Life Coaching

You don’t need any particular degree, credential, experience, certifications, qualifications, or even any life success, to become a “Life Coach.”

If that surprises you, it probably should.

I don’t know about you, but when I have have looked for a Coach (click here for more about what to look for in a Coach), I wanted to hire somebody with a successful life, with some kinds of training, experience, credentials–something that would lead me to believe that they could help me get to the next level of joy and abundance in my own life.

Makes sense, right? I want a personal trainer who’s in great shape, a mechanic whose car runs like a Swiss watch, a financial advisor who is wildly prosperous, and a Life Coach who has a an interesting and joyful life.

Things I would check out if I were you:

• Have they had a satisfying and interesting career path, or will you be their 3^rd client ever? This is not about youth, but experience–I would want my Life Coach to have been around the block at least once or twice…
• Do they appear to be in pretty decent physical and financial shape? I know we are not looking at a PERSONAL trainer, but I happen to think that one’s physical health and shape are often an indicator of balance in one’s life, so whether that is judgmental or not, I am looking for it. Same goes for financial health and well-being…If my prospective coach rolls up in an old beater Olds 98, I will have some questions about that…
• What credentials, degrees, training or experience do they have? I have to feel convinced by SOMETHING that the person can do the job. My most recent Coach/Therapist, Christine Warren, has a master’s degree, is NOT a licensed mental health professional, but has a wealth of life experience across personal, corporate, and spiritual realms. That works for me.
• What joy have they manifested in their own life? An awesome partner, lots of travel? Something else that tells you “This person knows how to get it done”, whatever that means to you…

Successful marbles coaching here, I would say…

You should be very satisfied with the answers to these questions. If you’re not, why would you want them to coach you? They have to bring value above and beyond what you could easily do for yourself with self-help materials.

My Professional Credentials & Experiences

I have a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, and I am a licensed Psychologist in the state of New Mexico and Hawaii (formerly also Ohio, Florida, & Texas as well.) I am also a Licensed Professional Counselor, and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, both in New Mexico.

I have earned further professional certificates in “Coaching & Psychotherapy”, Addictions, Narrative Therapy, and Clinical Supervision.

For thirteen years, I served as President of Southwestern College/New Earth Institute/Tierra Nueva Counseling Center. Southwestern is a graduate school that trains Professional Counselors and Art Therapists. I, myself, have provided thousands of hours of Counseling/Psychotherapy, and many hundreds of hours of clinical supervision to graduate students and to therapists (Psychology, Psychiatry, Counseling, Social Work) going for licensure. I have taught between 100-200 university classes (both on the ground and online), mostly in Psychology, but some in English and Education too. I have taught for a dozen universities.

OK, blah, blah, blah. I happen to think the above is impressive, but those academic and professional “creds” are not why I make a good coach or therapist, though they certainly help.

My approach is what takes the above credentials and raises things to a whole ‘nother level. Read a little more about that here…

Feel free to contact me at jamesmicknolan@gmail.com or preferably, text me at 505-699-7616