If you’re wondering whether life coaching is suitable for teenagers, the answer is YES. This guide will reveal exactly how life coaching for teens works, what you can expect from it and why it can be a great idea!
As an experienced international coach who has worked with clients of all ages from many different backgrounds, I am excited to share this knowledge with you.
In this guide, you’ll also learn how to find the best life coaches for teenagers – and how to become one yourself!
Let’s get right into it:
What is a life coach?
A life coach helps clients make important decisions and discover the paths in life that will make them happy. They also help clients develop key life skills, such as confidence, assertiveness, effective communication, leadership, goal-setting, stress management, time management, mental and physical wellness etc.
Hopefully, you agree that teenagers would benefit from developing skills like these as they complete their education.
What can teenagers expect from a life coaching session?
Teen life coaching is extremely flexible. The curriculum will be dictated by what they feel they need help with.
A life coach has been trained to ask the types of questions that will determine where their client is struggling – and how they can help them move forward.
Life coaching has been known to help young people decide the next steps they want to take after school is over. What’s more, if they’re struggling at school, a coach can help them improve their focus, organization, time management, communication with teachers etc.
A life coach is also qualified to help teens deal with issues in their personal life, perhaps by teaching them life skills including stress management, self-esteem, self-motivation and self-understanding.
Youth coaching methods
Whether they market themselves as a life coach for teenager clients, an academic coach or anything else, all accredited youth coaches will have gone through similar life coach training.
As such, the coaching methods used are likely to be similar, regardless of the individual you choose to work with.
Life coaching is NOT parenting or tutoring
It’s important for parents to understand that youth coaching isn’t about telling a teenager what to do. A coach will only ever encourage their clients to discover the best solutions to their problems for themselves. Learning how to do this effectively is a key part of life coach training.
The methods used to help young clients open up include:
- Interviewing. Coaches will get as much information as possible about the client’s situation by asking questions. These questions will be ultimately framed in a way to get young people to come to their own conclusions about the best ways for them to progress.
- Journaling. Many coaches will encourage their clients to write down their thoughts about specific situations, perhaps on a daily basis. Clients will then be encouraged to read their journal to the coach.
- Games and activities. This light-hearted approach usually makes coaching more enjoyable for young people. It also serves to make the student more comfortable to open up.
Academic coaching
Youth coaching is very different to tutoring. You shouldn’t expect a youth coach to help your children understand a particular subject at school. However, they are equipped to pass on helpful techniques for studying, writing essays, taking exams etc.
A youth coach can also help a child understand what subjects they may want to continue studying at a higher level.
Personal coaching
If a teen is going through personal issues outside of school, a life coach will use the same techniques to help them understand their feelings and make a decision on the best way forward.
Is online coaching available?
Coaching sessions can take place via telephone, an online video messaging service like Skype, or face-to-face.
One of the best places to find an online teen coach is the online portal www.teencounseling.com.
The benefits of an online coaching program is that it’s often more logistically convenient. However, with face-to-face coaching, it’s often easier for the coach to build a stronger and more engaging relationship with the student.
Sessions usually last between 30 and 60 minutes.
Benefits of youth coaching
While some parents may feel like they can help their children overcome any personal or academic struggles, the truth is: there are often limitations to what they can achieve.
Often, there are many issues which children feel should be kept secret from one or both parents. Perhaps they fear being judged, punished or shamed for sharing their truth. In many cases, there is little that a parent can do to stop their children feeling like this.
It is rarely helpful for young people to keep their problems to themselves though. They are nearly always better off seeking help from a wise adult who they can trust.
This is the main benefit of hiring a teenage life coach.
All conversations between life coaches and students are kept strictly confidential. What’s more, in their life coach training, coaches are taught how to effectively build rapport and trust with their clients. They are also taught how to understand specific types of professional, academic or personal problems and lead clients to the best solution for them.
In a perfect world, parents might wish that their children could open up to them about anything – and that they would have the perfect solution on the tip of their tongue.
In reality though, a child would often prefer to share these problems with a trusted third-party, especially when this individual has been extensively trained to deal with them.
How to choose the right youth coach
Of course, you should compare prices, credentials, and qualifications (including a CRB check) when choosing a coach.
However, the most important aspect beyond these is the child’s relationship with a coach.
You should absolutely involve your child in the selection process. In most cases, they will be offered a free initial chat with a coach before signing up to work with them. You should absolutely take them up on this offer.
Although coaches are trained how to deal with troubled or apathetic clients, the coaching is far more likely to be effective if your child is a willing participant. With that in mind, you’re usually best off choosing one who the child is excited to work with.
One of the best places to find a certified youth life coach is the online portal teencounseling.com.
Youth coaching prices
You can usually expect to pay between $100-$200 per hour for youth coaching sessions.
It could be higher or lower depending on the coach’s experience and/or demand for their services. Often, coaches will lower their prices if you book several sessions in bulk.
You should investigate what your child will get as part of the coaching program. A lot of coaches will offer their students free resources or unlimited email access to them as part of their program.
Can anyone be a life coach?
There is nothing stopping any individual from setting up a website, marketing themselves as an international coach and offering to talk to people for a specific price.
That’s why it’s important to check a coach’s qualifications and to set up a trial call before handing over any money.
If you are thinking about setting up a coaching business, it is well worth investing in life coach training first. This will not only help you stand out from the hundreds of accredited competitors in your field, but it’ll also set you up to offer tremendous value to your clients.
What skills do you need?
You’ll learn most of the skills you need in your life coach training. However, you’ll find the job a lot easier if you are naturally patient, understanding, sympathetic and have good communication skills.
If you choose to specialise in working with teenagers, it will help if you enjoy spending time working with younger people. Indeed, many former foster parents, school teachers, tutors and counsellors transition from these careers into youth coaching.
How do you become a certified youth coach?
Youth coaching certification comes in many forms.
If you choose to take a generic life coach training program, you’ll learn the skills needed to work with teenagers, as well as other types of clients.
There are certification programs available specifically for youth coaching. If you gain this type of certification, it may help you stand out ahead of generic life coaches. At the same time, you’ll be pigeonholing yourself to a specific niche.
A quick online search will show you the variety of coaching programs available.
Do you have any more questions about youth coaching?
Hopefully you managed to get the information you needed about the benefits of youth coaching. If you hire a good one, I’m sure your child will be blessed with a number of life skills that they won’t learn at school.
Still, if you have any further questions about this type of coaching, feel free to drop them in the comments.
As an international coach who has worked with younger clients, I’d be happy to assist you.
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