Both are important questions. When people find out I’m a marriage coach, these questions frequently follow. I highly suspect they pop up in the minds of most people who have never had a marriage coach.
I’ll describe coaching so you can answer if coaching is for you.
Marriage coaching is NOT marriage counseling . . . Many people confuse the two, coaching and counseling. The main difference, apart from licensure, is the point of departure.
Here’s a very brief contrast between coaching and counseling:
- Counseling generally focuses on the past, e.g., pain or wounds from the past that block healthy living in the present and endangers a healthy future.
- Coaching generally focuses on the present and the future, identifying the issues in the present to address that will ensure a more successful future.
So, marriage coaching begins with the “stuff” of today and helps a couple determine what needs to be addressed in order to move into a better marriage.
Marriage coaching helps a couple move forward . . .
The “coach” title recalls the old covered carriage, or coach, that conveyed persons from one place to another. Like the couple pictured in the fanciful coach, marriage coaching seeks to convey the couple from one relational place in the present to a different, better place in the future.
Where do you desire your marriage to be in one year and beyond?
That’s where you begin to answer the second question: Do I need a marriage coach? If you two seriously wish for your marriage to improve but cannot verbalize exactly what improvements you want, then a marriage coach may be immensely helpful to you. If you tried self-improvement but found it rather non-productive, then a marriage coach will bring new ideas and a measure of objectivity and accountability that will propel you forward.
I’m a bit different as a coach . . .
If you’ve had an experience with a corporate coach (and I’m assuming the relationship proved helpful), you likely will find my coaching a bit different in these ways:
- I’m more available than many corporate coaches. You will be able to contact me between scheduled meetings for quick questions or to help you over a little hump;
- I teach more than most coaches I know. Indeed, my coaching begins by defining critical areas of understanding so that couples can identify specific goals for their improved future relationship. Since I approach marriage from the Christian perspective, I spend time early in the coaching relationship defining what a Christian marriage picture and benefits. While I think my coaching most effectively helps couples whose relationship is aligned with those values, I have and do serve couples successfully who do not identify as Christian.
- As all coaches, I still help couples define goals and set a course of action for their vision of their relationship in the near future.
Let’s talk . . .
if you are saying, “YES”, we think coaching may help, or if what you just read resonates with you at all, then let’s hop on a 30 to 45-minute discovery call to see if we’re a fit—no cost for the call! You can click here to schedule a call on my calendar.