IT SURE WOULD BE GREAT SHARING THOUGHTS WITH COUNSELORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. I HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED SINCE 1985. FOR ME, LIFE COACHING IS A CALLING. I PRESENTLY TEACH EDUCATION, COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY AT LEAD CITY UNIVERSITY, IBADAN, NIGERIA
Hi Maria! Compliments of the season! Life coaching is not so popular here but universities do train both theoretical and practiising counsellors. Here the theoreticians are referred to as counseling psychologists while the practising counselors are called guidance counselors even though we have only one professional association, the Counseling Association of Nigeria (CASSON). Training as counselor is a four year Bachelor of Education program intertwined with teacher certification. This implies that the practising counselor on graduation is equipped with teacher certification. The difference is often construed by class since the professors are usually more highly respected in Nigeria. Having worked variously as teacher and school counselor in middle and high schools for about 13years before career change, I literally enjoy the two worlds of theoretician and practitioner, doubling sometimes as consultant on sports and life coach. Due to social mobility, we are having more practisiing counselors venturing into academics.
I am trained as vocational rehabilitation counselor, am a chaplain, minister, and have mentored a number of young women. My interest is in traumatology and the effect of trauma in individuals, marriages, families, communities, and globally. I concerned about developing initiatives for both prevention and interventions in trauma informed care.
A life coach does not necessarily need a certification. However, more and more effort is being made to require certification. Standards for Professional counselor may limit counselors from working in the area of coaching because of the nature of coaching which gives opportunities to engage as the expert, be more direct in advising, and may use less reflective methodologies. Of course, this is not true in every case because coaching is relatively new as a profession and new in the standardization process.
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