Look Online for a Life Coach

By Michelle Hainer

When Carly Milne, a writer in Los Angeles, needed some guidance last year, a friend recommended she hire a life coach. Because this friend had been successful in meeting some of her own life goals by working with a life coach named Ariel, the idea was intriguing to Milne. She checked out the coach’s web site dubbed “Intentionalize.”

“I loved the web site name and his site had beautiful, soothing music playing and was full of testimonials and descriptions of what he did,” says Milne, who began working with the coach shortly thereafter.

The Internet is a great resource for life coaches and their clients, although it helps to know what you’re looking for before you search.

“One of the most important things to ask a potential life coach is how they make the distinction between coaching and therapy,” says Sharna Fey, a San Francisco-based coach. “Therapists have a lot more training and they work differently. A good life coach asks a lot of deep questions to help the person uncover what they really want.”

Here are three key things to keep in mind when searching for a coach online:

No. 1: Check credentials
If you type “find a life coach” into an Internet search engine, many results will pop up -- but not all of them are legitimate. Check to make sure that the coach, or coaching institute, has been certified by a reputable organization such as The International Coaching Federation, advises Fey. She also recommends checking out The Coaches Training Institute, where you can read profiles of coaches around the country via the site’s “Resources” section. “Always ask a potential coach where they did their training, and then look up the school’s web site, where you’ll often find information on their philosophy,” Fey says.

No. 2: Review their web site
If a life coach has their own web site, give it a good read before contacting them. Make sure they give a clear description of their coaching philosophy (and that it’s in tune with what you’re looking for), that the site looks professional and that it includes testimonials or recommendations from other clients. “Definitely ask a coach for references, and interview a few coaches,” says Fey, who adds that many coaches offer a free session for new clients. Milne agrees: “You want to feel a connection and know that this is the person you want to hire.”

No. 3: Ask them about their coaching method
With an increasingly busy schedule, you may not always have time to meet with your coach face-to-face. (Or, if you’ve found a coach online who lives in California and you live in Connecticut, you may never get the chance to meet in person.) Many coaches do coach their clients remotely. Ask potential coaches how they feel about conducting sessions via phone or e-mail. Some coaches post tools, workbooks and podcasts on their web sites, too. If you want to meet in person, but your coach lives in another town, ask if they ever use a web video chat service to coach clients. “Once we built up a rapport and got used to each other, Ariel and I started communicating by phone or e-mail,” says Milne, who travels often for work. “It was great because I didn’t feel pressured that the only way to continue to advance was by meeting face-to-face.”

Although finding the right coach may take some time, the extra effort is worth it. “Ariel has this incredible way of really slowing me down,” says Milne. “I’ve learned to give myself time to percolate on things.”