What is transformational coaching?
Transformational coaching encourages people to embrace long-term changes. While all types of coaches — such as career, business, fitness, and wellness — focus on specific niches, transformational coaches look at the bigger picture. They try to understand clients’ behaviors, how they relate to others, and how they perceive the world. These coaches don’t necessarily set out to help clients change a particular aspect of their lives, although they can do this.
What is the difference between a transformational coach and a life coach?
Although a transformational coach and a life coach may seem similar because both professionals work with clients to make significant changes, they’re different.
Transformational coaches help clients introspect and help them change patterns in their actions and behaviors, while life coaches encourage clients to make more surface-level changes in their lives.
What does a transformational coach do?
Unpacking a client’s psyche sounds like challenging work, and helping them pivot in life seems even more challenging. Transformational coaches perform tasks such as:
- Identifying strengths: Clients may come to a transformational coach feeling completely lost, but the reality is that everyone has strengths they can tap into, no matter how underconfident they feel. Transformational coaches remind clients what they’re good at and show them how to use these skills to make changes.
- Charting a new route: People who feel stuck may seek help to find the way forward. A coach can help them outline a plan for building financial, career, personal, and relationship goals.
- Recognizing roadblocks: Clients may feel disoriented because of their limiting belief in themselves. Transformational coaches can help clients break down these preconceived notions and realize the potential of their skills to improve personal development.
What do transformational coaches need to thrive?
Transformational coaches have a massive undertaking: changing others’ lives. Some natural skills help these coaches excel. If you’re considering a role in transformational coaching, you’ll fare well if you can:
- Show empathy: A lot of your job involves listening to and understanding others. You’ll need to listen actively, remember important details, and ask the right questions when you can’t clearly comprehend clients’ points.
- Build rapport: Clients entrust coaches with sensitive information and the charge to help them change their lives. Good transformational coaches should be able to form bonds with clients by not only actively listening to them but also sharing some personal experiences and anecdotes, creating a safe environment and making clients feel comfortable opening up.
- Encourage self-reflection: As much as a coach can guide people, individuals must self-reflect to discover themselves independently. Coaches know how to ask the right questions to get their clients to an “ah-ha” moment. Developing self-awareness will help clients make lasting changes and continue working toward a successful life.
How to become a transformational coach
Unlike many other specialized coaching careers, there’s no one way to become a transformational coach. While there’s no mandatory certification or defined route, here are some suggested steps that should prepare you:
- Education: Earn a college-level degree in a related field such as psychology, counseling, or philosophy. Although this won’t authorize you to act as a therapist or psychologist, you’ll learn about behaviors and interactions that will help you better understand your future clients.
- Certification: While it’s not necessary to pursue a transformational coaching certification, we recommend it. These coaching programs help ensure you have the proper knowledge and skills to take on your future role. Make sure to choose a well-known coach training program or one that the International Coaching Federation (ICF) regulates. Here are a few examples:
Center for Transformational Coaching
Universal Coach Institute - Experience: While pursuing a bachelor’s or associate's degree in psychology won’t make you a therapist, earning a master’s degree in counseling and passing your state’s licensing exam will. Consider taking these additional steps as part of your transformation coach training and working as a therapist before shifting into your coaching role. You can also choose to shadow a successful transformational coach before starting your own coaching practice.
- Practice: Write a business plan that outlines what services you’ll offer, how much you’ll charge, and what makes your services stand out. Set financial and growth goals, and summarize how you’ll market your business. Research your target audience and what they’re willing to pay for coaching services. Register your business, and take on your first clients when you're ready. It’s a good idea to start small, gain insights, and then ramp up.
Coach clients on their transformational journey
Your focus is helping clients identify their strengths and a more satisfying route forward in life. You may put off administrative tasks as you zero in on this compassionate and life-changing work. And while catering to your clients’ needs, you’ll need a trustworthy system to keep up with administrative tasks and keep your business running.
Improve your interactions with clients, and keep their data safe using a customer relationship management (CRM) system. Practice allows you to send messages and documents, take bookings, and receive secure payments. While the administrative aspects may not seem like the “bread and butter” of your business, staying organized will bode well for your clients. Try our all-in-one client management system today.
