Sorta OT - a couple questions about life coaching
Is anyone here familiar with the concept of life coaching? A life coach is NOT a therapist, but helps clients deal with concrete issues like setting goals, problem solving, accountability, stuff like that. They usually speak with clients in person or over the phone for an hour or so a week, plus keep in contact by email in between sessions.
A couple of people I know have been telling me they think I should be a life coach for gastric bypass patients. If I did this, I would NOT be giving people medical advice. I also would NOT be acting as a therapist. I would refer people to their doctors for medical advice and encourage them to see a therapist if they had symptoms of depression or any emotional issues that might require therapy. I would do stuff like help them develop a vitamin schedule, providing them with the ASMBS guidelines about vitamins, helping them figure out ways to remember to take their vitamins, helping them develop a meal plan (taking into account information and guidelines given them by their registered dietician), help them think of ways to deal with emotions other than eating, encourage them ask their doctors or dieticians question and help them practice being assertive with health care professionals, help them identify goals and the steps they would take to reach those goals, stuff like that.
I am NOT hitting anybody up for business or advertising any services on here. I’m pretty sure that is against the TOS here and I just think it’s inappropriate. What I’m wondering, though, is if this is a service you might be interested in if it was available, or if you might have been interested in it when you first had surgery if you’re a while out now? Is it a service you would pay for?
Thanks for any feedback. I’m just thinking about options right now.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I am familiar with life coaching. I've never engaged one, but I can see a definite market for a WLS life coach.
If I needed the services of one, I most definitely would invest. Therapists and doctors are good and necessary, but often they are unable to help patients over the day-to-day hurtles, ie, how to get in all vitamins, how to navigate the health system, and goal setting.
There certainly are things people need therapists for and I would definitely encourage someone to see a therapist, and help them find one if they needed help with that, if I thought it was at all necessary. But I could see this as filling a gap, providing some services that aren't really available elsewhere.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
She has a psych degree and works for my local clinic, so my insurance covered it. But she specialized in life coaching and lifestyle changes.
Do you have a degree at all? Although I find the service of a life coach to be useful, I am not sure I would pay someone out of pocket that does not have a license when health insurance would cover the service if done by a licensed therapist. I understand you would refer people to their therapists, dieticians, doctors, etc, but then what is the point? That sounds mean, so I apologize. But I guess if I were in the market for a life coach, I would look at it as paying someone to do something that I am already paying other people to do. I guess I am blessed with an amazing PCP who fits me into her schedule and calls to check up on things if needed. Not everyone has that support from their physicians though, so in that case a life coach could be good. But if I were you, I would do some serious research, as I am sure you will, because if someone became disgruntled, you could be dealing with threatened lawsuits and legal troubles.
If you do it, make sure you cover all your bases on the legal side, write contracts, etc. Just from seeing some of your posts, you give good advice and seem very well informed about everything. But I personally wouldn't pay someone that is not licensed in any way to be dealing with a medically driven lifestyle change like this. If it was something else, yes. But not this. There is too much at stake.
My education was in social work and women's studies but I don't have any kind of license. And if i needed mental health treatment (which I do, I'm in therapy), I would absolutely see a licensed therapist.
My understanding is that people see a licensed therapist for mental health problems. Usually, in order for insurance to pay for that, you have to have a diagnosed psychiatric condition, like depression, generalized anxiety disorder, etc. People that don't have mental health problems might use a life coach to get some extra support or guidance in setting goals and figuring out how to meet them, stuff like that.
I would have a contract the specified what my qualifications are and what they aren't, and that I was not providing psychotherapy or medical advice, that kind of stuff, for sure.
I appreciate your feedback.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
One thing that Kelly has over any of the "Professionals" that are working me through the process is that she has already been through the process and figured out what works. Also, she has a much better knowledge than anyone in the WM office that I see on vitamins and what we need. I also trust her opinion on many topics and quickly refers people to the "Professionals" when it's needed. For me, I don't always see that I need help. It's hard to refute that when someone says, "hey Deb, you're way off base and you need to get some help on this one".
Kelly,
Go for it! Just make sure everyone knows that you're a coach, not a Dr. I would be willing to pay if I could afford you.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
(Just FYI, the Counselor/SW/MFT Board in the state of Ohio, along with a number of other states, have legislative committees/advocates who are working with the ACA and elected officials to try to enact some type of legislation to protect consumers from Life Coaches who are essentially acting as therapists without a license. The last I heard, though, movement has been very slow for obvious reasons... mostly, how do you legislate a precise enough definition of counseling and how do you enforce such a restriction unless someone files a lawsuit alleging practicing counseling without a license?)
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
First ultra: Stone Mill 50 miler 11/15/14 13:44:38, First Full Marathon: Marine Corps 10/27/13 4:57:11, Half Marathon PR 2:04:43 at Shamrock VA Beach Half-Marathon, 12/2/12 First Half-Marathon 2:32:47, 5K PR Run Under the Lights 5K 27:23 on 11/23/13, 10K PR 52:53 Pike's Peek 10K 4/21/13, (1st timed run) Accumen 8K 51:09 10/14/12.
I'm seeing the difference like this. Say someone finds themselves eating a lot when they get a little stressed and they want to find other ways to deal with normal day to day stress. A life coach could help them brainstorm other ways to deal with stress, agree on some things they would try, check in with them every couple of days to see how it was going. But if someone had significant anxiety, if the anxiety was keeping them from sleeping or if they were so anxious they were avoiding meeting new people or something, they should see a therapist and possibly also a psychiatrist to discuss the possibility of medication.
I'm just thinking about stuff now, I don't even know if this is something I want to do or not, but if I did, I'm thinking I would not want to work with clients that had mental health problems that weren't being addressed. Not only am I not qualified to treat depression or anxiety disorders or whatever, I'm thinking someone with a serious mental health problem is probably not going to be in a position to benefit much from life coaching until they get their mental health stabilized.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
