PRESS ROOM of the ICF-CT Chapter, Inc.

A Coach for 'Team You'
Many Who Want a Winning Record in the Game of Life Are Skipping the Shrink and Hiring a Life Coach Instead

By Cecilia Capuzzi Simon
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, June 10, 2003; Page HE01

When Mary Elizabeth Becker was diagnosed with an arterial malformation in her brain, she faced life-threatening surgery and the realization that, at age 31, her life was not what she wanted it to be. She was unhappy in her job and struggling with a weight problem. If she survived, she promised herself, she would change her life.

Becker did survive, and tried to change. But seven years of psychotherapy did not help her switch careers or shed pounds, she says. It uncovered deep-seated reasons for her life choices, but when it came to living a happier, balanced existence, she says, "psychotherapy failed me."

So last year, Becker abandoned psychotherapy and hired a life coach.

Once reserved for executives facing tough decisions in elite corners of corporate America, coaching is trickling down to the masses. Think of coaching as having your own Dr. Phil on call -- someone there not to diagnose emotional problems or feel your pain, but to tell you to buck up and help you make a plan. Becker, who has founded a small arts business and lost weight in the year since she started being coached, credits the coaching with helping her identify big-picture goals, set strategy and stay focused.

"When I tell people I'm using a life coach, they roll their eyes and pass it off as New Age baloney," she says. "But coaching is filling a need for people like myself who are really ready to transform their lives."

With its focus on self-help and maximizing potential, coaching does have a New Age aroma. Terrie Lupberger, CEO of Newfield Network, an Olney-based program that trains coaches, says coaching's rise is due in part to a "crisis of meaning" in American society. "We have more information in our culture today than we can fathom," she says. "Yet people are not happier than they were 10 or 15 years ago."

Coaching, says Patrick Williams, who once practiced as a clinical psychologist and later founded the Institute for Life Coach Training, a coach training program for therapists, is about "futuring" people.

This sort of talk makes many in the mental health field think of coaching as a "sell job," as New York psychoanalyst and Hunter College professor Joyce Slochower says. Psychologists who abandon their traditional role and declare themselves coaches are often scorned by colleagues: Are they leaving unprofitable practices and looking for easy riches? Are they refusing to put up any longer with the annoyances of managed care? Are they bad therapists? David Fresco, assistant professor of psychology at Kent State University, warns that the field remains unregulated and lacking in standards, meaning coaches "have the capacity to make hoards of money without professional oversight." Many coaches have no formal training, either in coaching or psychology.

Nevertheless, the coaching profession is exploding, and psychologists -- if at first reluctantly -- are coming on board. Psychotherapy Networker magazine says it could be the "wave of the future."

Some 20,000 full-time coaches practice worldwide, about three-quarters of them in the United States, according to the International Coach Federation (ICF), coaching's credentialing organization. More than 6,000 are members of ICF, up from 1,500 three years ago. Forty percent of ICF members are psychotherapists who have become full-time coaches or added coaching to their practices. Several training programs are designed to help therapists make the transition. (There are even coaches for therapists who want to become coaches.) Universities, including Georgetown and George Mason, offer coaching courses. And the American Psychological Association (APA) sponsors coaching workshops for continuing education credit.

Perhaps most telling of coaching's move into the mainstream is this: In April, Martin Seligman, the former APA president whose popular book "Authentic Happiness" promotes positive psychology, teamed up with one of the top therapist coaching schools. He and instructors at Bethesda-based MentorCoach will teach a "vanguard of trainers" to spread coaching and positive psychology to other psychologists. Their goal: Train 10,000 coaches in 10 years so that coaching and positive psychology will "penetrate the culture," as MentorCoach founder and CEO Ben Dean says.

"Coaching seems like a fad now," says Dean, who was trained as a clinical psychologist but now works full time as a coach and trainer of coaches. "But there is a real hunger among people for this. This is something that has legs. Coaching is where psychotherapy was in the 1910s. We are right at the beginning."

