Relationship Coaching. People often ask me what’s the difference between a life coach and a therapist? One of the most fundamental differences lies in the process and purpose. Therapists help clients explore the cause(s) of their problems. As we are products of our upbringing that often means digging into past traumas, hurts, or unhealthy patterns. Therapists help their clients understand how they got to where they are and how to break what can sometimes be destructive habits. Therapist are trained to treat mental, emotional, and psychological disorders.
Relationship Coaching
Coaches on the other hand, focus on their clients’ futures. They help their clients identify actions that will move them forward and introduce strategies for solving problems and overcoming obstacles. Coaches help their clients build the bridge from where they are to where they want to be. A relationship coach is someone who supports individuals and couples in learning vital skills for relating, especially in marriages and romantic partnerships. Relationship coaches teach you to develop conflict resolution skills and offer tools to deepen intimacy and pleasure. The couple determines what they want to work on or enhance. The coaching gets that couple results sooner rather than later unlike talk therapy where the process can take longer due to gathering information from individual sessions to assess for personal issues that may affect couple’s issues.
Relationship coaching includes:
- Achieving clarity about each partners’ vision, goals, and values
- Developing mutual understanding and acceptance of differences in personality and gender
- Getting a reality check; each partner being accountable to their identified requirements and needs
- Developing strategies for testing and decision-making
- Addressing emotional and compatibility issues
- Discovering and overcoming issues and obstacles
- Developing mutual understanding and acceptance of differences in personality and gender
- Identifying and negotiating mutual wants, needs, and goals
- Building lasting intimacy, trust, communication, love, fulfillment
Reasons for relationship coaching:
- You are serious about having a successful life partnership.
- Working with a coach can move you farther and faster than you can move on your own or in talk therapy.
- You don’t know what you don’t know, and your success may depend upon access to new information about yourself and relationships.
- Using a coach can be the most effective means of translating knowledge into practice. One of the most indispensable roles of a coach is to help you use what you already know to make effective choices and take the actions necessary to be successful.
- You deserve to get what you want. You do not want to settle for less or risk failure, and you are willing to gift yourself with the support and technology needed to ensure success.
As I have helped more than 2,000 couples over the past 25 years I have the professional and personal experience to move couples into the 21st Century getting them what they want. For more information on life and relationship coaching please contact me at (858) 735-1139 or visit my website at CouplesCounselorSanDiego.com