The Scoop: Looking for a life coach? Make sure you choose one who’s trained and credentialed. We talked to Brooke Adair Walters from the Certified Life Coach Institute about ICF accreditation, the importance of rigorous training, and what singles can get out of life coaching.
As the resident dating and relationship writer of my friend group, I’m often called upon for dating advice. And while my advice certainly varies, I think I give one piece of advice that tends to catch people off guard: You should talk to a coach.
Younger people tend to be particularly confused about this piece of advice. I often get asked why they should seek out a coach, where they can even find one, and what they would even talk about.
The reason I encourage people with dating woes to see a life coach is that coaches can help you reframe your dating experience and create a plan to find more dating success in the future. They’re a dedicated resource to help you find the most joy and connection you can in dating.
But not all life coaches are created equal, and when it comes to getting help for your love life, you need to make sure you have the best resources and support available. This is why finding and working with certified and credentialed life coaches is the best decision you can make for your dating experience.
We talked to Brooke Adair Walters, a credentialed Life Coach and the Chief Strategy Officer for the Certified Life Coach Institute. The Certified Life Coach Institute offers training and credentials to life coaches across the globe and is an International Coaching Federation-accredited institute.
Brooke filled us in on her journey to life coaching, the importance of proper training, certification, and accreditation, and how a life coach can transform your dating experience.
The Certified Life Coach Institute is one of the leading training and credentialing schools for life coaches in the United States, holding high standards for students and instructors alike.
“I fell in love with what coaching was and in the process, I began to be coached and educate myself about coaching,” Brooke told us. “I fell in love with the profession and what’s possible within it.”
Who’s a Life Coach?
Life coaches come from all backgrounds and walks of life, which means you can find a coach who understands your unique experiences, in dating and in life. Brooke came to coaching after years of working in design, and a friend asked her to help rebrand and update her company.
“It’s funny because it’s a pretty unconventional beginning,” Brooke said. “I didn’t set out intending to work in life coaching. I came into this business to help my friend, and I was in this transition period of my life, figuring some things out and working through some of my own life trauma.”
But once Brooke was on the Certified Life Coach Institute team, she quickly fell in love with the profession. Coaching helped her achieve her own personal and professional goals and helped her grow continually into the kind of person she wanted to be.
“I love what coaching is capable of doing for me,” Brooke said. “I’m a person who appreciates the ‘doing the do’ part of things. I can talk through things, but actually putting it into action and seeing the change is another thing.”
Life coaching helped Brooke create the changes she had desperately wanted in her life. It helped her take the first step in achieving the goals she held for a long time, but didn’t know how to get started.
Whether you’re struggling with nerves on first dates, navigating the online dating scene, or recovering from a bad breakup, coaches can help you tune into your inner voice and focus on what you need.
Because life coaches can play such a monumental and transformational role in your life, choosing not only a compatible, but a trained and credentialed, life coach becomes critically important.
How to Find a Compatible Coach
If you’re looking for guidance on dating concerns, you should find a coach who specializes in dating and relationships. Brooke told us all coaching attends to the same foundational things about ourselves, but seeking the guidance of someone with experience in your area is always a good idea.
Before going into coaching, Brooke encouraged people to develop a concept of what they need help with. When you enter coaching, you should know what elements of your life you want to improve, and it’s even better if you have a goal.
Unlike therapy, which seeks to help people process their past experiences to better understand their present existence, coaching is forward-focused. You’re free to explore your past in coaching, but the focus is going to be on your goals and moving into the future.
“Look at the coaches out there, look at what they offer, and see who resonates with you,” Brooke said. “Take a look at their website and make sure it resonates with who you are and what you want from the coaching journey.”
Brooke said to make sure you carefully measure a coach’s compatibility. For example, maybe you vibe with a certain coach and feel super comfortable in their presence. But they don’t have experience with the areas you need guidance in.
Read testimonials and reviews from past clients, paying attention to how other clients describe their experiences with a coach. What do they have to say about the energy and approach of coaching? What about costs and accessibility? These are all important questions to ask.
The Institute Nurtures Exceptional Coaches
Perhaps the most important question to ask is the one about their certification. While a life coach isn’t a therapist, they take on an incredibly important role in their clients’ lives, helping them through setbacks and challenges. You need to make sure your coach has proper training.
Life coaching does not have one official accrediting body, and Brooke told us there are no regulations discerning who can call themselves a life coach and who can’t. That’s why she said you should choose a coach who has been trained in a program accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
“There is such a big sea of different types of training,” Brooke said. “I’m a huge proponent for International Coaching Federation training because they’ve spent a very long time outlining what coaching is and how it’s different from consulting and therapy. They have very clear guidelines and comprehensive training.”
Brooke told us that teaching coaches to help clients discern the kind of help they need is a central part of International Coaching Federation-accredited training.
This means credentialed coaches are trained to know when a client may need help they can’t provide, and can help them connect with a therapist or other professional.
Having accreditation is also a sign that your life coach is committed to being the best at their profession they can be.
“In order to get accredited, we have to submit our curriculum and the International Coaching Federation to approve it,” Brooke explained. “They make sure our trainings fall within their core competencies and their ethics.”
The Certified Life Coach Institute is accredited by the International Coaching Federation and is the training ground for the nation’s best coaches. The Institute has been training coach students since 2009, making it one of the longest-standing accredited life coaching training institutes.
If you’ve been thinking about finding a coach, it’s time to take the leap.
“We’re all trying to get from point A to point B,” Brooke said. “But then these more nuanced parts of our lives and our humanity arise, and sometimes we need extra guidance navigating it. That’s when we find a coach.”
