Issues

Abuse, presenting in any form is a very serious issue and is beyond the scope of normal coaching.  Any client who presents with abuse symptoms (physical or psychological) should be referred to a medical doctor or psychologist.

Acceptance is letting go of things which are beyond our control and coming to the realisation that our negative emotional state will have no positive outcome in a given situation.

Addiction is a serious mental and/or physical health issue. There are many types of addiction and some behavioral elements can be coached, but use professional discretion and refer a client to the relevant health professional where deemed necessary.

An Affair (Infidelity, Adultery, Cheating) is a betrayal of trust in a relationship due to a physical or emotional liaison by one partner with one or more third parties.  One in two long-term relationships will involve an affair at some stage.

Anger is an intense emotional reaction involving an uncomfortable and hostile response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat.  It can be coached in a variety of ways.

Anxiety is a medical condition which is generally beyond the scope of coaching.  It is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behaviour.

Arrogance is often confused with over-confidence. But they are not the same.  Arrogant behaviour differs in that it lacks humility and respect for others.  Arrogance can be coached in a number of ways.

Assertiveness is the quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive or arrogant. It can be coached in many ways.

Avoidance is a behavioural strategy or maladaptive coping mechanism designed to protect us from a perceived threat or discomfort.  It is often associated with Anxiety.  Avoidance behaviour can be coached in a number of ways.

Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be true, with or without evidence to substantiate it.  "Unresourceful beliefs" are often at the root of issues being coached.

Body image is how you see yourself, how you feel about the way you look and how you think others see you.  In certain cases, poor body image can involve serious psychological issues which should be referred to the relevant authority.

Boundaries are personal rules governing reasonable, safe and permissible behaviour.  Sometimes clients need to set, reset or remove their personal boundaries in order to make positive changes in their lives.

Lack of Clarity is often perceived as the inability to move forward or take difinitive action in some aspect of life.  There are numerous apporaches to coach it, including: Values Elicitation; Goal Setting; Diet and exercise; Signature Strengths, Self Confidence and others.

A good coaching session is never haphazard.  It will follow a certain form or structure.  There are plenty of interesting and effective ways to structure your coaching sessions.  Here we provide some great examples.

Good "Communication Skills" can be found in virtually every job description ever written.  It is at the heart of every relationship, every social interaction, every business and every organisation.  But what does it really mean and how can it be coached effectively? 

Confidence (or lack thereof) is a very common client issue, which can be effectively coached in a variety of ways.  See also Strengths, Self-Confidence and Assertiveness.

Conflict refers to having opposing or incompatible actions, objectives or ideas. Conflicts can be between two people, groups, or even within one person - i.e. an internal conflict.  There a a number of ways to coach a client with conflict issues.

Anthony Robbins' six core needs (also known as Human Needs Psychology) is a wonderful coaching methodology that can be used to improve a client's self-awareness and make positive behavioural change.

Depression is a serious illness that causes feelings of prolonged sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed.  It is beyond the scope of normal Life-Coaching.

Dieting (usually to lose weight) is an extremely common client issue. It is always best to coach a client with these issues in conjunction with a medical practitioner, qualified nutritionist or dietitian.

Coaching of eating disorders is beyond the scope of normal Life-Coaching.  Referral to a medical practitioner is advised in all such cases.  Nevertheless there are some tangental areas you can coach.

Emotional intelligence (also known as EQ or EI) is the ability to recognise and use your own and other people's emotions to guide your thinking and behaviour.  It is a wonderful area for coaching.

Employment issues include coaching a client on getting a promotion, transfer, changing jobs and finding a job.  See also Executive, Business and Leadership Coaching.

Executive Coaching focusses on business owners, managers and leaders.  The coaching goals can vary but will always involve improving behavioral outcomes in order to support business results and performance.

We all feel afraid from time to time. It is a completely normal and healthy behaviour. But when fear prevents us from achieving what we desire, it can become a problem that needs to be coached. 

Improving fitness is an extremely common coaching issue.  It is linked with self confidence, positive body image, and general health and wellbeing.  There are many coaching techniques to help improve fitness.

Forgiveness means to give up resentment without judgement.  It is essentially a gift we give ourselves in order to heal an emotional wound.  Having said that, it can also be empowering not to forgive.  It is a great issue for coaching.

Freedom is a subjective thing.  It can mean different things to different people.  However, in essence it is about freeing up one's mind and emotions from anything that has been holding us down and preventing us from growing.

