Star News Daily – Chutauqua County NY
January 11, 2012
Finding Your Best Life Through A Personal Coach
By Patricia Pihl
Life is an on-going process of change and who doesn’t want to improve upon some aspect of it? Just ask Brenda Hayes, Ph.D., a personal coach who practices in Fredonia.
Unlike counseling, where there is usually a mental health diagnosis, personal coaching according to Hayes, “bridges the gap between where you are and where you want to be in your personal or professional life, focusing on strengths and options rather than problems.” Hayes says the field evolved out of a business model that helped people in work situations to reach their maximum potential. If a person is experiencing more severe mental health problems, she recommends that they see a licensed mental health provider, rather than a coach.
Her chosen tagline, “change across the lifespan,” reflects that change is continual and the way that we deal with those changes has an enormous impact on the quality of our life.
Hayes says that she is actually surprised at the number of people who have chosen to use her coaching, both on an individual basis and through her workshops. She also helps individuals evaluate areas of their life though a “wheel” of life exercise where they can rank their level of satisfaction with each life area including health, work, finances, personal growth, spirituality, significant relationship, family and friends.
To those who are considering hiring a coach, she says “consider it as a gift to yourself; it will help you get organized on what your priorities are and what kind of energy you want to put into it.”
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