Life coaching is for the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Unlike counselling, which often works with distress or the past, coaching is forward-facing: clarifying what you actually want — in your career, confidence, relationships or direction — and building a concrete, accountable path towards it.
A coach won't hand you answers. Expect sharp questions, honest reflection and agreed actions between sessions, with the coach holding you to what you said mattered. People typically work with a coach at turning points: a career change, a return to work, a business idea that keeps stalling, or the vaguer sense of drifting through years that all look the same.
Coaching is unregulated in the UK, which makes checking credentials genuinely important. Coaches listed in the ABCAP directory have had their training, qualifications and insurance verified before listing — so you can compare coaches knowing the basics have been checked.
ABCAP is not a regulatory body. Listing in the ABCAP directory is not an endorsement of a therapist's competence, fitness to practise, or conduct. We recommend verifying a therapist's qualifications and professional body membership directly before booking a session.
Counselling works with emotional difficulty — anxiety, grief, depression, trauma — and is trained, supervised clinical work. Coaching assumes you're fundamentally well and focuses on goals and performance. If you're struggling with your mental health, see a counsellor first; some professionals are trained in both.
Most coaching runs as a block — commonly six to twelve sessions over three to six months, fortnightly or monthly. It's goal-bound rather than open-ended: when you've got where you wanted to go, you stop.
A wide range — roughly £50–£150 per session for most independent coaches, more for specialist executive coaching. Many offer a free introductory call, which is also the best way to judge whether you click.
No — anyone in the UK can call themselves a coach, which is why verification matters. Every coach in this directory has had their qualifications and professional insurance checked by ABCAP before being listed.