What is coaching?

What is the definition of coaching?

Coaching refers to the partnership between a trained and experienced professional (called a coach) and a client (sometimes called a coachee). It is a process which aims to help a client unlock their potential and move forward in a particular area of their life. This could be personally or professionally. 

Unlike counselling, coaching does not focus on diagnosing mental health conditions or exploring past trauma. Instead, coaching is primarily future-focused, helping people identify where they are now, where they want to be and how to move towards that outcome.

Coaching can support many different areas of life, including career progression, confidence, relationships, leadership, well-being and personal development. Sessions may take place face-to-face, online or over the phone, and are tailored to the individual’s goals and circumstances.

Rather than giving direct advice or telling someone what to do, coaches use questioning, active listening and reflective techniques to help clients discover their own solutions, build self-awareness and create sustainable change.

In the UK, the coaching profession continues to grow, with many coaches now specialising in areas such as business coaching, executive coaching, health coaching, or success coaching. While coaching is currently an unregulated profession in the UK, many professional coaches choose to train with recognised organisations and follow ethical standards set by professional bodies such as the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC).

The history of coaching

The origin of coaching can be traced back to the 1880s, but the structuring techniques used today are thought to have been inspired by sports coaches in the late 1900s. Rather than simply shouting words of encouragement, sports coaches began to take a holistic approach to improving their players' performance by identifying their personal and psychological blocks. This self-improvement model of sports coaching was identified by American writer Timothy Gallwey in his book 'The Inner Game of Tennis', which is recognised as being one of the most influential in the industry.

Over the years, coaching has made its way into the business world and has since been recognised as a personal self-development tool that so many people use today. Whilst the concept of coaching has been around for centuries, coaching as a profession is still relatively new and gaining popularity, with coaches offering more unique and varied services. 

How does coaching work?

At the heart of coaching lies the idea that we already have the answers we need within us. A coach's role is to help you find these answers. This is done through several conversational techniques, including questioning, active listening, observation and reflection.

Coaches will rarely tell you what to do. Rather, they aim to develop a trusting relationship between you and them through open and honest communication. Question prompts help you learn and give you the space to come up with the answers yourself. Offering advice, opinions and judgments would undermine some of the basic principles behind life coaching.

When these techniques are used, you gain greater self-awareness and often an insight you hadn’t seen previously. Having an unbiased, non-judgmental person available to provide focused attention can help you understand how to move forward. Many people find this approach incredibly empowering.

Coaching techniques

Different coaches use different frameworks and approaches depending on a client’s goals and preferences. Common coaching techniques include reflective questioning, goal-setting, accountability practices and behavioural change strategies.

Many coaches also use structured coaching models to guide conversations. Some of the most widely used are the GROW model (which stands for goal, reality, options and way forward), and the Wheel of Life tool, which focuses on categorised assessment of different areas of your life, working toward a ‘score’ for each. 

Coaches may also encourage supportive practices between sessions, such as journaling, self-reflection exercises or habit tracking, to help clients build awareness and maintain progress over time. While some coaches incorporate specialist approaches such as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), coaching is typically centred on open communication, trust, self-awareness and practical action.

To ensure progress is being made, goal-setting is a crucial part. You will typically be encouraged to create a list of action points following a session, so you know what steps are needed to meet and even exceed these goals. 

What are the benefits of coaching?

Working with a coach offers many benefits. Regardless of your aims, dedicating time and space to personal or professional development helps to improve confidence and a sense of self-worth. 

In practice, coaching is often less about immediately solving a problem and more about developing clarity. A coach may help someone explore their values, motivations and sense of identity before focusing on action or decision-making.

If you’re finding it difficult to motivate yourself and make things happen in your life or work, coaching can offer accountability and help you define your purpose. And finally, if you need to learn a new skill (from sports to building emotional resilience), coaching can help accelerate your learning.

In this video, coach Alex Bowman discusses some of the key benefits of coaching.

If you don’t have time to listen right now, one of the key takeaways from Alex’s experience as a coach is: "Once we give ourselves permission without judgment, we really start to show up as our authentic selves."

What can a coach help me with?

Coaches utilise techniques to help their clients in all aspects of life. If you've ever struggled with something – whether it be moving out of your comfort zone, improving your confidence or starting healthy habits – then consulting a life coach could help you.

Subjects coaches deal with include: 

• Relationships: Do you wish you had the confidence to approach someone you like romantically? Do you struggle with commitment? Are you struggling to cope with a divorce? A coach could help you to understand your love life and work towards improving it.
• Business life: Starting and running a business is tough work. Sometimes we get so absorbed in hard work that we neglect ourselves. Coaches can help build confidence, develop leadership skills, enhance decision-making abilities and assess your work/life balance.
• Personal life: Do you feel like you're not making the most of life? There's so much to see, do and learn in this world, but often a lack of confidence, time and willpower can cause us to stay inside our comfort zones, doing nothing. Life coaches use specialist skills to motivate their clients to do the things they want to do, see and achieve, so they can finally fight the urge to procrastinate.
• Performance: Improvement is at the heart of life coaching. Whatever your skill, coaching could help improve it. Whether you're an athlete, an artist, a writer, a performer, or a musician, adopting specialist techniques will help you to push your limitations and exceed expectations.

Some coaches describe the process of coaching as a whole as discovering the “goal behind the goal”. For example, a client may initially focus on achieving financial success or career progression, but through coaching realise they are ultimately seeking security, confidence, balance or fulfilment.

