To Hustle Through or Explore Tangents

If you have any questions about life coaching or the life coaching program for youth, send them in. I love a good Q&A. Let’s get this rolling.

Question: You have a preset 10 session life coaching program for teenagers. Yet at the same time, you said that we as coaches can tailor the program specifically to each student. If I follow all the steps of the life coaching program, is it possible to pursue other topics, and perhaps, not follow the entire program. How can I manage that?

Answer: It’s an important question. One of the main principles of life coaching is to follow the lead of the client. And what happens if your client wants to go on an amazing tangent? On the other hand, when you’re working with youth, it’s really useful to have a life coaching program.

As a life coach for teens using a program you’re stuck between taking meaningful tangents or pursuing predetermined interesting concepts.

Fortunately, the foundation of the Academic Life Coaching program is a the bedrock of life coaching concepts. These are the bread and butter of life coaching: coach the client, not the problem; empathetic listening; and simple, curious questions.

Whenever the client wants to set an agenda, the life coach follows and listens for values, perspectives, systems, etc. all the great stuff that you learn in the Academic Life Coaching training and certification.

Yet the Academic Life Coaching Program does have a little over 30 concepts designed to be covered in ten one-hour sessions. And it’s in beautiful workbook form. To get through the 32 concepts, you’ve got to hustle.

Back to your question – what which do you leave behind tailoring the session to the needs of the client or going through all of the ALC program exercises? –  the answer is neither. And here are two reasons why it’s possible to follow the exercises of the ALC Program yet still have time to explore meaningful tangents.

1. The ALC program was designed with teenagers in mind.

Since the exercises are specific to teenagers in high school or college, students find the material applies to them. The program usually serves as a starting point for teens to understand a concept and share how it would impact their life.

2. You don’t have to explain the life coaching concept.

Explaining the life coaching concept can take up so much time. When you get skilled as a life coaching working with teens, you can allow your questions to be informed by the concept found in the workbook.

The bottom-line is that people learn best when they are talking, processing the ideas and information themselves. Delivering advanced concepts to teenagers by having a teenager think about what tangible difference it makes in taking action is the beauty of life coaching.

Also read: In the Sandbox, Thinking Outside the School Box