What are the differences between coaching, counselling, and spiritual direction?

A Catholic life coach gives clients the tools to overcome obstacles with the end goal of leading people to God, as that is the greatest Beatitude. Life coaching considers the wellbeing of the whole person and is working with mentally healthy people. Counselling is focused on people who are less mentally healthy, and is healing past and present issues. A spiritual director focuses on a person’s prayer life and relationship with God. Counsellors and spiritual directors both specialize in one particular area of the human person, whereas a life coach considers the human and spiritual person holistically.

If people are to live the life God created them for, they are likely to need guidance in their lives as they overcome human weaknesses and spiritual battles. When people need help on professional goals and personal experiences, they turn to family, friends and colleagues. However, when a person wants guidance on their spiritual life in conjunction with professional goals and personal experiences, that same network of people may fail. In a society where the faith is declining, a person may find themselves with few Catholic friends with the gift of wisdom to turn too. One may ask if the Church should provide this service, through the community, free of charge. However, in many parishes, the faithful are not well formed to give practical tools and advice. Priests are not equipped, nor do they have the capacity to coach people.

Life coaching develops the whole person, both spiritually and humanly. Coaching focuses on human

formation by helping people achieve goals, overcome obstacles, gain control of their life and make decisions. On the spiritual side, life coaching includes God in the pursuit of goals and happiness. The advice and tools are rooted in Catholic teaching. All advice, tools and problem-solving will be done with the aim of bringing people closer to God. The act of providing the service of life coaching in a parish is in itself a form of pastoral formation.

In conclusion, given the decline in practising Catholics, the rise of secular modern ideas, the increased spiritual battles and fall in the number of religious vocations, people need a place to receive Catholic coaching to help meet goals or acquire virtue. The service of a life coach should be advertised alongside spiritual direction and counselling as a third option for human and spiritual formation.