Rip-offs and con-artists...
and other well-meaning people - a little bit of a rant by Dr. E!

In my over 20-year professional life as a coach and counselor I have learned one single thing.

One size does not fit all!

While there are all sorts of steps people can take to help them improve their lives, improve their businesses, increase their income and save time, that is just the surface layer of things.

Many of the issues that prevent one person from being successful with the same information as someone else is a much more complex set of issues and should, under most situations, never be generalized.

The therapist or coach who uses their own experiences to help others is not really being helpful.  That would be akin to saying:  "This is what I did to cure myself of _______ (fill in the blank with a disease of your choice) and so it will work for you."  Hogwash and balderdash!  This is the equivalent of practicing medicine without a license.

Having worked with hundreds of clients on practice success there is no such thing as one size fits all.  Each person is an individual and, while there may be similarities of issues, the differences is where coaching/counseling etc. really begin.

Recently a model of private practice was put out there. It is the low-cost high-volume model.  Now this is a wonderful model provided you're in the right area to practice this way.  A person who was not yet a client of mine tried to execute this model in the city and it was a disaster.  After working with me for a few months, and the crisis was averted, he created a practice model that would fit him and his community.

These kinds of things happen all the time and, to be perfectly frank, I am getting tired of cleaning up the mess created by others.  If you are going to add coaching to your practice in order to help others, please learn the skills, methods and theories...yes, there are coaching theories.

Coaching as a profession has become one of the latest crazes and it goes something like this.

This philosophy of coaching: "I had this problem, I fixed it, now I can help others fix it" may all sound good, however there is one basic problem.  Which is:  this is usually that one person's SUBJECTIVE narrative on the subject and, as we know, the conscious mind must always give reasons why it does what it does, however it is usually wrong!  The explanations people give as to their own success rarely has anything to do with reality.

There are just too many variables to look at that can not be quantified.

That said, there are some basic things that show up over and over again as tried and true.

1. Love what you do and be excited about it
2. Be visible
3. Offer a great client experience
4. Be proactive in your marketing efforts

These are the basics. Now the particulars have a great deal to do with who you are, what you are about, where you live and what the demographics and psychographics are in your area.  Beyond that, there are the personal issues around success/failure/deserving and not deserving.

A coach, life/professional/business, should have experience with all of it!

More and more people see coaching as a way of adding to their income streams and not actually a profession that has professional bodies, certifications, memberships, training and education.

Over and over again I have heard the Acupuncture professionals get annoyed with the medical profession for being able to learn Acupuncture in 300 hours or less and then add Acupuncture to their tool box...Now Acupuncture professionals are doing the same thing with coaching WITHOUT training!

After 20 years in the helping profession, with over 16,000 client hours, with multiple degrees in the field, as well as over 6,000 hours of professional training, having taught counseling nationally and internationally, having a private practice for the past 20 years, teaching at Pacific School Of Chinese Medicine (counseling and communication), being the Director of Spiritual Counseling at Friends In Deed since 1987 - well, this gives me a great deal of experience of working with people to help them realize their dreams and live their lives with meaning, power and passion.

So if you are thinking of hiring a coach, don't just look at their personal experience with their own practice.

Look at training, education, memberships and certifications.  Find out who they coach, how long they have been coaching and how many coaching clients have they worked with.

There are two certifying bodies for coaching. They are The International Association of Coaches (IAC) and the International Coach Federation (ICF) so if you are not going to work with me then make sure you are working with someone who is really qualified to work with you!

Are you ready to STOP saying:

I don't have enough money?
I don't have enough time?
I don't have enough energy?
I don't have enough help?

Are you ready to live your life in such a way so that it reflects what really matters to you?

Greetings Dear Ones, 

I am very excited about this year's upcoming program, which will be held in beautiful Lambertville, NJ - just across the river from New Hope, PA - and if you are ready to re-focus your resources and gain the skills and abilities you need in order to live your life as a true conscious expression of what really matters, then I invite you to this intense workshop!

You have left impressions and have had an impact on the lives you have touched.
These are all part of your legacy.