In truth, life coaching has been around since the mid-'80s, with Thomas Leonard largely credited with its founding as a profession. Leonard, who died in February of a heart attack at age 47 shortly after being interviewed for this article, had left his financial planning practice to counsel his prosperous yuppie clients on how to spend their money and live their newly affluent lifestyles. They had problems related to their wealth that they couldn't discuss with friends or family, he said, and such questions as "What color should my BMW be?" and "Where should I buy my vacation home?" It may sound vacuous and flip now, but Leonard saw himself as helping them "create a life" instead of "fixing problems." He was, he said, "working with people's problems in a positive way."

He was also enough of an entrepreneur to see that such a service was useful not only to the very rich. In 1989 he began training coaches. In the early '90s he started Coach U, which has graduated some 8,000 coaches. (Leonard sold Coach U in 2000, but it remains one of the most successful programs.) In 1994 he established what would become the ICF. In the process, he set the standards for a largely virtual industry -- 90 percent of coaching is done via phone or e-mail -- that has allowed its practitioners the potential for unusual wealth and freedom of lifestyle. Some highly successful life coaches earn six-figure incomes, boast four-day workweeks and coach from second homes in resort areas. Leonard, for example, spent five years on the road in an RV, coaching clients by cell phone from the tops of mountains in Yosemite to the tops of tables at Wendy's outlets.

So why can't a person in psychotherapy achieve the same positive life goals -- weight loss, career change or simply learning how to be happier -- that coaching claims to provide its clients? The notion that psychotherapy is somehow different from coaching in its impact or intent outrages psychotherapy purists.

"It is already an intrinsic part of what we do," says Slochower. "I object to this black-and-white split. Any therapist who works with someone in a way that only focuses on what is wrong is doing bad therapy. There is no one on earth -- even a chronic schizophrenic -- who doesn't have the capacity to feel good about themselves. Otherwise, what the hell are we doing?"

But when Slochower describes the psychotherapeutic process, she characterizes it as working "from the inside out. . . . It's talking about old pieces, and how they get re-created in the present, and how they can change." And for coaches -- and their clients -- that's the rub.

Coaching doesn't look back. It's not a replacement for psychotherapy, and it doesn't attempt to diagnose mental disorders. It's for "high-functioning" individuals, as coaches call them, who want their lives to be better in some way. Coaches who have been through a reputable training program are taught to spot signs of emotional illness. If a coach suspects such trouble, he or she is supposed to refer the client to a mental health professional. In fact, says Marti Campbell, a coach in Chevy Chase, depressed people probably can't be coached because they are unable to take action.

"The bottom line," says Linda Finkle, a coach and president of the D.C. chapter of ICF, "is that coaching is forward-moving and action-oriented. We don't care how you got to where you are. We're not here to get you over it or deal with it better. We ask, 'What do you want to do with your life?' We help you to recognize what's holding you back, and then move you forward."

Williams, whose Institute for Life Coach Training is based in Fort Collins, Colo., says most people would benefit from such intervention. He estimates that 80 percent of those seeing a therapist have no mental disorder, but because therapists lack the skills or knowledge to help high-functioning people, they slap a label on anyway to satisfy managed care and fit the patient into a treatment that focuses on pathology.

What many therapists are beginning to realize is that they are failing to reach a big slice of the population -- or failing to cash in on a huge market, depending on one's viewpoint. There are those like Mary Elizabeth Becker -- in therapy but getting nowhere and likely to leave eventually, feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. And there are others, especially men, who would never consider psychotherapy but who would talk through problems with a seemingly less threatening, more positive coach. (Williams estimates that 60 percent of coaching clients are men, while only 30 percent of those in psychotherapy are.) For people who are "terrified of treatment," says Washington clinical psychologist and coach Lynn Friedman, "coaching is a good thing. It allows them to get help in a way that doesn't make them feel bad."

