To think this online coach/ life coach stuff is very irritating?

[Cheerios12]

Posting vague general captions or posting about their tough life but turned it around and so can you. Is it me or does anyone else find this online coaching culture annoying. Most have no training.

I've just listened to one saying OCD is a self sabotaging behaviour and you need to just snap out of this behaviour cycle.
Well no actually OCD is a mental illness that needs alot of DBT or CBT work that you can't just snap out of. How damaging are some of these peoples words.

I'm in the psychology profession, have trained so hard. Yet these online coach cowboys pray on people and tell them to stop making excuses or you can have whatever you want if you follow my advice

neverbeenskiing

Completely agree.

@Grenlei

The MLMers turned life coaches are a disgrace. Is it not bad enough they've made money off the backs of other people now they're peddling a load of dangerous nonsense.

I heard one of these numpties was suggesting wild swimming in rivers. Yeah, Weils disease .

That's awful!

@neverbeenskiing

But fair play to them, if they can find rich silly people who will give them thousands for some trite slogans...

People with money can still be vulnerable. I don't think someone necessarily deserves to be exploited because they're wealthy.

The life coaching industry really worries me. I work in a school in a pastoral role and over the last few years we've had a number of cases where parents of teenagers with Eating Disorders, Depression, self-harm and other serious conditions have eschewed the support of medical professionals in favour of "life coaches" who charge them anywhere from £75-125 per hour. These parents are desperate to help their child, understandably frustrated by lengthy NHS waiting times and scared about the future. So when someone comes along who is persuasive, excellent at selling themselves, exudes confidence and offers a 'quick fix' of course they want to believe in them.

Those on this thread saying "coaches don't give advice"...well, maybe they're not supposed to but some absolutely do! In some cases, they also actively discourage parents/children from listening to the advice of qualified professionals.

I was recently emailed by a "life coach" who is working with one of our pupils, basically selling his service to me, linking to his website and asking me to recommend him to other parents. On his website it mentioned that he was, amongst other things, "an expert in the management of mental health and wellbeing issues" so I called him and asked exactly what are his qualifications and expertise are. After a lot of waffle and he eventually admitted he has no qualifications or training in mental health but claimed he has suffered from Mental Health issues (undiagnosed) in the past and this makes him "an expert by experience". He rejected my suggestion that the wording on his website was misleading.

They aren't accountable to anyone and aren't breaking any laws so there's little I can do other than keep expressing my concerns and hope the parents eventually see sense. I'm sure there are life coaches out there who practice ethically and are doing valuable work but it's the lack of regulation, accountability and supervision enabling those that don't that really troubles me.

Oh wow! He might have experience but it's unique to himself. Does not make you qualified to dish out advice or guidance.

That must be so frustrating for you

YANBU, I have two relatives who are coaches. One has been a life coach for years and did complete some kind of training course in Dubai - apparently coaching was a big thing there before it became popular here. She says she'll help you take life into your own hands, but all she posts about on Facebook is how much she hates her ex, her (other) job, etc. I think I'd rather keep my life as it is.

The other has recently become a "wellbeing coach" and unlike coaches on this thread she specifically says she works with people with depression and anxiety. She's a very caring person and I'm sure she's well intentioned, but she has no training and I think she risks doing harm. I would bring it up with her but we've already had an argument recently about her views on medicine (telling a relative with cancer to drink smoothies instead of chemo) so I'm not sure arguing about mental health would get is anywhere.

One of the mums at sons school became a life coach. Having spent many evenings at parents association meetings with her she was the least motivated person I’d come across.
I think you are born motivated. You cannot learn how to be motivated. I never consider myself driven but I suppose it’s just there. I knew exactly what I wanted to be and succeeded. Then went on to run my own business for many years. I must have been motivated but I never once stopped to consider whether I was. Never needed coaching to get what I wanted. And I couldn’t tell you how to do it for yourself, it was always just there.
I’m now we’re I planned to be, semi retired and enjoying life.

The worst type are the women in their 20s posting selfies and promoting their services as a manifesting coach. It seems like some kind of a religious cult mixed in with business advice and the rejection of actual psychological help from trained professionals. All based on some belief you can manifest "abundance" and basically magically solve all your problems. Just join this upcoming course, only £2799 if you book today...

where

Oh yes. The 23 yr olds who think they can teach you how to suck eggs using the vast amount of life experience.

