Is Christian Coaching Right for Me?

Life coaching or Christian coaching might seem a bit frivolous on the surface, prompting thoughts of vision boards and manifesting our dreams. But there doesn’t have to be anything special about it, and it can be equally effective for men, women, and adolescents. Coaching means having someone there to guide you, give you tips for success, cheer you on when you succeed, and help you get back up when you fall.

Imagine a coach in a competitive sport – that’s their role. Life coaching is result-oriented. Not all life coaches are qualified therapists, and anyone can claim to be a life coach. In the same way, anyone can claim to be a nutritionist versus a registered dietitian, but a qualified counselor can also offer to coach, whether it’s generalized life coaching, or advice specific to your specific situation, career goals, etc.

How Can Coaching Help Me?

Let’s say you are feeling overwhelmed in life and you have a specific goal in mind: to be more productive and to feel less stressed. Traditional psychotherapy can help with this, but if you’re less interested in delving into the roots of the problem and more interested in advice and accountability for your goals, coaching may be right for you.

In this scenario, you might meet with your counselor for a prescribed number of sessions (15-20 may be a good place to start) and work towards accomplishing your goals, with “homework” provided for you to work on between sessions.

At the end of your coaching sessions, you can decide:

• If you’d like to continue to meet to work on more goals,
• If you’re interested in individual counseling to dive deeper into understanding yourself and growing as a person,
• If you’re satisfied with meeting your goals and open to coming back for a “check-up” in the future.

Coaching can offer external accountability, motivation, and encouragement in a consistent and structured way. Research says that accountability is one of the key ingredients to success. Coaching provides that for you, along with a place where you can freely discuss all the factors involved – on your timetable.

How is Christian Coaching Different?

As a Christian, you have a biblical worldview vs. a secular worldview. A biblical worldview informs every aspect of our lives, including how we set and achieve goals. A Christian counselor who specializes in coaching will be able to meet you where you are, helping you make progress in a way that aligns with your faith and values.

If you’re trying to succeed in the workplace, it’s important to do so in a way that doesn’t make money or career success an idol in your life. A Christian coach can help you frame your goals in a way that includes serving God, working hard, and serving others through hard work, rather than making merely self-serving decisions.

If this is important to you, Christian coaching might be the right choice for you. You can start by browsing our online counselor directory to see which counselor might be the right fit for you and your goals.

Common Topics in Christian Coaching

Remember that counseling addresses what’s going on in your life in the past and present and helps you heal and grow so that you can enjoy a healthier and more thriving life. Coaching addresses your future and what decisions you can make today, and what actions you can take, to increase the likelihood of your future vision becoming reality.

Coaching can also help you determine which areas of your life are within or outside of your control, and which habits would contribute to your success. It will also help you understand whether your goal is achievable or whether you need to take smaller steps to get there instead of overhauling everything all at once.

The very factors that make us give up our New Year’s resolutions – burnout, being overwhelmed, taking too much on all at one time, giving up too quickly – are the factors that you can address and overcome in Christian coaching.

Here are some areas of your life where you might benefit from the help of a Christian coach:

Work/career goals, or thriving in the workplace Sometimes your career can feel stagnant or unsatisfying, yet you don’t know where to go next. You want to make a change, but how? Christian coaching can help you answer these questions, identify your goals, and figure out the action steps you need to make those goals happen.

Coaching can also help you cultivate a work/life balance in your current job, establish healthy routines surrounding work, and maintain healthy relationships with your manager(s) and coworkers. If you are a business owner or in a high-stress job, coaching and/or counseling can help you avoid burnout and de-stress.

Relationships

Sometimes there is no deep fracture or hurt in your relationships, but you know they could be better. Do you want to thrive, make more friends, or show up more consistently in your marriage? Maybe you need strategies to handle dynamics and boundaries with extended family or coworkers.

Sometimes, coaching can uncover areas that would be better addressed through individual counseling. Either way, you can make progress in knowing yourself and others better and be on the way to healthier and happier relationships.

Coaching can also help you figure out how to develop habits of connection in your relationships, improve your communication patterns, and become more assertive while practicing healthy self-care so that you are less depleted and overwhelmed.

Ministry

A Christian counselor is uniquely equipped to understand the difficulties and rewards of serving others through ministry and leadership. If you are in a position of Christian ministry or heading that direction, a coach can be an invaluable part of your journey, walking you through the process of ministry growth while maintaining your vision, humility, and motivation.

Parenting

Parenting is a journey with many ups and downs, moments of confusion, discouragement, sweetness, and joy. Even if you aren’t facing overwhelming challenges as a parent, you might benefit from advice on:

• Balancing self-care with child care,
• Finding ways to nurture your relationships with your children,
• Learning how to encourage older children in their goals and dreams,
• Nurturing your relationships with adult children while respecting their boundaries.

Fitness/health

Many New Year’s resolutions involve goals related to fitness, weight loss, and healthy eating. While focusing only on appearance can be demoralizing, when we focus on stewarding our health for the sake of living a long and healthy life, we can achieve a more balanced approach.

But, this approach can be hard to achieve in the busyness and overwhelm of life. Coaching can be a time just for you, to prioritize your health and wellness, and is a form of self-care. Accountability is an invaluable help in reaching fitness goals.

Habit formation is a huge self-help topic, but all the books and Instagram feeds in the world can’t replace an individual relationship with someone who can guide you, offer feedback, and suggest plans tailored to your lifestyle, limitations, and capacity. Habits are the building blocks of life so don’t underestimate how powerful it can be to form new ones.

Start Christian Coaching Today

So, back to that example from the beginning – you want to be more productive and reduce stress in your life. In your coaching sessions, your counselor might help you break that down a little bit more:

• What is stopping you from being productive?
• Where is perfectionism holding you back?
• What are some strategies you can use to manage stress?
• How can you implement positive change without it leading to more overwhelm?
• And how can you remove shame from the equation and walk in the freedom and grace that Christ offers?

If you’re interested in Christian coaching, now is the perfect time to start. Contact our office today at (206) 388-3929. Your first session is risk-free. You won’t regret choosing to change your life.