What can a life coach offer you?

Life coaching can offer support and guidance in overcoming challenges and achieving goals for people from all walks of life. In this informative article, highly-respected general practitioner in family medicine and life and executive business coach Dr Hana Patel offers fascinating insight on the benefits life coaching can bring in different aspects of life, work and relationships.

What does a life coach do?

A life coach is a regulated, insured professional who, using a wellness and holistic approach, helps people make progress in their lives. A life coach helps people reach their professional and personal goals, supporting them to achieve attainment and fulfilment.

When might a life coach be helpful?

A life coach is commonly used in the corporate business world to help employees achieve their full potential, find areas in which they would like to develop further and increase productivity. A life coach can also help people who may be at crossroads in their career, want to try new ventures or avenues in life and need help to achieve their goals.

With regards to relationships, coaches can help restore harmony to families in conflict. Relationship coaches can help people who are having difficulty finding the right person or have a history of failed relationships. They can also provide guidance to couples considering getting married or divorcing.

A life coach can also be helpful with specific health issues, such as sleep coaching, health and wellness coaching and fertility coaching. A fertility coach can help clients navigate their difficult journey of assisted conception, understanding medical jargon and help make the right decision for couples or individuals during this time.

What kind of services are offered to patients?

Life coaching is carried out either remotely or in person. This may be as a one-off session but is usually formed of weekly or regular sessions until clients have discussed particular issues and achieved or modified their goals. I personally carry out coaching sessions face to face in my private south London office.

How is a life coach different from other coaches, such as a business coach?

As a dually-accredited executive business and life coach, I am able to assist clients in the corporate and business world, offering packages both to corporate companies and individual sessions to CEOs, managers and those in high level leadership positions.

Business coaches work independently with their clients to improve its strategy and organisation, identify its marketing needs and improve its overall performance. A life coach’s role is broader. This can cover aspects of work, but might also cover health, relationships, and personal issues. Life coaching can involve more emotional conversations, but with the same intention of setting and achieving goals.

What advice can you give to people who are considering consulting a life coach?

A life coach can help you manage questions you have regarding reaching career, professional or personal life goals. Find a regulated life coach who you have a good connection with at a point when you feel that you are ready to achieve results. "Everyone needs a coach. We all need people that give us feedback. That’s how we improve " - Bill Gates

If you think you may benefit from life coaching and would like to book a consultation with Dr Patel, you can do so by visiting her Top Doctors profile.