Life coaches used to be a resource popular with the older generation, such as middle-aged CEOs needing guidance for a career change or other issues in their life. Today’s life coaches are catering to a more diverse audience, with the number of teens seeking the services of qualified life coaches experiencing an upward trend over the last few years.
The 2017 Global Consumer Awareness Survey revealed that the International Coaching Federation (ICF) showed 35% of Generation Z participants declared they already received life coaching. This figure is evidence of the growing popularity of life coaches amongst teens on the brink of adulthood.
Discover more about why teenagers are heading to a life coach and how they can benefit.
They Discover Ways to Re-Build Their Self-Confidence
Teenagers can quickly lose their way and start heading down the wrong track when dealt a setback, such as a school expulsion. These types of events can cause a teen to develop a lack of confidence and low self-esteem. However, unfortunate experiences should not dictate how much potential a teen has or the direction of their life.
A life coach can show a teenager how their past choices created their present circumstance and how making better decisions going forward can turn their life around. Even small successes, like graduating, can lead to considerable gains in self-esteem and confidence.
They Learn How to Play the Long Game
Teens often adopt the idea that they should already know their purpose in life and are doing something wrong if they don’t. Life can take an unlimited number of detours, and goals and desires often change over time. While it’s good to know a general direction for the life they want, life coaches remind teens that goals are not set in stone. Instead, they are often revisited and revised, and new plans are made. Life coaches also show teens how life is a long game and that it’s okay not to have everything right now.
Teens Understand that Life Coaching is Not Therapy
When teenagers hear the word therapy, they think of a medical diagnosis and treatment for a problem that needs fixing. Life coaching is not therapy and does not adopt the attitude that the teenager is broken. Instead, a life coach’s philosophy is to tap into the potential already there and to amplify it. Another significant difference between therapy and life coaching is that therapy is usually a long-term strategy, while life coaching sessions are typically short-term, usually around 6 to 12 months.
Life Coaching Provides a Social Connection Teenagers Crave
Teenagers of this millennia have grown up immersed in distractions created by mobile phones and an always-connected society. Screen time, thumbs-ups, and likes are a poor substitute for physical connections, and many teens have not developed the communication skills required to navigate a complex society. Despite the ease of communication, they are lonely, and a life coach provides a valuable social connection and someone they can talk to.
Is your teenager struggling with life’s challenges? Do they lack self-esteem or have low self-confidence. A life coach can help, so call today and help your teen get on the right path today.