The distinction between therapy and coaching became apparent five years ago to Ellen Ostrow, a clinical psychologist in the District and Silver Spring. After 17 years of practice, she began to notice that many of her patients, primarily lawyers, had no diagnosable mental disorder. Instead, they were under stress because of workplace and lifestyle issues. What they wanted -- and needed -- was a safe place and an expert ear to help work them out, she says. Ostrow found herself acting more like a coach and less like a psychotherapist with those patients. After training with MentorCoach, she now divides her practice 50-50 between coaching clients and psychotherapy patients.

"After years of empathizing with my patients' pain and anguish, coaching lets me empathize with their excitement and exuberance," she says. "It's selfish, but it brings excitement into my own life."

Lynne Hornyak, who practiced psychotherapy in the District for 20 years but now coaches full time, is also pleased with her new field: "I entered psychology as a naïve 21-year-old to work in wellness. That was my dream. And now," after taking up coaching, she says, "I'm back," finally working on wellness.

Increasingly, the public is getting the distinction, too. Ann Cochran hired a coach when she wanted to make a transition from her corporate communications work into feature writing. Another psychotherapy veteran (she had been successfully treated for depression), Cochran sought out a coach for her career issues. "A psychologist would probably be better equipped to help you sort out whether a problem is just job-related or a bigger life issue," she says. "But I was clear. I just wouldn't dream of going to a psychologist to be a travel writer."

Though many coaches are starting to specialize -- there are those who bill themselves as experts in relationships, health, family, ADHD, even parents of anorexics -- most are generalists whose clients work with them because they click together. The coach Cochran selected, for example, had no expertise in writing or journalism. What she did have was an instinctive understanding of human motivation and -- perhaps most distinctively -- a plan of action to which Cochran felt personally and financially accountable. Not only was Cochran primed and motivated to make change, she was also paying for it. Coaching is not covered by health insurance.

At a typical $250 to $400 per month (executive coaches can command $1,500) and a three-month commitment, the coachee buys three to four half-hour or 45-minute sessions a month (usually done over the phone) and usually a number of unscheduled phone calls -- often prompted by the desire for immediate advice -- to the coach. The consultations are confidential. In most cases, coach and coachee never meet in person.

Becker, one of Finkle's clients, has seen her coach's picture but has never met her in person. The phone, say most coaches and their clients, is an effective, efficient instrument, requiring that they get to the business of coaching with no distractions. There are some, however, who prefer human contact. Terrie Lupberger, for example, likes to meet clients in person because she learns much about them from their body language.

Once a client connects with a coach, the process is similar to that of cognitive behavioral therapy. In both techniques, clients are asked to set goals and then are prompted by questions meant to cut to the heart of ideas that get in the way of success. Homework is designed to test skills and move toward goals. (See "How to Get Coached" on this page.)

Years of training can separate therapists and coaches. Therapists with PhDs may train for more than six years. Coaches need a minimum of 60 hours of training and 250 hours of coaching client experience for "associate" certification; "master" certification requires 200 hours of education and 2,500 hours of coaching experience. ICF, which is based in the District, has credentialed just 1,000 coaches, though the organization has 6,000 members worldwide.

But the major difference between coach and therapist is in the degree of active intervention.

Linda Finkle, for example, says she has a client who likes to whine. At the beginning of each session, she gives him exactly seven minutes to get it out of his system, and then cuts him off. "I could let him go on, but it doesn't help him. Few can be brutally honest. I don't want to hurt anybody, but if I see clients doing something that gets in their way, I've got to tell them or I've shirked my responsibility as a coach."

Finkle's approach would appall most therapists, but then she's not working with people looking to be healed. And that highlights the most important distinction between coaching and therapy: The doctor-patient relationship is different from that of coach and coachee. There is an "implied dependency" between doctor and patient, explains Ellen Ostrow. A therapist agrees to take on a patient's well-being, and the patient's internalized view of the therapist is an essential part of the healing process. Also, the relationship is protected by an ethical and legal framework. Psychologists who coach and do therapy keep their client lists very separate, or they should. As Dean and other therapists-turned-coaches point out, coaching a person who is also patient could interfere with treatment and leave the therapist open to ethical questions and charges of malpractice.

