Life Coaching: Changing People’s Lives

In these trying times, when many people reach life's lowest of lows, there are those whom they can turn to and seek professional counseling to help them get back to the right path.

One such professional counselor is Maribel Dionisio, a confessed relationship expert who has attended numerous seminars and workshops on family and relationships. Listening to the client first, that is, letting him think about his problems before giving any advice, is her approach.

For Dionisio, "The style is essentially to listen to the person concerned. Many people want to be listened to. Maybe, they can empower themselves, but they need a listening ear."

Unlike others who give advice immediately, Dionisio allows her clients to think about possible solutions to their problems first, as they know better their situations.

Initially having a penchant for numbers, Dionisio pursued business management at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), but along the way she discovered she didn't like numbers much.

"My job prior to fourth year college was [in] human resources, that's why I became more aware that [relationship counseling is] what I enjoyed," Dionisio said.

Her job back then had people coming to her for consultation about their problems but realizing that she had limited knowledge, she decided to pursue further studies in family ministry.

Another expert in the field is Pia Nazareno Acevedo, who is used to giving seminars and workshops in Southeast Asia on sales and marketing, life management, finding true success, and the ABCs of parenting. Armed with a master's degree in family ministry, Acevedo has since ventured into global online education for family relationships and personal life transitions.

At 25, Acevedo has become an in-demand executive and performance coach, quitting her high-paying corporate job to establish The OneCORE Success Center, one of the first local organizations that help individuals to try and be the best persons they can be.

Both Dionisio and Acevedo are co-founders of the Love Institute. They are life coaches who people turn to to get through life's adversities.

Life coaching is a profession strikingly different from regular consulting, mentoring, therapy, or counseling. It addresses life's specific concerns, including personal projects, transitions in personal life, relationships or career, and discovering possible obstacles or challenges.

In life coaching, the client is the sole expert in his entire life, who truly knows who he is and what he needs, the only one who can think of what's best for him. Life coaches are there to discover what the client's personal "best" might be, letting him or her make choices that create an effective, balanced and fulfilled life.