Eleanor Herrmann, on the history of nursing

By Karen Schmidt, RN
March 26, 2002

What does a life coach do?

Professional coaching is a partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the coaching process, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance and enhance the quality of their lives.

Coaching is taken from a model of health, not disease or psychopathology. Both the client and the coach perceive the client to be healthy, powerful and capable.

Life and business coaching is a relatively new profession that is action-based. It starts from today to help clients achieve goals, gain focus and generally make the best of themselves and their lives. In sports, no professional athlete-no matter how skilled-would ever think to compete without a coach. Is life any less important than the games athletes play?

Who seeks out the services of a coach?

People hire a coach when they're starting a new business, making a career transition, re-evaluating their life choices, wishing to have a competitive edge or wanting to make more money. Sometimes, people are seeking a greater life balance or simply feeling ready for a personal or professional breakthrough.

Nurses can benefit from life coaching in many ways. Many nurses find themselves unhappy in their work these days. It is said that each nurse now does the work that 2½ nurses did in the past. All of this work is taking its toll on nurses in terms of family life and physical, emotional and spiritual health.

As a result, many nurses have begun to ask significant questions: What do I want? How can I get what I want? What makes me feel happy and fulfilled? What adds a sense of balance and peace to my life? What values are important to me? How can I express these values in my life without sacrificing family, work or self-care?
Coaching can help them find a niche that fits them and that they are passionate about. It can help them find something for which they are more suited. Many are feeling a lot of stress. Coaching can help them find a balance and set boundaries in their lives.

Many people think they don't have time for one more thing. But that's the wonderful thing about coaching. It's flexible and portable. A coach may live in the client's area or in another country, because coaching sessions are usually done in half-hour increments by phone, with fax and e-mail supplementing their calls. This eliminates the hassle of leaving one's home or office.

What drew you to this line of work?

My initial attraction came when I read about it in professional journals. It sounded like a wonderful way to work with people to enhance their lives.

Then, our advisory board at the counseling center where I work advised us to diversify our services in the face of HMOs and other health care changes. When I went for the initial training, I said, "This is for me!" I was so excited about how it fit my skills and call to nursing and helping.

How does coaching interweave with your nursing background and skills?

Coaching is one of the ways in which people can be helped in a time of crisis or deep personal questioning. For instance, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, life and business coaches from all over the world volunteered their time to help those directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy.

Many of the skills I use in coaching are the same ones that I use in psychotherapy. The skills I use are interviewing, asking powerful questions, listening, intuition, curiosity, being a change agent. The key elements to being a good coach include listening, empathy, encouragement, moral and practical support. Some coaches have skills in grief or bereavement counseling as well.
The coaching profession is also a natural for nurses to pursue professionally. With some additional education, nurses can build on their nursing skills and transfer into the profession of coaching.

Where can someone find more information about becoming or finding a coach?

Most professional coaches belong to the International Coach Federation [www.coachfederation.org]. To find a coach that fits you, visit the Web site and select "Find a coach." You'll be guided to a list of coaches that fit your own personal profile.

The coaches that match your needs usually offer a free introductory session to help you further refine your search.

Nurses who would like to experience the world of coaching can call Pinnacle International at (608) 274-6837 to arrange for a free half-hour telephone coaching session.