Life Skills Coaching - Advanced

The Advanced Life Skills Coaching Diploma course is designed as a complete professional training package, incorporating a full range of therapeutical models in a complete holistic Life Skills Coaching programme.

The student will gain competence in modalities including; Basic Counselling, Psychoanalysis, CBT, Coaching, Advanced Coaching, Basic NLP and Self Hypnosis. These are all combined with the knowledge of how to work with support networks and other professionals, a well as how to set up in professional practice.

Extensive use of case studies is combined with examination of specific application topics (such as stress, anger, smoking and emotional issues) so that the student will gain knowledge of how to apply skills to a range of typical client presentations and issues. The course is designed to enable the student to adhere to the existing National Occupational Standards for Counselling.

What is Life Coaching

What to expect from the course
What is coaching
What are lifeskills
What elements of therapy are contained within life coaching

What do clients usually want from Life Coaching?

Typical presenting clients
Typical presented problems
Typical presented goals
Dealing with personal prejudices and opinions

Surface life coaching versus holistic life coaching?

Behavioural therapy approach and rapid intervention
Holistic theory and cycles of change
Clients with deeper issues wanting only surface change
Ethics of eliciting deeper change

Common misconceptions and errors

Errors made by practitioners
Mistaken beliefs about coaching
Examining the role of the life coach

Areas and levels of change

The different levels of life (looking at different models)
Expectations from areas of life
Imbalances in levels of life
Dissonance between surface needs and driving needs

Counselling Skills

What is counselling
National Occupational Standards for Counselling

Counselling Skills continued

Open questioning
Basic methods (reflection, reframing, summary, challenge)
Common errors
Balancing listening and assessment
Common models of counselling (Egan, Nelson etc.)

Basic Coaching Skills

Determining validity of goals
Determining ecology of goals
Three stages of goal setting
Working through the process
Case study

Advanced Coaching Skills

Specialised Coaching techniques

Coaching the client in relaxation techniques

Teaching basic relaxation methods, introduction
Is it meditation or self hypnosis?
Models of visualisation
Models of personal affirmations
Safety Precautions with teaching aids e.g. tapes

Coaching the client in altered states

Is it self hypnosis or NLP?
Eliciting different states of relaxation, concentration, elation
Choosing emotional states and ensuring ecology
Anchoring emotional and physical states at will
Performing exercises with the client
Ensuring the client can continue to adapt and expand
Training aids: Log book, handouts, tapes etc.
Recommended books and topics to read

Coaching the client in Behavioural change

Safety, fears, ecology and good practice
Image manipulation
Advanced use of anchoring
Affirmations in relaxed state
Affirmations in waking state)

Coaching the Client in advanced behavioural changes

Using principles of CBT
CBT principles with the client
CBT as homework
Self analysis using CBT

CBT continued (Part II: Toxic thoughts)

Basic Psychoanalysis theory and useful techniques

Analysis in coaching
Topic association method

Referral and working with other practitioners

Knowing when the case is too complex
Referral to other practitioners
Protecting yourself
Professional clients “the heart sick”
Cooperating with other practitioners
Cooperating with Medical Doctors

Emotional issues and case studies

Confidence
Self Esteem
Self Image
Behavioural versus holistic
Case study

Deeper emotional issues and case studies

Depression
Anxiety
Phobias and Fears
Ensuring appropriate advertising, referral and practice
Case study

Weight Loss and Control

Lifestyle issues
Assisting the client in choosing a diet plan
Assisting the client in choosing an exercise plan
Boundaries of the life coach in weight loss advice
Ensuring appropriate advertising and practice
Case study

Stop Smoking Coaching

Lifestyle issues
Positive versus negative methods
Visualisation methods
Motivational counselling methods
Self help techniques
Learning aids e.g. tapes and handouts
Case study

Performance Coaching

Common types of performance coaching
Sports performance coaching
Business performance coaching
Public speaking coaching
Boundaries of the life coach in performance coaching
Case study

Faith and Spiritual issues

Common types
What is spiritual and what is faith?
Grief and bereavement
Abuse
Religious imposition
Fear of the future
Supporting without converting
Working within existing faith models
Case study

Anger and Stress Management Coaching

Safety concerns, confidentiality and referral
Addressing lifestyle issues
Relaxation therapy
Nutrition issues
Relationship issues
Underlying causes
Behavioural change
Working with other professionals
Case study

Working with couples or groups

Typical presented issues
Initial meeting and planning response
Facilitating discussions
Homework and agreements
When to refer and working alongside other professionals

Non-Specific Issues

Common presentations
Feeling lost
Not happy despite having everything
The survivor with no time to live
The person in imbalance
Tracking the feelings and memories
Using advanced anchoring for changing remembered emotions
Combining anchoring with inner child methods
Working with service users (clients) of state agencies
Case study

Professional Practice and Responsibilities

Preparing for practice, what you need
Principles of informed consent and contracts / agreement
Providing information in appropriate formats for the learner
Dissemination of information from sources of authority
Creating your own learning materials
Advertising
Registration and Insurance
NOS National Occupational Standards
Confidentiality and ethics
What you may or may not call yourself
Importance of Ongoing Professional Development and supervision
Other topics of training to support your career
Looking after yourself and your loved ones

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.