"Life Coaches" - time for regulation?

Following on from the thread about psychics. Are life coaches another group that are cashing in on the vulnerable, and usually with no real qualifications to do so, unlike say Psychiatrists or Psychologists?

Have had friends with issues in their lives recently go to so called life coaches. Like psychics, these were people who were recommended to them by others who said they were very good.

A couple of friends ended up far more distressed and full of self doubt that when they went in, and are now questioning their entire lives, serious decisions they made about careers and relationships (I didn't even know they went there, I thought they just gave career advice!). One has had to go on for much more counselling as a result, she was left devastated by the questions she was asked. Again unlike Psychiatrists or Psychologists, there were no solutions proferred or real assistance beyond a series of probing questions (that anyone could devise) that pretty much broke her down.

So is it time to regulate this area? And if so, in what way?

corner of hells

Do "life coaches " do an Airport run ? Ive an early flight next month.

smash

Deleted User wrote: »

Are life coaches another group that are cashing in on the vulnerable, and usually with no real qualifications to do so, unlike say Psychiatrists or Psychologists?

Pretty much.

Idiot: My life's a mess, I'm broke and unhappy.
Life coach: Well if you can manage to get some money and pay me €150 an hour I can change that. But I give no guarantees.

kneemos

BOMBARDMENT!!

smash

smash wrote: »

Pretty much.

Idiot: My life's a mess, I'm broke and unhappy.
Life coach: Well if you can manage to get some money and pay me €150 an hour I can change that. But I give no guarantees.

It wasn't even that. That would be a neutral outcome. One I know of has actually opened up serious issues and left them hanging.

One of my friends was asked a series of questions that focussed on her worries about getting married and having a family that were just...shocking. And again with no effort to tackle the worries, nothing that left her able to deal with negative thoughts, just the whole thing left hanging once it was out in the open.

NachoBusiness

It's an impossible area to regulate due to free speech.

You're right though. The vast majority of these people are cnuts.

Tony Quinn here made a mint telling people the power to heal lay within them and nothing else was needed, yet he then went on to pimp supplements, same story with the very charismatic Tony Robbins (Awaken The Giant Within) in the states.

I include Oprah Winfrey when I say that also, as she had a viewership of hundreds of millions for her shows when you take in syndication and she would pontificate to people that they had drawn their problems to them and had regular guests on telling people that their attitude had made them ill and God had a plan for them. She positioned herself as the life coach to Americans and yet she herself couldn't even muster enough will power to stop stuffing her own face.

Buona Fortuna

NachoBusiness wrote: »

It's an impossible area to regulate due to free speech.

You're right though. The vast majority of these people are cnuts.

Tony Quinn here made a mint telling people the power to heal lay within them and nothing else was needed, yet he then went on to pimp supplements, same story with the very charismatic Tony Robbins (Awaken The Giant Within) in the states.

I include Oprah Winfrey when I say that also, as she had a viewership of hundreds of millions for her shows when you take in syndication and she would pontificate to people that they had drawn their problems to them and had regular guests on telling people that their attitude had made them ill and God had a plan for them. She positioned herself as the life coach to Americans and yet she herself couldn't even muster enough will power to stop stuffing her own face.

Yes Oprah is a total cnut.

This post has no value to anyone, other than giving me huge pleasure.

D'wife laps up any twaddle that Oprah sprouts out.

zeffabelli

I know one who is amazing.

Like shrinks it will depend on who they are and how they trained.

kfallon

zeffabelli wrote: »

I know one who is an amazing bullshítter.

Like shrinks it will depend on who they are and how they trained.

OneOfThem

'Counselor' is the same. Can scrawl 'OneOfThem Counselling' on your front door in crayon in the morning and start charging vulnerable people 100 euro an hour for counselling. Lot of cowboys I'd imagine. It's an unregulated gold rush. Know of one counselor that recommended 'The Secret' as essential reading to someone. Know another that advised absolutely against someone else moving to a different city, despite they were unemployed, a major cause of unhappiness to them, and had friends living there, and had been offered a very good job in the other city. No conflict of interest there I'm sure considering them moving would have taken 120 euro a week out of the counselors pocket.

Lots of great ones too I'm sure. Just do plenty of research on any you choose to employ the services of.

sbsquarepants

Regulation? No, absolutely not. There's enough nanny state bullshít in this country as it is. If people want to pay strangers for advice so be it, what business is it of anyone elses.
Businesses do it all the time, with no regulation whatsoever - they shell out vast sums on consultants for this and that, some of them are worth the investment others are just chancers.
These so called life coaches are a bit too much americanised bolloxology for my tastes but ultimately how you spend your money is no ones business but your own.

eamonnq

OneOfThem wrote: »

'Counselor' is the same. Can scrawl 'OneOfThem Counselling' on your front door in crayon in the morning and start charging vulnerable people 100 euro an hour for counselling.

Can I ??:eek:

kneemos

eamonnq wrote: »

Can I ??:eek:

No.Not you.

eamonnq

kneemos wrote: »

No.Not you.

And how does that make you feel ?

OneOfThem

eamonnq wrote: »

Can I ??:eek:

Get your own name, that one's trademarked!

But yeah, no barrier to entry or regulation whatsoever.

kneemos

eamonnq wrote: »

And how does that make you feel ?

See.

sbsquarepants

OneOfThem wrote: »

'Counselor' is the same. Can scrawl 'OneOfThem Counselling' on your front door in crayon in the morning and start charging vulnerable people 100 euro an hour for counselling. .

Reminds me of Darragh O'Brian going on about protected names for professionals.

