Is Energy Coaching “Doing Therapy”?
Afraid you’re going to be "doing therapy" if you use Energy modification methods in your Coaching? First, use any EFT, BSFF, TAT or any other energy therapy method you know to take care of the fear. Then look at what Dave Buck, CEO of CoachVille had to say in his April, 2004 "State of the Ville" address on this issue:
“ Coaching in business and life presents the same basic formula. In order to thrive, you must help the client see - to make order out of the chaos inside them and all around them. When a person hires a coach - to go for something important to them - you can be sure that they will bump up against growth-related issues. As a result, coaches must be ready to delve deeply into life and create awareness of what is happening both inside and outside. In order to do this we must get past our "fear of doing therapy". Coaching and therapy share the domain of psychology but they are different things and it is essential that we stop trying to compare and contrast them. The more you talk about what you are NOT, the more you are affected by it. A few key points:
- Talking deeply about life is NOT the sole domain of psychotherapy
- Talking about the past is NOT the sole domain of psychotherapy
- Coaches are teachers. And one of the areas that coaches teach about is "how life works"
- Anyone with a life is qualified to share what they have learned from their own perspective
- As long as you are not diagnosing and attempting to heal a "mental illness", you are not doing psychotherapy.
I think it is inevitable that therapists will see coaches as invading their "turf" to some degree but we have to stop focusing on that and start focusing on doing great coaching. I think the new definition will help. One last point. My friend and colleague Barbara Weiland-Marks (a trained psychotherapist) says it best: "You can’t legislate personal growth". ”
- Dave Buck in his April 2004 CoachVille Members Announcement
Well said Dave, and Barbara. In addition, whether you are certified or not, I believe anyone doing coaching has the responsibility to their clients to be trained as a Coach. Many are hanging out their shingles with no more than an interest and perhaps some experience in a healing therapy or similar occupation. But take it from a psychotherapist with over 20 years experience - while I was a fantastic therapist, I wasn’t thoroughly able to attain and maintain a standard of excellence as a coach, until I retrained as one.
There are many fine schools out there, both virtual universities as well as in-person experiential academies. If you want to coach, and especially to be an energy coach, have a good, coaching school foundation before you hang out your shingle or take graduate coach training such as The Certified Energy Coach Program. Your clients deserve it, and so do you. Do the research and find a reputable coaching school suited to your budget and the way that you learn best. Be prepared to both learn and have lots of fun. And when you’ve graduated, you and your clients will have the assurance they are being served in the best way possible.
.jpg)
