And I’d Like to Thank My Coach – New York Times

March 26, 2006 by Mary Wynne-Wynter 

And I’d Like to Thank My Coach – New York Times: "

J. Emilio Flores for The New York Times

By MIREYA NAVARRO
Published: March 26, 2006
LOS ANGELES

 

WHENEVER Bryce Dallas Howard teased her dad, the actor and director Ron
Howard, about how much actors are paid, he’d say, ‘It’s so that they
can afford their therapist.’

But decades after her father made it in Hollywood, Ms. Howard, 25,
is making her own way in acting, and she’s therapist-free. She sees a
life coach instead. Ms. Howard, who is on location filming ‘Spider-Man
3,’ said her coach helps her navigate the demands of show business on
her own terms, including making time for writing and protecting a
degree of privacy during press interviews without losing her cool. "

I usually cringe over articles about life coaches, even though I am
one, and love being one. There are negative perceptions: its a fad, its
b.s., its new age, its unregulated.

Life coaching has become a staple on television, with
coaches helping sort out the lives of single men, ugly ducklings,
sexually unsatisfied wives and other women in shows like "Nip/Tuck,"
"The Swan," "Starting Over" and "Modern Men." Life coaches, with their
vague self-helpish title, have also come in for considerable skepticism
and ribbing. "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" just this week devoted a
sketch to poking fun at the coaching and "coachees" who become coaches
themselves.

Also, life coaching is hard to define.  I think this ok:

"The
difference between life coaching and therapy is that psychotherapy is
about helping people heal their wounds," said Phil Towle, a
psychotherapist and life coach, "and coaching is about helping people
achieve the highest level of their fulfillment or happiness or success,
whether they’re wounded or not."

But I only partially agree with this (because I think emphasis on goal-setting is ineffective):

Life coaches, who are unregulated and vary widely in
their training and credentials, say they help clients define and pursue
career and personal goals. The action- and results-oriented approach,
they add, is appealing in a business where so much seems left to chance
and few are prepared for success when it happens.

Overall, I think this is one of the better stories about this
profession because it describes highly successful coaches who, like me,
also have industry/business experience and knowledge and who can fill
multiple roles: coach, consultant, facilitator…and even hands-on help
if needed. I use a picture to explain the roles which are defined
around content or process, or both (my graphic).  If you read this article it is hard to dispute the value these coaches/consultants/facilitators bring to their clients. 

Scott Zakarin, 42, a film and television producer who
most recently produced the reality series "Kill Reality" on E! and "The
Scorned," the movie spawned by the show, credits his coach with saving
his company. He said he turned to a life coach, David Brownstein, a few
years ago because of confrontations and finger pointing in his
production company and now has Mr. Brownstein on call as he strives to
run his business without subsuming what he calls the visionary nature
of his work.

 

Psychologists and other mental health therapists are entering the
coaching field. I think this is a tricky shift that is largely driven
by the decrease in what providers will pay for visits.

Mental Health Therapists Face Financial Stress as Fees Stagnate

Filed under: Consciousness, career, going solo
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