Life Skills Coaching Course ELECTIVE

LSC-400 Life Skills Coaching

This course in a nutshell:

Discussion Topics: Theories and concepts in the field of Life Skills Coaching applicable to a wide variety of personal and business-related situations. How Life Coaching differs from professional counselling.

Skills: You will learn the skills and resources used by Life Coaches including business consulting, interviewing, problem clarification, professional development goal setting, education, and advising clients in a variety of changes, transitions and challenging situations

Course Objective: Applied Skill Development

On-line delivery of the Life Skills Coaching (LSC-400) covers major concepts and techniques used by Life Skills Coaches to help clients develop personal, professional, career, decision making and leadership skills that will enable them to become more successful. The profession of life skills coaching draws from theories, methods and practices in psychotherapy and counselling, as well as concepts from organizational psychology. Life Coaches offer guidance, consultation, resources and support to individuals in creating and responding to change in personal lives, work, and business relationships.

Over the past decade coaching has found broad application in the private or public sectors and is looked upon as an essential element of leadership competency. Many organizations offer internal training programs in life skills coaching to employees, managers and supervisory staff.

COURSE CONTENT

The course content provides knowledge and techniques based on the Life Skills Coaching model that is applicable to the interview process, problem clarification, change, goal setting, education, and consultation. Students will learn to apply these concepts and techniques within a wide variety of personal and business-related contexts. Opportunities are provided for students to use a wide variety of coaching assessments tools, resources and approaches, to assist clients to clarify the personal or professional challenges, transitions, developmental issues, set goals and tasks, and come to a customized and suitable solution.

The course will also explore concepts and resources used by professional counselors, which could also be incorporated into the practice of life-coaching.

Topics include:

  • Key Concepts of Becoming a Professional Coach
  • Life coach as an Operating System
  • Language of coaching
  • Coaching as a developmental change process
  • Empowering your client
  • Creating momentum
  • Coaching the whole client: Mind, Body, Emotions, Spirit
  • Evolution of the profession: competencies, credentialing, and ethics

The course will also explore concepts used by professional counselors which could be adapted to the practice of life-coaching such as:

  • Recognizing ethical and legal implications of working with clients in a coaching capacity. 
  • Incorporating psychological models and techniques used by counselors into coaching sessions such as Cognitive Behavioral theory, and psycho-educational groups. 
  • Assessing risk, applying the related concepts, and other safety protocols when coaching clients. 
  • Awareness of clinical limitations, scope of practice and the need for supervision and/or professional consultation, and the necessity of a self-care plan. 

In addition to the ethical standards supported by the CPCA, and the Kelowna College of Professional Counselling, students will become familiar with the International Coach Federation’s (ICF), a set of ethical guidelines for the coaching profession.

PORTFOLIO OF JOB SKILLS

What you will learn:

The Life Skills Coaching course provides practical information and techniques applicable to a wide variety of situations in which a life coach would be consulted. Your level of proficiency and competence with the skills introduced in this course will deepen as you proceed through the program. Upon graduation from the Diploma or Certificate program, you may include the following list of skills in your Profession Portfolio:

  1. Knowledge of the differences in scope of practice between life skills coaching and various types of counselling. 
  2. Ability to deal with resistant clients. 
  3. Ability to recognize cultural diversity as a factor in the coaching model. 
  4. The ability to incorporate counseling techniques such as congruence, the ability to demonstrate empathy, and unconditional positive regard within the life coaching model. 
  5. The ability to adhere to the ethical guidelines and the usual and customary standards in the practice of life skills coaching, as established by such organizations as the International Coach Federation and other professional coaching and counselling associations. 
  6. The ability to maintain boundaries, confidentiality, and to operate within the legal limitations of confidentiality. 
  7. The ability to apply the concepts of Life Coaching to offer guidance, consultation, and support to adults, adolescents, couples, families, and groups experiencing difficulties in their personal lives, school, and business settings. 
  8. Problem clarification, goal setting, educating, and advising specific problem situations such as: 
    • Response to change
    • Executive functioning and time management  
    • Procrastination
    • Counter productive habits
    • Low self-esteem and confidence
    • Career planning and transitions
    • Interpersonal conflict and relationship building 
    • Parenting challenges
    • Wellness, Health and fitness 
  9. Awareness of how your own strengths, attitudes, beliefs and values affect the coaching process. 
  10. Incorporating the Life Skills Coaching model with theories and practice of psychotherapy and counseling such as, cognitive-behavior theories, learning theory, psycho-educational group facilitation and concepts in organizational/business development.