The coaching relationship, on the other hand, functions as a collaborative business arrangement. "Coaching is two persons coming together to co-create," says Hornyak. "One has expertise in change; the other has expertise in their life."

Who could argue with such an attractive proposition? But even some coaches urge caution.

"It's really a buyer-beware marketplace," says Silver Spring psychotherapist and coach Lynn Grodzki, who specializes in training therapists who want to become coaches. "There are so many people with vast differences in training. Some are very good. Some are not."

But that hasn't deterred results-driven clients. One coachee, who believes that using a coach gave her a competitive edge at work, declined to have her name used in this article because she didn't want colleagues to know about -- or replicate -- her advantage. •

Cecilia Capuzzi Simon regularly writes about psychology for Health.

Business and Personal Coaching Field
Becomes Accredited Profession

International Coach Federation first to offer professional coaching credentials by an independent body

Printer Friendly Page

ANGEL FIRE, NM, OCTOBER 23 - Since the number of people entering the emerging field of personal and business coaching has doubled in size each of the past three years, The International Coach Federation, the industry's largest professional association, has taken on the responsibility of sponsoring professional credentials for the growing field. As such, the ICF unveiled the first certification program for professional coaches by an independent accredited body at its third annual conference September 17-19 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The coaching industry, whose roots can be traced back to the early '90s, has been growing rapidly in the last few years. Individuals and corporations are now hiring business and personal coaches at an unprecedented pace to be their combination mentor, taskmaster, motivational speaker, management consultant and sounding board. U.S. News & World Report published that coaching was the runner-up hottest consulting field in the U.S. in 1997, just behind the venerable management consultants. Hundreds of articles, TV and radio shows have been done on coaching since 1996. A recent national poll of coaching clients indicates they are virtually unanimous in perceiving coaching as a valuable investment and a field that is here to stay.

"The ICF has led the development of certification for coaches because we felt that, as the industry continues to grow, the ICF's professional credentials will distinguish experienced, professional coaches from individuals who just want to jump on the trend of coaching," says John Seiffer, President of the ICF. "It will also raise the level of standards for everyone in the industry. To maintain their credentials, coaches must continue their education and expand their skill base, as well. We anticipate that the ICF credentials will become the international standard for the profession."

The ICF is currently offering three internationally recognized credentials for the professional coaching industry for both ICF members as well as non-members: Certified Coach Training Agency (CCTA), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and the more advanced Master Certified Coach (MCC). Each have specific requirements for hours of coaching experience.

"With these credentials now available, the market is recognizing the professionalism of the coaching industry by making informed, discriminating choices in hiring professionally trained coaches," says Chrissy Carew, Vice President of the ICF.

The ICF, which has 135 chapters in most U.S. states and 20 countries, is a non-profit virtual organization with board members, staff, volunteers and members located all over the world. The ICF offers a free Coach Referral Service via its website (www.coachfederation.org) or by calling 888-BE-MY-COACH.

EDITORS: For more information, please see the attached FACT SHEET:

The International Coach Federation's Coach Credentialing Program or call Tom Phillips at 212-935-4655.

The International Coach Federation's
Coach Credentialing Program

FACT SHEET

In 1998, ICF developed the Credentialing and Continuing Education Program for professional coaches and presented the program to the members at the 1998 annual conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. After a grandfathering phase, which expired December 31, 1998, the formal program was launched January 1, 1999.

The purpose of the ICF Credentialing Program is to:

Establish industry regulations and minimum standards for the qualifications and proficiency of professional coaches and coach training agencies.
Assure the public that participating coach-training agencies, professional coaches and master coaches meet or exceed, and continue to operate in accordance with industry standards.
Ensure that the professional coaching industry is clearly established as a distinct and self-regulating profession.

