Life coaching has been around for several decades, but it is still a field that most people know little about. If you’re interested in helping people reach their goals and jumpstart their lives, life coaching may be the field for you. However, you probably heard plenty of myths about it.

Here are three common myths about being a life coach.

THREE Myths about Being a Life Coach

1. Coaching is a new form of therapy. A common myth about life coaching is that it is a new form of therapy or counseling. Life coaching is a separate profession from therapy, and it is more about helping clients better their lives than digging into the past. Life coaching is also one of the fastest-growing careers worldwide, and many therapists have become life coaches as well.
2. You don’t need training to become a life coach. The life coaching field is unregulated, meaning there is no standard career path to become a life coach. Unlike therapists who have to go to a four-year accredited university, anyone can say they are a life coach. Unfortunately, this means many people are practicing without proper education or certification. If you are interested in becoming a life coach but want knowledge and experience, consider taking a certified life coaching course.
3. Life coaches tell their clients what to do. Finally, some people believe that life coaches tell the clients what to do. Many people, including parents, friends, and coworkers, enjoy telling people what they should be doing. Life coaches, on the other hand, do not focus on what people should or should not be doing. They are there to listen and work with the client to develop the best way to achieve their goals. With life coaching, it’s all about the client.

Life coaching is a fast-growing career field, but some people still don’t know much about it. These three myths are common assumptions about the field of life coaching.