Several years ago I toyed with adding personal coaching as a service I offered. I spent time learning about coaching, reading, doing some classes and looking at a lot of material aimed at coaches. And I opted not to be a part of that field. I was concerned about several things -- too little distinction made between therapy and coaching (a concern because of the very low level of training in psychology required in coach training programs), the focus on sales, and the very high percentage of coaching practices aimed at selling to other coaches. It wasn't for me.
And one of the things that bothered me most was what felt to me like hard sell hucksterism -- devising products to sell on one's website to produce so-called "passive income". This passive income stream, it is claimed, can easily surpass what can be earned in actual work with clients. So it's this set of CDs for the bargain price of $395.00 or that ebook for just $15.00 and so on and on.
I am probably reflecting a certain professional conservatism here. After all when I started out, advertising was verboten to therapists except for discreet single line ads in the Yellow Pages. I am put off by physicians who try to sell me a line of vitamins or supplements or some other product, never covered by insurance, that produces this kind of income stream for them. It just does not sit well with me.
So, it should be no surprise that I have not considered doing any of this in my practice. The articles I have available are free as will any additional ones that I upload be. I do not offer a free consultation for the first hour -- because I believe that the work of therapy begins with the first contact and that first hour is a part of the therapy.
Elizabeth Thomaswrites about this issue this week in her blog. Take a look, leave a comment here or there.