You’ve decided to get coached. Great, but how do you find the best coach for you?

There is no professional coaching license which regulates competency and identifies persons who are skilled and educated to coach you. A reference from someone you trust might be great, but if you don’t know anyone who has received coaching on your type of goals, how do you pick your coach?

Background of Life Coaching

To understand the field of life coaching, consider its history. Except in sports, being a ‘coach’ was not widely recognized as a distinct occupation or job title until about the last ten years.

As a skill, however, ‘life coaching’ (commonly referred to as personal or business coaching) has been practiced for decades within certain professions— especially business, education, and mental health. Many consider mentoring to be a form of coaching.

The professional fields of business, mental health, education, and other career areas have commonly utilized coaching as a method to guide and support others toward goals and success in life. The knowledge and skills for masterful coaching have long been part of these graduate and undergraduate degree programs—but not necessarily labeled ‘coaching’.  As a result, professionals who offer effective ‘coaching’ are often found within the ranks of these three professions and not exclusively among others who identify themselves specifically as ‘coaches’.