What’s Coachable, What’s Not?

As a coach, You have the unique opportunity to make a significant impact on both your own life and the lives of others, helping individuals achieve their personal and professional goals. 

But what exactly falls within the scope of coaching, and what topics are considered beyond its reach? Understanding these boundaries IS important for maintaining ethical standards in your practice and making sure that your coaching remains effective and useful. 

Let’s explore a few important distinctions.

What Does It Mean to Be Coachable?

If a person is “coachable” – it refers to the readiness and ability of that person to engage successfully in a coaching relationship. Signs of coachability include openness to learning, willingness to change, and the ability to reflect on one's behaviors and emotions.

If someone isn’t ready to explore change in their own life, or consider their own life and goals – they may not be in a coachable place.

What’s a Coachable Topic?

Not every topic is right for coaching! Some topics may be better dealt with in a therapeutic setting – so let’s examine which topics are open for coaching.

Goal Setting and Achievement: This is the main work of coaching! Coaches work with clients to set realistic, achievable goals. Through the process of coaching clients identify their goals, break them down into smaller steps, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles.

Skill Development: Coaching is ideal for enhancing skills, such as leadership, communication, and time management. Coaches provide feedback and resources so their clients can improve these skills on a personal level, or in a professional role.

Behavioral and Mindset Shifts: Coaches assist clients in identifying limiting beliefs and developing new mindsets. This often involves challenging and changing thought patterns.

Career and Life Transitions: Coaching effectively supports individuals navigating significant changes in their lives, such as career transitions or major life decisions.

Emotional Intelligence Development: Coaches can help clients improve their emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, empathy, and handling interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. 

Conflict Resolution: Coaches can guide clients through strategies for resolving conflicts in both personal and professional settings. This could involve role-playing scenarios to practice responses or developing more effective communication skills and strategies.

Work-Life Balance: Helping clients achieve a balance between their professional and personal lives is a key area for coaching. Coaches work with clients to prioritize their time and commitments, ensuring they meet their personal and family needs while fulfilling professional obligations.

Decision Making: Coaches can guide clients as they improve their decision-making skills by providing a framework to think about options and potential outcomes. This might look like clarifying personal values, exploring possible paths, and considering both the short and long-term effects.

What’s Not a Coachable Topic?

‍Mental Health Issues: While coaching can support well-being, it is not a substitute for therapy. Conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, or other psychological ailments require the expertise of licensed mental health professionals.

Addictions: Substance abuse and other addictive behaviors are beyond the scope of coaching! These require specialized treatment strategies that coaches are typically not certified to provide.

‍Legal and Financial Advice: Coaches should refrain from giving advice on legal or financial issues. These areas require specific expertise beyond the scope of coaching.

Medical Conditions: Any physical health issues or medical conditions should be managed by healthcare professionals. Coaches should not diagnose or treat any medical ailments.

Severe Relationship Issues: While coaching can help improve communication skills – it can’t resolve severe relationship issues, especially those involving deep resentment or abuse. These kinds of topics may require intervention from a qualified therapist specializing in relationship counseling.

Past Trauma: If a client needs to heal from past wounding, a mental health professional specializing in trauma is needed. Most coaches are not equipped to handle the deep psychological impact or the techniques necessary for trauma recovery. Even coaches who take on additional education and become “trauma-informed” coaches must exercise extreme caution in this area.

Severe Behavioral Disorders: Disorders like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), or other significant behavioral conditions often require specialized psychological or psychiatric treatment, which goes beyond the scope of coaching.

Crisis or Emergency Issues: Immediate crises, such as suicidal ideation, abuse, or any other emergency situations, are not within the coach's purview. These are best handled by professionals trained for crisis intervention.

How do I know if a topic is coachable?

Deciding whether an issue is coachable or requires the intervention of a trained professional can sometimes be a challenging part of a coach's role, especially since there can be some overlap for professionals who help people improve their lives. However, the two disciplines have distinct focuses and methodologies. 

Here are some guidelines to help you decide if something is within the coaching scope or not.

What’s the focus of the issue?

Coachable issues are centered on goal setting, personal growth, performance enhancement, and future-oriented development. If the client is looking to improve skills, achieve specific aspirations, or wants support in navigating life changes that don’t stem from mental health issues, these are typically within the coaching scope.

If the issues are deeply rooted in the past, involve emotional disturbances, or relate to psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, trauma, or other mental health conditions, these are for a therapist to address. Therapy deals with healing and processing, whereas coaching is more about actionable steps towards defined goals.

What’s the client’s current functioning level?

A situation is coachable if the client is generally stable and functioning well but wants to improve or change certain areas of their life. They are capable of taking action and making decisions, even if they need guidance or motivation.

If the client exhibits signs of not coping with daily life, seems overwhelmed by basic tasks, or is consistently emotionally unstable, these are signs they might need therapeutic intervention.

What kind of change is needed?

The change involves acquiring new skills, developing new habits, or making lifestyle adjustments. These changes are usually specific and measurable, and the client is clear about their goals!

Changes that require dealing with deep-seated beliefs, unresolved trauma, or behavioral patterns that the client finds impossible to alter on their own often require therapy or intervention of another kind.

Is the client willing and aware?

Coachable clients are usually self-aware and ready to engage in self-improvement. They actively seek coaching because they are prepared to take responsibility for their actions and make conscious changes.

Clients who may be in need of therapy might be struggling with self-awareness or denial about their issues. They may need help just to stabilize their emotional state before they can start thinking about growth and goals.

Are you operating within the appropriate boundaries?

Always operate within your professional competence. Coaching certifications, especially those aligned with ICF standards, prepare you to handle growth-oriented, forward-looking coaching relationships.

What’s the client’s history?

If the client has a history of mental health treatment, consider whether the issues they want to address in coaching are linked to their mental health challenges. If so, ongoing therapy alongside or instead of coaching might be necessary.

Understanding the boundaries of your role as a professional coach is as important as knowing how to empower and support your clients. Recognizing the limits of what is coachable will enhance your effectiveness as a coach, and ensure that your practice remains professional and ethical. 

Want To Become A Coach?

A lot of talented people like you dream of working as a coach, but aren’t quite sure how to get there. We train and certify adventurous coaches, making sure you’ve got all you need to build a career you love and transform lives, on your terms. If you're ready to learn more, come check out Lumia Life Coach Training! 

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