What is spiritual coaching? What does a spiritual coach do?
It’s a question that is often debated within the coach training room here at Coach Training World and within the coaching profession itself.
Spiritual coaching is hard to fit into a singular, all-encompassing description. To be fair, I have yet to find any branch of coaching that can be defined exactly the same by everyone. This is because there are many variations in spiritual coaching due to the need to address a variety of belief systems and practices.
Because of this, I believe that spiritual coaching should be unique for everyone. This applies to both practitioners and clients alike.
Spiritual coaching should be driven first by the client’s needs, their desired outcomes, and belief systems. If one is acting as a spiritual coach, they should be transparent about their own practices and beliefs so clients can find the right coach for their needs if the spiritual coach has molded their coaching approach from a particular lens or belief system.
A spiritual coach helps their clients better understand the world and their place in it.
Whole Person Spiritual Coaching
From a Whole Person Coaching perspective, our definition of spiritual coaching is as follows: “Spiritual coaching focuses on the spiritual aspect of a person’s life and its interconnectedness to all aspects of their life.”
Here at Coach Training World, we believe in welcoming the Whole Person into the coaching relationship. From a spiritual coaching standpoint, this is also true. The client’s belief system is honored and respected as part of who they are. The same is true for spiritual coaches.
Why do people come to Whole Person Spiritual Coaches?
Most clients come to a spiritual coach after an awakening experience or event, but not all. Major life transitions such as loss (death, disease, divorce, being dumped, downsizing) ignite a person to consider what else there is in life. They seek fulfillment, peace, joy, and want to feel guided in some way to be on a pathway that aligns with who they truly want to be and a life that is worth living.
Yet, a wake-up call isn’t required to work with a spiritual coach. Just as many clients come to a spiritual coach to better align their life with more meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. These individuals develop strong coping skills for the times when life throws them a curveball.
The growing interest in spiritual coaching is due to the way it helps people cultivate inner peace and a calm confidence in an ever-changing, often chaotic world.
What happens inside a spiritual coaching session?
Like most coaching niches, a spiritual coach will invite the client to set the agenda for the session and define what they want as an outcome. I’ve provided examples below of common topics that can arise. From there, the client and coach co-design the session process based on the client’s desired outcome.
While the session may begin with deep and meaningful conversation, it may include meditation, visualization, movement exercises, goal setting, and other practices that foster presence and achieve the outcome they are hoping for.
Here are just a few examples of spiritual coaching topics that you might encounter from clients working as a spiritual coach:
- Explore and deepen my spiritual beliefs and practices
- Find meaning and purpose in life
- Overcome the loss of a loved one and find purpose in my life
- Develop a daily spiritual practice or ritual that keeps me grounded and at my best
- Overcome the doubt and fear I feel about life in general and myself
- Cultivate self-love and self-acceptance
- Heal from emotional wounds from a spiritual perspective
- Navigate life transitions with grace and spiritual alignment
- Connect with my intuition and inner wisdom
- Develop a deeper sense of gratitude and appreciation
- Work through the anger and frustration of betrayal
- Balance spirituality with other aspects of life (career, relationships, etc.)
- Cultivate mindfulness and present-moment awareness
- Uncover a sense of inner peace and calm
- Trust myself in important decisions
- Post-divorce, feel more confident and authentically aligned
- Post-divorce, feel more confident and authentically aligned
- Explore and understand my dreams and their spiritual significance
- Deepen my connection with nature and the natural world
- Explore the role of forgiveness and compassion in spiritual growth
- Reclaim myself after leaving an unhealthy relationship
- Develop a deeper understanding of the mind-body-spirit connection
- Explore the concepts of abundance and manifesting from a spiritual perspective
- Integrate spiritual principles into decision-making and goal setting
- Cultivate a sense of connection and community with like-minded individuals
The guidance, support, and tools provided by a spiritual coach help individuals develop their spirituality and live a more authentic and meaningful life, whether they seek assistance after a life-altering event or proactively strive for increased calmness, confidence, and courage.
The beauty of spiritual coaching lies in its uniqueness to each client and their desired outcome. In my humble opinion, this type of coaching should always align with the client’s beliefs, practices, and interests, but not every spiritual coach feels this way.
For many of my clients, that ranges from God, Buddha, Mother Nature, Yogic Philosophy, and beyond, as my clients include a diverse range of religious and spiritual backgrounds.
In my Whole Person Coaching approach, it’s purely up to my clients to define what their higher power or divine connections look like. After all, they are complete individuals, transcending their careers and roles. I warmly embrace their uniqueness and celebrate the fact that we can engage in real and authentic conversations.
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