This Program provides credentials for ICF members, as well as non-members: Certified Coach Training Agency (CCTA), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Master Certified Coach (MCC). Re-Certification is required every (3) three years.

Certified Coach Training Agency (CCTA) - for training organizations that are aligned with the ICF's definition of Professional Coaching and the ICF Standards and Code of Ethics, and whose methods, processes and/or techniques for professional coaching have been reviewed and approved by the ICF.

To qualify, the coach training agency must align and comply with the industry philosophy, definition and standards, deliver a progression of courses that satisfy all requirements for PCC designation, and formally apply with comprehensive documentation.

Professional Certified Coach (PCC) - First level of credential for a Professional Coach. There are two application paths to credentialing as a PCC:

ICF Certified Coach Training Agency (CCTA) - Successfully complete coach training program with an ICF Certified Coach Training Agency plus accumulate 750 coaching hours or 1 1/2 years in the business of coaching.
Portfolio Style - Accumulate 125 coaching specific classroom hours in a portfolio of coaching specific courses, 750 coaching hours or 1 1/2 years in the business of coaching and successfully pass an ICF administered exam.

Master Certified Coach (MCC) - Advanced level of credential for a Professional Coach. With PCC as a prerequisite, an MCC applicant must show successful completion of a minimum of 200 coaching specific classroom hours, 2500 coaching hours or four years in the business of coaching and demonstrate leadership through visible contributions to the coaching profession.

Fees: (every 3 years)
PCC or MCC application: $275 for non-members; $200 for members
CCTA application: $500
Testing fee for all "port folio" exam students $50
Re-certification: $175 for non-members, $100 for members

The ICF has already received 250 applications from coaches who are already certified by coach training organizations to be "grandfathered" in. It anticipates an additional 1,000-1,500 applications in the coming year.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

President: Judy Feld, MS, MAS, CMC, MCC president@coachfederation.org
Executive Director: Dan Martinage DMartinage@coachfederation.org
Media contact: Rosaline Myers ICF , 1-888-423-3131 or 202-712-9039, RMyers@coachfederation.org

International Coach Federation
1444 I Street NW Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
E-mail icfoffice@coachfederation.org
Phone 888-423-3131 or 202-712-9039
Fax 888-329-2423 or 202-216-9646

Client Survey Results and Press Release

Analysis of 1998 Survey of Coaching Clients by
The International Coach Federation

In the first-ever survey of clients of personal and professional coaches, The International Coach Federation polled 210 clients of their members for their demographic data and opinions during 1998. Clients submitted completed surveys directly to the survey scorers - not via their coach - to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of answers. The poll was conducted by consultant Amy Watson, Principal, PROfusion Public Relations, with survey design assistance by Jackie Rieves Watson, Ph.D., professor of management and statistics, Amber University.

GENDER

65 males (31%) and 145 females (69%) answered the survey

YEARS OF AGE

Average: 41
Median: 40
Minimum: 24
Maximum: 67

OCCUPATION
Most coaching clients are employed professionals.

Professionals: 197
Trades: 6
Full-time students: 2
Homemakers: 2
Unemployed: 2
Didn't answer: 1

EDUCATION
82% of coaching clients are degreed; over a third hold Master's degrees or higher.

Undergrad degree only : 38.3%
Graduate degree: 35.9%
Some college only: 13.9%
High School only : 3.8%
Some grad school: 8.1%

HOW CLIENT LOCATED THEIR COACH

Most coaching clients locate their coaches by meeting them during their daily routines, knew them already as a friend or business contact, met them at a party, networking function or saw them speak at a professional development seminar.

Other (as described above): 49.0%
Referral from a friend or colleague: 43.3%
ICF's Coach Referral Service: 4.3%
Through the media: 3.3%

HOW COACHING SESSIONS ARE CONDUCTED

By far, most personal coaching is done virtually -- via telephone. (This figure does not reflect corporate coaching -- coaching of corporate teams and divisions -- which is usually done in person.)