Whatever you need support with, coaching can provide you with a toolkit of teachings to confidently face challenges and overcome barriers. This relies on your commitment to the process and an open, honest relationship with your coach. With a focus on forward progression, unlocking potential and achieving goals, it’s no surprise that many people call coaching ‘life-changing’.

To learn more about how coaching could help you, visit our coaching topics page

What's the difference between coaching and mentoring?

In the coaching industry, you may have noticed the term mentor being used. A mentor is usually someone who has experience in a certain area and is, therefore, able to support someone with less experience. An example of mentoring can be seen in the workplace when a new starter is paired up with someone who’s been in the role for longer. 

Some people prefer to call themselves mentors instead of coaches. By sharing their knowledge, mentors tend to hone in on a specific area of expertise. Mentors will often use coaching techniques in their work – questioning their mentees and encouraging them to make their own decisions to increase confidence. 

What's the difference between coaching and counselling?

It’s important to understand that there are some scenarios where counselling is more suitable. The main difference between counselling and coaching is that counselling can investigate the underlying causes of mental health problems. So if you are struggling with a mental health condition, an addiction or unresolved trauma, working with someone who is trained in those areas (such as a psychotherapist) is key. 

When coaching may not be appropriate

Coaching can be a valuable form of support for personal and professional development, but it is not suitable for every situation. Coaches are not (unless specified) qualified to diagnose or treat any health-related problems, although a responsible coach should recognise the limits of their expertise and encourage clients to seek specialist support when needed.

If someone is experiencing severe anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction or a mental health crisis, support from a GP, counsellor, psychotherapist, or another qualified healthcare professional may be more appropriate.

In some cases, coaching can work well alongside or after therapy, especially if you’re looking to set goals for yourself. 

Coaching FAQs

Deciding to see a life coach is the first step in your journey to discovering the power you hold within yourself. But it can feel like a big step, especially if you haven’t experienced coaching before. Our FAQs are designed to give you an insight into what coaching involves and what to expect in a session.

What happens during a coaching session?

Coaching sessions will typically last between 45 minutes and an hour (depending on the coach you choose). Often, after an initial assessment, sessions can be conducted face-to-face or remotely, usually over the phone, over email, via video calls and occasionally through instant messaging.

During the session, your coach will ask you some questions, such as what you want to achieve in life, what areas you're unhappy with and where you'd like to see yourself in the future. Although a coach will work with you, it’s often up to you to challenge or reflect upon certain ideas you have to help you move forward with your life. You will never be forced to make any decisions you don't feel comfortable with, and all sessions will be confidential, allowing you to explore your thoughts and feelings privately in a safe space.

What makes a good coaching relationship?

Effective coaching should feel supportive, professional and built on trust rather than pressure or dependency. A coach should offer support and feedback to help you stay focused on your goals, and will occasionally set you tasks and objectives to work on outside of sessions. Exactly how they approach this will depend on their own unique coaching style.

A good coach will encourage independent thinking and personal growth rather than telling clients what decisions to make. Coaching should feel collaborative, respectful and focused on helping the client develop their own insights and direction.

Many professional coaches also work within ethical frameworks set by professional bodies. A further benefit is that you can contact the body in the event of any ethical concerns. 

How many coaching sessions will I need?

You can have as many or as few coaching sessions as you like. Because many coaches operate over the phone or via the internet, the sessions can easily fit around your schedule. Some people hire a coach once every few months, while others have a session once a week. It is entirely up to you to decide.

How much does coaching cost?

The cost of coaching will vary from coach to coach, but on average, you can expect to pay somewhere between £50 and £100 per session. Of course, some coaches will offer cheaper sessions and others more expensive; this depends on a variety of factors.

Coaches often have packages where you can purchase a number of sessions up front for a reduced price. Many coaches will also offer a free call to start with, so the two of you can get to know each other better and find out how the coach can support you. These calls (sometimes called ‘chemistry calls’) are your opportunity to see if the coach you’ve chosen is likely to be the right fit and if you’re interested in working with them further. 

If you have any queries about the prices a coach is advertising, send them an email or give them a call to discuss – they’ll be more than happy to explain what the cost includes and what you could get out of the sessions.

Do coaches need to have qualifications?

Coaching is currently an unregulated profession in the UK, meaning anyone can call themselves a life coach. Because of this, it’s wise to do your research. On Life Coach Directory, you’ll only see life coaches who have either provided us with evidence of a membership with a recognised professional body or sent us copies of relevant qualifications and insurance cover.

Still, qualifications and memberships mean little if you don't get on with your life coach. Rapport is one of the most important parts of life coaching. If you feel uncomfortable with your coach, you are unlikely to gain much from the session. It’s advisable to get in contact before you book a session to meet your coach so you can gauge how comfortable you are in their presence. Never feel obliged to continue if you don't want to.

Your next steps

If, after reading this, you’re feeling ready to start your coaching journey, here are some next steps we advise:

• Identify what you would like coaching to support you with, and what would your goal be?
• Ask yourself what form of coaching would suit your needs right now: face-to-face or online/telephone coaching?
• Use our search tool to browse coaches listed with us. Read more about them and the way they work on their profiles, and consider if they could be a good fit for you.
• Contact the coach and set up an initial session/chat. 

Useful links

• Not sure where to start?
• How to find a coach on Life Coach Directory