Goal Setting is a vital component of every coaching session. Setting specific, measurable, realistic and timed goals can improve every aspect of a person's life.  Setting great goals is essential to achieving positive change.

Gossip can be a very destructive behaviour.  And yet, it is commonplace.  In fact, Gossip has its benefits as well as drawbacks.  Coach self-awareness around this behaviour and challenge the client to use it with the right intent.

Grief is the natural response to loss.  It is often considered to follow five stages.  Grief counselling is generally beyond the scope of coaching and should be referred to a medical doctor or psychologist.

Practical techniques for increasing the happiness level of clients.

Insomnia, or lack of sleep, short description.

Loneliness is the perception of social isolation. It is a modern epidemic that can lead to serious health issues. Here we learn how to  coach this very emotional issue.

There are many forms of Meditation including: Mindefulness; Zen Meditation; Progressive Muscle Relaxation and many types of Yoga. They can be used to great effect in coaching a variety of client issues.

Mindfulness is a type of Meditation that brings attention to the present moment. Clinical studies have documented the health benefits of these practices.  They are wonderful techniques to share with your clients.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP, encompasses the three most influential components of human behaviour through experience: Neurology, Language and Programming. NLP techniques are often used by coaches to influence behaviour.

Overwhelm is  a really common client issue.  It is often referred to by clients as feeling "lost" or "stuck".  It is the inability to make decisions or take actions and can often itself be a symptom of a deeper issue.

See also "Purpose", "Values", "Goals".

A phobia is an anxiety disorder which can be repeatedly triggered by certain situations or objects.  Although it is a psychological phenomenum, It can have major physiological effects.  See also "Fear".

Procrastination is the act of putting things off that you don't want to do or doing less urgent or pleasurable things prior to more urgent on unpleasant things.  It is an unresourceful behaviour which often leads to poor results and greater stress.

There's an old joke that goes "most people would rather be the one in the coffin than the one making the eulogy!"  Fear of public speaking is a common issue for many people.  And the great news is that it can be coached in many ways. 

German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said, "He who has a why can endure any how."  Knowing our purpose is knowing our "why" and it is an important first step in figuring out how to achieve our goals and create the kind of life we desire.

Representational Systems is a model of NLP devised by Bandler and Grinder.  It allows us to identify the primary learning style of a coaching client in order to establish the optimal coaching tools and techniques to use in order to get the best results.

Resentment is the flip side to Forgiveness.  If your clients holds resentment, coach them on forgiveness.

SPIN

Getting a great night's sleep is one of the most important factors in a healthy, productive and happy life.  It is however, often a symptom of an underlying issue.  In either case, better sleep can be coached in a number of ways.

Smoking is an addictive and very unhealthy behaviour.  Coach your clients to quit for life.

Helping a client to determine what their core (or signature) strengths are is a wonderful way to help them build self-awareness and increase self-confidence.

Everyone feels "stressed" from time to time.  Stress is a normal response to triggers (known as stressors) which stimulate production of certain hormones to help us deal with certain situations. There are a number of ways to coach this issue.

Feeling "Stuck" is something you will hear a lot when coaching.  The underlynig issue could be fear of some sort, feeling overwhelmed, lacking clear goals, or not being sure of values or purpose.  Subsequently, there are many different way to coach it.

Success is perhaps the ultimate goal in any endeavour.  But it means different things to different people.  How we define it and how we measure it are crucial to the goals we set and the strategies we employ.  Let's look at some different ways to coach success.

What are the ten best questions to ask your clients and why?  See what our Mentors recommend.

What happens when we lose "Trust" in someone?  How are our relationships affected and what, if anything can be done to restore trust when it is challenged or broken?  Indeed, is rebuilding trust even the right goal?

Ou values are the core principles we live by.  They shape our goals, decisions and ultimately our feelings of fulfilment.  Wherever a cliient is feeling lost, you can coach them on values.

You'll get clients who believe they're trapped in a cycle of scarcity. They'll be loose with their spending habits and tight with their investment habits. And they'll come to you seeking help. What are you going to do?

The Wheel of Life is a great tehnique to use with any new client.

Yoga means "connection" in Sanskrit. There are many different types of Yoga. It is a body of techniques that lead us to consciously connect with our bodies, our minds and with life.  Our Mentors walk you through some yogic techniques.