Telephone: 94.3%
Electronic mail: 45.2%
In-person: 35.2%
Other: 02.9%

COACH TRAINING

* 81.9% of clients think their coach has been trained
* 17.1% don't know if their coach has been trained
* 1% don't think their coach has been trained

IMPORTANCE OF COACH TRAINING TO CLIENT

Most coaching clients value special coach training

* 81.9% said it was important to them that their coach has special training in coaching.
* 18.4% said training wasn't important.

IMPORTANCE OF COACH CERTIFICATION

The watershed issue of the survey: Half of coaching clients say coach certification is important, while the other half say it isn't.

* 51% say certification is not important to them.
* 35.3% says it's important, and their coach should be certified by an independent accredited body.
* 13.7% say certification is important, but the certifying organization doesn't need to be independent or accredited.

LENGTH OF COACHING RELATIONSHIP TO DATE

Most clients who answered the survey had been working with their coach 6 to 8 months.

Average: 8.8 months
Median: 6 months
Minimum: 1 months
Maximum: 72 months

ROLE OF COACH

By far, most coaching clients pay their coach to be a sounding board - to really listen to them and give honest feedback.

Clients, who could select as many choices as were applicable, characterized the role of their coach as the following:

Sounding board: 84.8%
Motivator: 78.1%
Friend: 56.7%
Mentor: 50.5%
Business consultant: 46.7%
Teacher: 41.0%
Taskmaster: 30.5%
Spiritual guide: 29.5%
Other: 13.3%

COACHING ISSUES

Most clients turn to their coach for help on time management as well as career guidance and business advice. To a lesser but still significant extent, they seek coaching on relationships, family, wellness and spirituality.

Clients, who could select as many choices as were applicable, said they work with their coach on the following issues:

Time management: 80.5%
Career: 74.3%
Business: 73.8%
Relationships/Family: 58.6%
Physical/Wellness: 51.9%
Spiritual: 51.0%
Personal: 45.2%
Goal-setting: 39.5%
Financial: 38.1%
Creativity: 11.0%
Other: 01.4%

RESULTS OF WORKING WITH A COACH

The outcomes that clients most often attribute to their coaching are a higher level of self-awareness and self-confidence, a more balanced life, smarter goal-setting and lower stress levels.

Clients reported experiencing the following outcomes as a result of working with a coach:

Self-awareness: 67.6%
Setting better goals: 62.4%
More balanced life: 60.5%
Lower stress levels: 57.1%
Self-discovery: 52.9%
Self-confidence: 52.4%
Improvement in quality of life: 43.3%
Enhanced communication skills: 39.5%
Project completion: 35.7%
Health or fitness improvement: 33.8%
Better relationship w/ boss, co-workers: 33.3%
Better family relationship(s): 33.3%
Increased energy: 31.9%
More fun: 31.9%
More income: 25.7%
Stopped a bad habit: 25.7%
Change in career: 24.3%
More free time: 22.9%
Increased profitability of business: 17.1%
Other: 15.3%
Started new business: 12.9%
Empowered employees: 11.0%
Business turn around: 09.0%
Change in residential location: 05.7%

CONFIDING IN THE COACH

Half of coaching clients confide in their coach as much as their best friend, spouse or therapist.

* 49.3% said they confide in (share private thoughts or details of their life) their coach as much as they do their best friend, spouse or therapist
* 35.4% said they confide some things to their coach
* 12% say they confide more in their coach than anyone else
* 3.3% said they don't confide in their coach

VALUE OF THE COACHING INVESTMENT

A landslide of 98.5% of coaching clients said their investment in a coach was well worth the money.

* 70% of clients said their investment in a coach was very valuable
* 28.5% said their investment was valuable.
* 1.5% said their investment in a coach had not been valuable .

FUTURE OF COACHING

Almost every coaching client views coaching as a viable, emerging profession.

