Teenagers and young adults rarely like to be told what to do – if they feel as thought they’ve figured it out themselves, they will take action and become more accountable…..
Life coaching for teenagers isn’t about ‘teaching them what to do’, and it definitely isn’t parenting them! Coaching instead provides an open, non-judgmental space where there is no emotional connection, to effectively question the individual to help them engage their mind. You see, most people don’t like to be told ‘what to do’, especially teenagers, but if a person ‘thinks’ they have found the solutions, answers and options themselves, they are most likely to act on them and make them come to life. Why? – well it’s because they feel connected to the thoughts they explore and the suggestions they come up with allowing them to feel motivated with the clarity that they find, to then use that motivation to help them move forward with their goals. This is the role of the coach, to offer the right questions across the journey of exploration to help them think about a focussed area of their life…
Above all, my work as a coach involves helping people improve their behavioural and mental strategies around a particular part of their life. The work that we explore maps out new strategies to either ‘think this way’ or ‘behave this way’ to get the new desired results.
As well as coaching around university subject choices, revision structure for A’levels, GSCE stress management, I also specialise in anxiety and stress management. Utilising Integral Eye Movement Therapy, NLP, Mindfulness and Hypnosis where necessary, I have worked with teenagers across the UK and in the American college system to get clarity, improved focus, motivation, accountability and help relieve stress and anxiety around social challenges with friend groups, anxious attachments, heartbreak from relationships as well as home sickness.
Parenting can feel like you’re hitting a ‘wall’, coaching helps to break down walls…
Life Coaching for teenagers and young adults has emerged as a powerful tool in today’s fast-paced and complex world. It offers a range of benefits that can positively impact personal development, academic achievement, and future success. The advantages of life coaching for teenagers and young adults includes:
1. Clarification of Goals and Values: Adolescence and early adulthood are times of self-discovery. Life coaching helps young individuals explore their values, passions, and goals, providing clarity on what they want to achieve in life. This self-awareness is crucial for making informed decisions about education, career, and relationships and is often individual to each person. Exploring and discovering personal values helps teenagers and young adults find their focus, as it’s important to understand and fulfil your own values and not those projected on to you by your parents or teachers…
2. Improved Self-Confidence: Many young people struggle with self-esteem and self-confidence issues. Life coaching can help to equip them with tools to boost self-belief and self-worth. This newfound confidence can lead to more assertiveness in pursuing their ambitions and help reduce anxiety and overwhelm by offering mindset tools that can be used on a daily basis.
3. Effective Decision-Making: Life coaches assist young adults in making better decisions. By evaluating options, weighing up pros and cons, and considering long-term consequences, they can learn to make informed choices, reducing the likelihood of regrettable decisions.
4. Stress Management: Adolescence and early adulthood often bring significant stressors like academic pressures, social challenges, and identity crises. Life coaching sessions can teach stress management techniques, empowering young individuals to handle these pressures more effectively. Integral Eye Movement Therapy can also help reduce anxiety triggers rapidly, which can offer an open canvas to build confidence and mindset tools to help the individual then thrive.
5. Enhanced Communication Skills: Effective communication is a crucial life skill. Life coaching helps young people develop strong interpersonal and communication skills, which are invaluable in personal relationships and professional settings. This can be especially helpful in college and university interviews, social situations to have mindset tools to stay calm, centred and above all confident!
6. Academic Success: Coaching can lead to improved academic performance. Coaches assist students in setting and achieving academic goals, managing time efficiently, and developing effective study habits.
7. Career Guidance: Young adults face the daunting task of choosing a career path. Life coaching can provide guidance, helping them explore different options, align their choices with their interests, values and skills, and create actionable career plans reducing confusion and overwhelm.
8. Healthy Relationships: Building and maintaining healthy relationships is vital for personal happiness. Life coaching teaches young individuals about communication, conflict resolution, and boundary-setting, enabling them to cultivate positive connections with peers and family.
9. Resilience and Coping Skills: Life is full of challenges, and life coaching equips young adults with resilience and coping strategies. They can learn to bounce back from setbacks and develop a growth mindset that encourages continuous improvement.
10. Accountability: Life coaches hold their clients accountable for their goals and actions. This accountability helps young adults stay on track and motivated to achieve their objectives. this can help to eliminate frustration and annoyance from parents where the teenager or young adult is held accountable to their coach, with the commitment to the set goals, measuring and changing strategy if the outcomes are not achieved.
Anxiety in teenagers and young adults…
When working with anxiety, it is important to work with the feelings a person is feeling and experiencing. This often gets left out by traditional talk-therapists, and dealing with the feelings can rapidly reduce anxiety. Common underlying anxiety feelings are often panic, fear, worry, feeling on edge, low self-confidence, embarrassment and more. Integral Eye Movement Therapy helps to rapidly reduce down and even eliminate the overwhelm of these feelings leaving the person to feel calm, free and less triggered.
I typically see individuals for 6 sessions to have a journey of consultation, exploration of ‘designed strategy’, intervention and continual measurement of results. Sessions can be in person in London or online via zoom, depending on availability. Please contact me to discuss scheduling sessions or with any questions you may have. More work can be found on my IG account @coachkamranbedi