by Dee McMath

Life Coaching is a form of one-to-one professional guidance and support, which can help you break old habits leaving the way clear for you to achieve your goals and accomplish ambitions in career and personal life.

In modern society, with more life-options available and yet less time to talk to friends and family for moral support, the Life Coach, has emerged. The Life Coach is a professionally trained individual who is qualified to guide you through difficult situations so that you can ultimately make the most of your talents and opportunities. A Life Coach will listen, without prejudice or judgment and with an independent ear to your fears, dreams and aspirations and help you to formulate your step-by-step plan to achieve your goals. You may need help with your career, creative skills, life changes, relationships, etc. Friends and family may be too busy or simply unable to help in certain areas. Sometimes they are simply too close to you to be able to stand back while still being supportive. This is the job of the life coach.

Life coaching differs greatly from psychotherapy, since it focuses on future action, using your personal history only as a point of reference. You do not dig deep into painful childhood memories or try to 'heal' the past. It is also possible that you may never meet the life coach face to face. Life coaching is often carried out by telephone and e-mail. When I challenged this apparently impersonal approach with an English speaking life coach who operates from Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, she defended this commonly used method by saying, "A phone call or an e-mail can be arranged at a mutually convenient time without either party having to disrupt their life. You don't need to set so much time aside to receive advice and you can talk when you're at your most relaxed - maybe once you've put the children to bed, you could even be in your pyjamas! You can read and reply to e-mails at the times that suit you best." Another benefit of phone and e-mail coaching is that you don't have to interrupt the timetable of sessions because of travel commitments.

Many people come to live in Andalucia with ideas to start up a new business or to find a new career. Family's re-settle here and also many single people give up a very different life. Some people look for tranquility, while others want excitement. Andalucia has a lot to offer - but if you find yourself confused or overwhelmed with the changes, consultation with a life coach could save you stress, time and money.

A phone session will usually last for about 50 minutes, during which time you will be able to explain about your personal history, your future goals and aspirations and perhaps your frustration in not achieving them. If you feel stuck in a rut or simply can't see the wood for the trees, an independent, Life Coach could be help you to map out a more useful strategy to achieve your life goals.

top of page