Today’s Game Plan is tapping into the request line for material, so to speak. Lately I’ve had quite a few questions about the basics of life coaching – how it works, how it differs from therapy, and how to choose one that’s a good fit for your needs.

With so many people being forced into major life transitions because of layoffs, what better time to provide a short course?

So let’s get down to the ABCs.

How does life coaching work?

The first thing I do is meet with a potential client for a consultation, which takes about an hour. This can be done on the phone or in person. In that session, I help the person set goals in several areas – i.e., career, financial, creative, spiritual. The key is to get the person really jazzed about the goals through proper wording and focus and a timeline.

The consultation is also the time to find out if there is chemistry between the coach and potential client. I find that I attract kindred spirits to my practice and have rarely had to turn someone away. Much of that can be attributed, I believe, to the person doing a bit of homework before contacting me.

From there, if the person decides to proceed with coaching, we enter a contract and fee agreement and the relationship begins. We meet regularly (ideally weekly, but sometimes twice a month) and we create a plan for each goal that includes establishing where the client is now, how the client envisions life with the goal achieved, and then the actions needed to get there. Each meeting focuses on creating a list of actions to further the goals in baby steps. Clients report in to me the night before each session with a progress report.

In between, it is my job to make sure they are engaged fully with their goals and to encourage and nurture them in those areas. Often I work with people whose spouses are not providing that or in some cases their well-meaning friends are competitive or jealous, so it is essential they know they have my support.

I encourage clients to continue the coaching up to the point where they feel they are no longer getting value from it. For example, I recently finished working with a client who was, in my estimation, “launched.” We came to this conclusion at the same time because she had created a transition plan as well as a daily routine that was designed to move her from a corporate career to one of fulltime writing. While she is not yet making a living as a writer, she is well on her way because she has equipped herself to manifest it.

About one-third of my clients return for occasional “maintenance” or follow-up sessions, often to get clarity and objective input from someone they trust.

While not every life coach works exactly this way, this is the basic template that a well-trained coach will follow.

How does life coaching differ from therapy?

Let me count the ways. I get asked this at barbecues, in random conversations at the supermarket and sometimes from potential clients.

This one is all about the concepts of backward and forward. Much therapy is designed to take you back into the past to help you gain an understanding of why you are behaving a certain way. Coaching is designed to take you forward through action and goal-setting. Each clearly has its place.

However, I have found that the two complement each other very well. I have had a number of clients who had had therapy in the past or were still in therapy while we worked together. My best example of this was a client I had when I first started coaching. Her fiancé had died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and she was in individual and group therapy. What she wanted from me was a list of things to do each week that would help her shape her future. I don’t know if I would have taken her on as a client if she hadn’t been in therapy for her grief as well.

If you have any doubt which type of help you need, just ask a few coaches. Any professional worth their salt will tell you honestly if they are trained to handle your specific issues.

How does one go about choosing the right coach?

Internet research is a good place to start. For the average person seeking some structure and accountability, a coach’s website or an article quoting a coach can give an awful lot of insight into who they are and how they operate.

For example, a coach who is over-the-top spiritual in her practice might not be appealing to one person but would be the ideal match for another. There are ultra-pragmatic coaches with assessment tools and by-the-book methods that would be just the right fit for someone who responds well to that kind of structure, but they might rub a free spirit the wrong way. The idea is to stay in your comfort zone, but with a little bit of a stretch.

The next step is to narrow it down to a manageable few and then have a short conversation and/or a full-out consultation with each to see if there’s coach-client chemistry. The gut can go a long way in this process. You want to hire a coach who listens well, understands what you want to accomplish, and with whom you feel an overall rapport.

One client with financial challenges recently told me that investing in life coaching is the best money she’s ever spent.

When it’s right, it’s as easy as ABC.

Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com.