@Corblimeyguvnor1

Yanbu.

See also - coaches whose whole business is about running courses to coach other coaches and never actually seem to coach any non-coaches.

This in a nutshell.

There was something going on a few years ago called Younique which sold beauty products. It was set up as a hierarchy (pyramid scheme) where you had "up-lines". This is called multi level marketing.

The life coaching is the same really, but without involving any products, so this makes it even more like a pyramid scheme.

The products, or non-products in this case simply exist in the MLM ecosystem and nowhere else. Once you've been pulled in hook, line and sinker, you are part of that ecosystem too.

@Corblimeyguvnor1

Yanbu.

See also - coaches whose whole business is about running courses to coach other coaches and never actually seem to coach any non-coaches.

YANBU OP. And this phenomena must be regulated as many vulnerable people are being exploited through it. A friend told me she had started an amazing business over lockdown but she is basically doing this. Seems like a major scam - a circular scam where coaches buy other coaches courses so they buy theirs and the content is variable but usually overpriced.

There are a lot of YouTube videos on it. Fake Gurus

They're there because of the demand- I work in a bookshop and self help almost equals fiction. I was surprised to find out a number of my friends have been to life coaches. To be honest their advice and plan seemed like a placebo to me, but all have definitely more of a spring in their steps, and plan to take their enthusiasm into work with them. They're also talking about hobbies and balance in a way they didn't before so I dont know, if it helps it helps!

You work in "the psychological profession" but you think DBT is an appropriate treatment for OCD?

DBT is a mishmash of borrowed psychological techniques, cultural appropriation, cringeworthy acronyms and things that someone thought sounded like they might be a good idea, crammed together in a box and designated as a coherent therapy for people who have difficulty in areas to do with emotional regulation, which is then cherrypicked and misapplied according to the cost-cutting needs of whoever's paying for treatment. It is absolutely not the first thing that should pop to mind when you think of treatment for OCD, which requires specialist CBT tools like ERP (exposure and response prevention).

I can only hope you're not a psychologist, and instead are something like a trainee psychological well-being practitioner working with people with mild depression and anxiety, because I wouldn't want you let loose on people with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Sorry, that was a bit harsh. I get very fed up of people spreading misinformation about mental health, especially OCD.

@ClumpingBambooIsALie

You work in "the psychological profession" but you think DBT is an appropriate treatment for OCD?

DBT is a mishmash of borrowed psychological techniques, cultural appropriation, cringeworthy acronyms and things that someone thought sounded like they might be a good idea, crammed together in a box and designated as a coherent therapy for people who have difficulty in areas to do with emotional regulation, which is then cherrypicked and misapplied according to the cost-cutting needs of whoever's paying for treatment. It is absolutely not the first thing that should pop to mind when you think of treatment for OCD, which requires specialist CBT tools like ERP (exposure and response prevention).

I can only hope you're not a psychologist, and instead are something like a trainee psychological well-being practitioner working with people with mild depression and anxiety, because I wouldn't want you let loose on people with obsessive compulsive disorder.

It’s an interesting point you raise about a “mish mash” of ideas and cultural appropriation. I’ve argued for years eastern philosophy cannot just be transplanted to a western setting to be offered on a beach in Norfolk alongside a cacao ceremony under a full moon charging crystals reciting names of arch angels. Not least because much of the meaning is tied to culture (some of which I believe is innate - although aware this is controversial) Many systems have developed over the millennia all round the world as various attempts to balance and heal prior to modern psychology and in many cases they are effective to different extents if used as a complete system. Many don’t realise many Eastern practices have similar practices developed largely independently in the west as they haven’t been marketed as heavily. But if you don’t understand the system, cherry pick bits to mix with others you might be left metaphorically at least evoking demons with no idea how to control them because that bit wasn’t cherry picked. It looks like this problem has now seeped into a psychological treatment. It is this lack of understanding and the associated dangers which concern me.

I know a couple of parents at primary who have trained as life coaches. They are the most unstable chaotic people I’ve ever met.