead. You simply need a notebook and a reliable internet connection to attend each session. 

Life Coaching

What are the benefits of having an online Life Coach?

The benefits of life coaching will vary depending on the individual, but here are a few that everyone seems to agree on:

Convenience

Because who doesn't love the ability to roll out of bed five minutes before your online session with your life coach, rather than having to spend hours in traffic or on public transport! As long as you've got phone signal or a wifi connection, you can hold your online life coaching session from the comfort of wherever you like.

Affordability

Although costs vary depending on the professional you opt for, hiring an online life coach tends to be the cheaper alternative to face-to-face sessions. This is because fees related to travel, office-space renting etc don't have to be factored in to the overall cost. If you're wondering exactly how much online and face-to-face life coaching costs, read our price guide for a detailed breakdown of life coach costs throughout the UK.

Privacy

Many people prefer opting for an online life coach because it gives them a greater level of privacy than having to travel to someone's office. Many people also feel far more confident conducting the sessions with their life coach over the phone rather than face-to-face.

Different ways of connecting with your online Life Coach

Life Coaching

When it comes to the different ways that you are able to connect with your life coach, the sky really is the limit! Here's a quick summary of different types of online life coaching:

Email

Perhaps one of the most accessible forms of connecting with your online life coach is through email. It can either be carried out in isolation as an exchange between the client and the professional, or it can be used as a supplement to telephone, face-to-face, or video call sessions.

A client may use email as a way to express their concerns as they may find it easier than voicing them out loud, or they may use it to keep track of progress and action points. However you wish to use it, email is a brilliant medium for keeping the lines of communication flowing.

What to expect:

If you opt for email life coaching, your online life coach will need to get as much information about you as possible without speaking to you over the phone. In most cases, sessions will initially begin as a series of questions over email, about your personal life, career, hopes and dreams, setbacks, etc. This will help them to gain a well-rounded picture of you without ever meeting you.

Once your online life coach feels they have the information they need to help you, they will set out an action plan for the course of the sessions. Many online life coaches will also send handy electronic resources to supplement the sessions.

Life Coaching
Video coaching

Video coaching is a form of online coaching that allows you to speak with your online life coach in real-time, which many people prefer as opposed to the back and forth exchange of messages in email communications.

These days, there are plenty of video conferencing tools to choose from, including Skype, Zoom and Google Hangouts. All you need is a decent wifi connection and you're good to go.

What to expect

In most cases, you'll initially arrange the first video meeting with your online life coach over the telephone or via email. In this brief conversation, your expert will probably ask a series of brief questions to get a basic understanding of why you need their help. The first consultation will be a chance for you to get used to the software and for your online life coach to help understand your requirements from the sessions, setting up an action plan to help you achieve whatever it is you want to. From there, you'll arrange a time to regularly meet (virtually of course!).

Tip: Make sure you hold your sessions somewhere that is quiet and has a stable internet connection. Most sessions are time-limited so it's important that you try to get the most out of them as possible without having to constantly move elsewhere for better internet or having background noise distract you.

Telephone coaching

If your internet runs out or your video camera stops working, there's always a telephone to fall back on. Telephone conversions between a life coach and their client are just as effective as video-based calls, and in some cases, clients prefer it as it's slightly less formal.

What to expect:

In most cases with telephone coaching, your life coach will give you an initital call to discuss what the purpose of the sessions are for, whether it's for personal, professional or other reasons. They'll outline how the sessions will run, to which you'll agree or disagree to continue with the sessions.

Tip: You should never feel pressured to continue sessions with your online Life Coach if you don't feel that they will be beneficial to you. If you decide in your introductory session with your online life coach that you don't want to go ahead with the sessions, that's absolutely fine.

Your life coach will devise a plan to help you overcome your obstacles, which you will work through during the course of your telephone sessions. Many life coaches tend to set you mini-goals to work on between sessions, which when combined, all contribute to your ultimate goal.

Life Coaching

Choosing an online Life Coach

Most life coaches have an active presence online in the form of blogs, videos, a website and social media. The content they share can help you align with the right person for your specific goals. For example, do you want a life coach with business experience or someone who can help you develop better relationships? 

Most online life coaches will offer an initial session or consultation at a reduced price or even for free. Use this as an opportunity to ask plenty of questions about their coaching style, and how many sessions they would recommend. If they have any online reviews or testimonials then be sure to check these out too. 

How does Life Coaching differ from counselling?

Both life coaching and counselling look to adapt your way of thinking to help you tackle issues that are weighing you down. However, a life coach will focus more on your present and future self, rather than focusing too much on the past as a counsellor would. 

A counsellor can help with a wide range of issues such as dealing with past trauma, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self-esteem issues. A life coach focuses on life, career and relationships as a whole with a real forward momentum to the sessions, as they want to encourage you with your goals rather than specific mental health issues that a counsellor would focus on instead. 

With a life coach, the proof is in the pudding, as they need to have had a lot of success with their clients to build a good reputation. Though they may also have additional qualifications or business experience that can provide you with helpful expertise too. 

Life Coaching

FAQ: How do I pay for online life coaching?

How you pay for your sessions will depend on the requirements of your online life coach, but the main ways are:

  • Your life coach requesting your credit card details

  • Paying via a secure internet account

Your online life coach may ask you to pay at the end of the session or prior to it.

Tip: For handy tips and tricks on how to make payments safely online, visit the Money Advice Service.

To sum up

Ultimately, whether or not an online or in-person life coach is the right option for you depends on your requirements, personality, and situation. While online life coaching is ideal for some, others may benefit from face-to-face sessions. There's no better option!

If you're unsure whether you'd benefit more from in-person or online life coaching, the best thing to do is to speak to a coach to discuss your options.

Find thousands of trusted online life coaches on Bark - simply tell us what you want and we'll connect you with local and remote online coaching services. Browse online life coach reviews, request more information and ask for a quote, all from one place.

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