* 94% of coaching clients believe coaching is here to stay and become a recognized profession
* 6% think coaching is just a passing fad

For more information on the ICF Survey of Coaching Clients, contact Tom Phillips at 212-935-4655 or media@coachfederation.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 1998

CONTACT:
Dan Martinage, ICF Executive Director, 1-888-423-3131 or 202-712-9039, dmartinage@bostromdc.com

Survey Reveals Emerging Profession of Coaching
Having Measurable Impact on Clients

Respondents Consider it a Worthwhile Investment

ANGEL FIRE, NM, SEPT. 15- Results of the first-ever comprehensive survey of clients of personal and business coaches underscored the value, impact and endurance this emerging profession is enjoying, still in its infancy. Coaches, the new breed of consultant/personal advisor that clients are hiring to help them succeed at their goals, have established fiercely loyal clientele and are, apparently, here to stay.

In 1998, The International Coach Federation polled 210 coaching clients for demographic data and opinions as part of its research effort into the legal, regulatory, and credentialing issues that it has confronted during its rapid growth. All respondents had a formal relationship with an ICF coach, regularly meeting for strategy sessions for an average of nine months.

The highlights of the survey findings include:

* 70% of respondents said their investment in a coach was "very valuable"; 28.5% said their investment was "valuable".

* 94% of respondents believe coaching is here to stay and become a recognized profession.

* Half of the respondents confide in their coach as much as their best friend, spouse or therapist; 12% say they confide in their coach more than anyone else.

* 84.8% of respondents said the main role of their coach is to be a sounding board - to listen to them and give honest feedback.

* 78.1% called the coach a motivator, 56.7% a friend, 50.5% a mentor, and 46.7% a business consultant and 41% a teacher.

* 80.5% of respondents say they turn to their coach for help on time management, 74.3% for career guidance, 73.8% for business advice, 58.6% on relationships/family issues, 51.9% on physical/wellness issues, 45.2% on personal issues, 39.5% on goal-setting, 38.1% on financial guidance and 11% on creativity.

* The outcomes that clients most often attribute to their coaching are a higher level of self-awareness (67.6%), smarter goal-setting (62.4%), a more balanced life (60.5%), lower stress levels (57.1%), self-discovery (52.9%), more self-confidence (52.4%), improvement in quality of life (43.3%), enhanced communication skills (39.5%), project completion (35.7%), health or fitness improvement (33.8%), better relationship with boss or co-workers (33.3%), better family relationships (33.3%), increased energy (31.9%), more fun (31.9%), more income (25.7%), stopped a bad habit (25.7%), change in career (24.3%), more free time (22.9%), etc.

* 197 out of 210 respondents are employed professionals.

* 82% of coaching clients have undergraduate degrees; over a third hold Master's degrees or higher.

Coaching seems to be the latest evolution in the self-improvement industry, but far more pervasive, as it reaches into corporations and organizations, not just the lives of individuals. Coaching works because the coach helps his or her clients set and reach higher and more appropriate goals, asks more of them than they would have done on their own and focuses them to produce results more quickly. Coaching uses a process of inquiry and personal discovery to build the client's level of awareness and responsibility, and provides the client with structure, support and feedback. Coaching is a form of consulting, but the coach stays with the client to help implement the new skills, changes and goals to make sure they really happen. However, coaches do not try to "fix" a client - it is entirely up to the client to take the action in order to change their life.

This poll was conducted by consultant Amy Watson, Principal, PROfusion Public Relations, with survey design assistance by Jackie Rieves Watson, Ph.D., professor of management and statistics, Amber University.

The ICF is the world's largest professional association of business and personal coaches, with 120 chapters in most U.S. states and 20 countries. The ICF is a non-profit virtual organization with board members, staff, volunteers and members located all over the world. The ICF offers a free Coach Referral Service via its website (www.coachfederation.org) or by calling 888-BE-MY-COACH.