What is a recovery coach?
A recovery coach focuses on helping men recover what has been lost or damaged because of addictions and destructive behaviors. Oftentimes boys do not grow up into men and recovery is needed to come into health and maturity. Your recovery coach will help you overcome challenges and achieve your goals in order to improve your life and obtain better fulfillment.
What does a coaching session look like?
Your first intake session will be a lot of getting to know you, your background, your strengths and weaknesses, what you are looking to get out of coaching, what are your expectations for the coach, what your goals are in life, etc. You and your coach will define an outline of the relationship and formulize a plan for your success. This involves setting goals and millstones to work toward. Ongoing sessions will be checking in with you and your progress, identifying barriers and obstacles that get in the way, and refocusing you on your goals. Instruction will be offered where appropriate and redefining of your goals will always be a topic.
How is a recovery coach different than a therapist?
Both of these professions can help an individual or a couple grow healthier. Their purpose is for the client(s) to achieve health and wholeness and a better fulfillment in life. However, they are distinct professions with differences.
A therapist is certified by a governing board to have the skill to assess, diagnosis and treat mental illnesses. They may choose to dive into the past to help identify trauma and patterns developed in order to unweave the destructive thinking that is causing damage or suffering. They help their clients to come into awareness of such things and give them tools to help overcome them. In this regard, a therapist can be seen as a “mental doctor.”
A coach will generally focus on helping their clients inventory their life, identify obstacles and goals, and help them achieve those goals.
Who can become a recovery coach?
Currently anybody can call themselves a coach. However, to be a great and effective life coach 4 things are required:
1. Life Experience
Life experience can give a coach the right perspective and an internal knowledge of the issues that their client’s face. Without it, a coach can likely only go to surface level effectiveness. Can someone become a basketball player without basketball experience? It is the same for a life coach. A coach can only become as effective as they have the necessary life experience. Have you ever met someone trying to teach something they have never experienced themselves? What they say may be true but in order for it to have the depth required for real change, the experience is necessary.
2. Passion
Passion is defined as an intense driving emotion toward a particular goal. It is an alignment of one’s value system to their thoughts, feelings, and actions. It encompasses compassion, which is a concern for another’s wellbeing. It can extend even further to empathy, which is feeling what the client is feeling in their journey. It allows the coach to become in sync with their clients. Have you ever talked to someone about something you are passionate about and get minimal or cliché responses? That person may have a passion for you and is trying to oblige you but no real passion for the subject matter. Finding the right coach who shares your passion is key to finding an effective coach.
3. Knowledge
One may have all the life experience necessary and have the passion, but not possess the knowledge on how to help someone. Compassion and empathy can do a great deal of help, but if there is no knowledge then it can only go so far. One must learn from their own experiences, together with the right education, and put it to practice in their life before they can be effective in truly helping others.
4. Skill
Finally there is skill. Have you ever had a teacher who had great knowledge and passion of a particular subject but did not have the skill of teaching? Maybe they were unorganized in their presentations or fumbled through classes trying to inspire students with their passion and educate them with their knowledge. You may have learned something from them but it required great work on your part. Because they lacked the skill to teach and present what was inside them, the students were either not interested or lacked any real depth in grasping the subject matter. Skill is what is necessary to take everything you have learned and know and present it in a way that is tangible for someone to learn from. With skill, a student can more easily achieve those light bulb moments that bring insight to what they are learning. Do you want your energy to be spent trying to understand the teacher or to learning the subject matter?
What does certification mean for a recovery coach?
Currently there is no federal or state requirements for any recovery or life coach. Some believe this is a good thing to keep government regulation out of this sector, much in the same way a personal trainer is not regulated. Others believe this field should be regulated in order to preserve the integrity of the profession and the ethics involved with mental health.
When you usually hear someone is a certified coach, it means he or she has completed some form of private training through some agency. There are numerous schools and online courses to facilitate this profession and each has their own strengths and values.
Taking the lead on providing a structure for this profession is the International Coaching Federation (ICF). The ICF is recognized by many as the standard for coaching, even though they are not regulated by the government. They provide a set of requirements for certification through their own program and guidelines.
Is coaching effective?
As with other helping professions, coaching is as effective as the amount of work the client is willing to do. With the right motivation and the right coach, coaching is very effective. Many people who thought the barriers in their life were too tough can break through these and reach achievable goals. A good coach can help their client become “unstuck” and working toward many of the things they want in life.
How often should I have a session?
During your intake session, your coach will formalize a plan for your success. Each client’s case is different and their needs and wants too. We are flexible in regards to the schedule you want to maintain, whether once a week or once a month!