What Is a Relationship Coach and How to Become One?

Relationships come in different forms: intimate, friendly, familial, etc. and they all have their unique little things that make them work or fail. Sometimes, relationships flow naturally, but other times, they need help in order to stay healthy and functional.

When people start to struggle in their relationships, they can consult with a coach to guide them to resolution. If you’re curious about relationship coaching, here’s what it is and how one takes on this calling:

What Is Relationship Coaching?

Relationship coaching involves the support of people looking for guidance when it comes to reaching their goals (mostly forming new relationships or improving their existing ones). Relationship coaches support their clients through calls, emails or face-to-face sessions and help them through stormy relationship periods so they can form more meaningful connections.

Compared to relationship therapy, coaching offers more practical problem-solving advice like where to meet people or how to end love letters.

What Does It Take to Become a Relationship Coach?

To be an expert and qualified relationship coach, you don’t actually need any certification to work in most niches. Relationship coaching is not relationship therapy—it’s more about mentoring, support and empowerment. Coaches and therapists don’t offer the same services, so you don’t need to finish the same certification programs. All you need to be a relationship coach is some experience with issues and good results.

Today, a majority of NYC relationship counseling centers are offering classes to all new aspirants that want to be future life coaches and relationship therapists, and award them with pass certificates, after completion of courses.

Get Certified

It’s not necessary to get certified to become a relationship coach, but certification from International Coaching Federation can boost your knowledge, expertise and credibility. Also, if you want to become a part of a professional relationship coaching organization and get your name listed in coaching databases, certification is a must.

Working in a Team

If you’re not yet ready to start your own business, you can look for business openings in coaching centers, treatment centers and care homes. If they are interested in hiring new relationship coaches, you will gain valuable work experience, learn trade secrets and prepare for starting a practice of your own.

Building Your Website

To attract customers and show them what you’re about, you need a website. With your website, you can introduce yourself, explain your techniques, sell your services and communicate with clients. When creating your personal website, it’s crucial to choose a good domain name and come up with an interesting page design.

The way your website sounds and looks can give your business a more professional note and make users feel at ease. Make sure to include easy and secure ways for people to contact you and start opening up. It’s important that paying for your services and booking sessions is easy for all users.

Finding Your Niche

Even before you build your website, it’s important to consider your niche. It’s important to provide your potential clients with a unique offer. For instance, saying “I offer relationship tips and advice” is not very compelling.

On the other hand, “I help working professionals find love and peace in the busy world” might tickle many people’s fancy. Setting up your niche—coaching for singles, couples, divorced people, families, etc.—can help you narrow down your field and attract just the right type of people.

Set up Your Business

You only need a few tools to get started with your coaching business. For instance, a calendar app where you can schedule sessions, time calls and advertise your openings. Next, you will need a Zoom platform if you’re planning to hold online coaching sessions (which are very practical and effective).

If you want to be a legit coach, you will need to send your clients contracts that will guarantee pay—HelloSign is a great tool for creating contracts and signing them. And lastly, with Stripe, you can send invoices, set up subscriptions and collect your pay.

Are you ready to get some real-life experience and start coaching people? With some certification and a good website, you can help many people and create a meaningful career for yourself.