Dietician is to Dentist as Nutritionist is to Toothioligist:D:D

jamesbere

I'll become a life coach.

First advice, wear sunscreen

NachoBusiness

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

Yes Oprah is a total cnut.

This post has no value to anyone, other than giving me huge pleasure.

Oh I hate her so much.

She now has shows on her own network (no pun intended) and when she goes to celebs homes she always asks them how they cope with media intrusion into wanting to know about their personal relationships and then she goes on to that very think: asks about their personal relationship, as if her nosiness is somehow different to everyone else's nosiness. She will also then usually have a whine about how people are so celebrity obsessed and materialistic these days, as she sits there in her Guicci heels, on yet another A lister's sofa. She has to be one of the biggest hypocrites to ever have walked the Earth.

Back in the 89, when she was on a level with Jerry Springer, she used to have those nuts on her show that said they were sexually abused by satanists in the woods and seen children being sacrificed. She believed ever word of it. Around that time Letterman came to do his show in Chicago and invited her on (this is where their feud began, despite her repeatedly saying in many many interviews, until quite recently, that she had noooooooo idea how or why it had happened..shows she's a liar if nothing else) and 3 minutes into the interview she starts saying that black people are never seen in restaurants. Dave of course laughed at her, as did the crowd, and she was fuming. It went south from there. Next Dave brings the 'Satantic Dismemberment' guests she had on her show the week before and takes the royal piss. The crowd started encouraging Dave and she goes full wacko Here is that interview.

The woman in that infamous satanic ritual show has since gone on to to be shown as a hoaxer. In fact she later wrote a book claiming to be a Holcaust survivor. Que 25 years later and Letterman appears on her new show (can't find footage of it, she must have it pulled from YT) and she brings that '89 show up and twists the whole thing. Says the crowd were mean to her and infers that it was Dave's fault. Dave, the gentleman that he is and not wanting an argument, apologizes for the show. A toe up her arse is what he should have given her.

Lets not forget this is the woman that gave us Dr.Phil also.
She has a new life coach she wheels out these days. Equally as irritating I bet.

sbsquarepants

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Regulation? No, absolutely not. There's enough nanny state bullshít in this country as it is. If people want to pay strangers for advice so be it, what business is it of anyone elses.

I presume people who hold themselves out as Psychiatrists and Psychologists are regulated, precisely because they are strangers providing what may amount to medical advice for money.

the_monkey

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Reminds me of Darragh O'Brian going on about protected names for professionals.

Dietician is to Dentist as Nutritionist is to Toothioligist:D:D

haha was thinking of the same , classic

eamonnq

kneemos wrote: »

See.

I think you may need to 'put yourself' 'out there' a bit more.


How am I doing??

Gongoozler

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I presume people who hold themselves out as Psychiatrists and Psychologists are regulated, precisely because they are strangers providing what may amount to medical advice for money.

Psychiatrists are medical professionals, and are regulated by the Medical Council. Psychologists are unregulated. CORU will be regulating counsellors and psychotherapists in time.

JuliusCaesar

Gongoozler wrote: »

Psychiatrists are medical professionals, and are regulated by the Medical Council.

True. Up till very recently, medical doctors and nurses were the only statutorily regulated helping professions.

Gongoozler wrote: »

Psychologists are unregulated.

In the process of being regulated by CORU.

Gongoozler wrote: »

CORU will be regulating counsellors and psychotherapists in time.

But no time soon. They're not even on the list of professions that they will be regulating. The UK tried to regulate them, and failed. The EU tried it too, same story.

So be careful! (Long sticky post on my forum about this if I'm allowed mention it.)

kneemos

eamonnq wrote: »

I think you may need to 'put yourself' 'out there' a bit more.


How am I doing??

You got me.

Gongoozler

Gongoozler wrote: »

CORU will be regulating counsellors and psychotherapists in time.

I have to say I wince when I see the word psychotherapist.

zeffabelli

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I have to say I wince when I see the word psychotherapist.

Psycho the rapist.

ancapailldorcha

As much as I dislike Oprah, I have a massive amount of respect for her. She's pulled herself up from having absolutely nothing to becoming one of the most recognisable people in the world today. I've no interest in her show, what she endorses, her network or that nonsense, mind. I feel that it's remarkable, however that she's accomplished so much despite surely have to deal with racism when it was more acceptable and the complete lack of anything like a silver spoon.

Gongoozler

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

True. Up till very recently, medical doctors and nurses were the only statutorily regulated helping professions.


In the process of being regulated by CORU.


But no time soon. They're not even on the list of professions that they will be regulating. The UK tried to regulate them, and failed. The EU tried it too, same story.

So be careful! (Long sticky post on my forum about this if I'm allowed mention it.)

As far as I can see, registration isn't even open yet for psychologists.

I can see counsellors and psychotherapists aren't on the list on the website, wonder why that is. They are on their list anyway.

KomradeBishop

Deleted User wrote: »

I presume people who hold themselves out as Psychiatrists and Psychologists are regulated, precisely because they are strangers providing what may amount to medical advice for money.

Don't be so sure. The regulations are so bad, that they are handing out qualification certs for things like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (a legitimately useful treatment, muddied by crackpot therapists), with more abandon than a psych throwing pills at you.

KomradeBishop

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

True. Up till very recently, medical doctors and nurses were the only statutorily regulated helping professions.




In the process of being regulated by CORU.




But no time soon. They're not even on the list of professions that they will be regulating. The UK tried to regulate them, and failed. The EU tried it too, same story.

So be careful! (Long sticky post on my forum about this if I'm allowed mention it.)

Why is this taking so long though, why does regulating this fail? Vulnerable people are being harmed by these people.