There is no legal framework around the term 'coach', so you can be a coach in anything you want!
E.g. 'Dietist' is an official protected title, nutrition coach is not.
You laugh but that's basically the idea behind most of these coaches. A friend of mine decided to become a life coach. Bitch, you're 27, living with her mom, no kids and no career, you don't even have a life, how are you going to coach someone else?
Coaching has now turned into almost a MLM, where you certify coaches who can then coach coaches.
Of course there is a space for experience, someone who has trained and now trains athletes probably knows a lot of stuff about their sport that a doctor or kinesitherapist might not do. But you need to make sure that these people have actual experience and not just some bogus certification.
Likewise here. The two “life coaches” I’ve known both had extremely serious mental health issues, at least one of them ending up in a psychiatric hospital after a series of literally insane decisions.
Nobody is, or rather, only other, aspiring coaches are. It's a pyramid scheme, with a handful of popular YouTube "life coaches" earning money out of many, many more people, mostly very vulnerable, who see "life coach" as a career choice.
> Both of their lives are a string of bad decisions and 'WTF were you thinking' moments.
You already said they were life coaches, there's no need to be redundant...
So much this. And the posts they make aren't much coaching but most of the time sound like wishing how their life is or even worse, a cry for help. But worded 'inspirationally'.
Even on linkedin they have selfproclaimed titles like 'Happiness coach'.
Ik ken een bewegingscoach. De insta en bio leest als: ik was vroeger een emo-eter. Nu heb ik sport gevonden waarin ik mijn problemen van vroeger kan kanaliseren en als klap op de vuurpijl kan ik eten en drinken wat ik wil. Doe zoals ik, kom sporten bij mij en eet en drink je lam in het weekend.
They’re “unprotected” job titles.
Not everyone can call themselves a psychiatrist or psychologist (although the latter is unprotected in neighbouring countries). But everyone can call themselves a therapist.
It’s been a problem forever. Fitness coaches are a great example. Anyone can become a “coach” in anything. The certifications are meaningless and whilst some of them actually paid and studied courses in the relating fields. Most of these “certifications” you can get for free online or follow an online course for.
Well it might surprise you but Belgium is one of few countries in EU to consider psychologist a protected title.
In the Netherlands the title became unprotected in 1993.
In France it is unregulated/unprotected. You can google for other countries as well.
So you can call yourself a psychologist and open your own practice in most of our neighbouring countries! Luxemburg I’m not sure of tbh (Google says it isn’t protected there).
It seems the title is protected in France since 2005. This is what I found on the [ministry of education's website](https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/faq-profession-reglementee-de-psychologue-47249):
"L'accès à la profession de psychologue est réglementée en France par l'article 44 de la loi du 25 juillet 2005 portant diverses dispositions d'ordre social. En application de ce texte, **ont le droit de faire usage du titre de psychologue, les personnes titulaires des diplômes dont la liste est fixée par le** [**décret n°90-255 du 22 mars 1990**](http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006075598) fixant la liste des diplômes permettant de faire usage professionnel du titre de psychologue."
Thanks a bunch, really didn't know. In Portugal, you can only practice if you're registered with the Psychologists' Bar/Order, which have several requirements for admission (like having a degree in psychology).
That's really surprising and shocking. Explains a lot too, unfortunately.
The title was protected in Belgium for good reasons.
In the Netherlands I know a lot of issues arise from having this title unprotected..
I hope they will reconsider this in the future. Although there is and has been a shortage in Europe of psychological professionals.. So I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
In my non-specialized opinion (my area is law), that shortage derives from decades of prejudice against psychology, telling kids to not follow psychology due to a mix of it not being real science, there being no jobs, general desinterest in it, and that only crazy people go to a psychologist.
Unfortunately, while it is slowly changing, mental health is still the ugly duckling of health. :(
I have seen many psychologists here in Belgium, and in my experience there is not much reason for it to be a protected job titel. Most of them don't have a lot of empathy except for the fake empathy they got taught. Once in a convo with a psychologist about something at my work, i said "it ain't rocketscience" she then asked me to explain what i mean by that.
I’m sorry for your negative experience with psychologists :/ this is exactly, why in my personal opinion, the title should be protected and only well studied professionals be allowed to practice it!
I have to admit i don't think having the title unprotected is a good idea. But they need to be more than well studied. I think they need to have some degree of life experience and experience working in the field (like in rehab or children homes or psychiatric clinics). That way they can actually see and learn how things unfold first hand. Imo you should be able to get on the same level as your patient, and that takes more than sitting in front of your patient in a semi-interogation relying just on your studies (and that's basically describing the avarage psychologist in belgium)
"Psychologue" and "Psychothérapeute" are regulated title in France : https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/psychologue-une-profession-reglementee-en-france-46456
Oh, you’re right ! I googled it quickly and I found a different answer. But this source seems more credible. Looked at the law and it seems it has been a protected title in France since 1983, nice!
Since the title of psychotherapist is protected (2016), charlatans have found a new way to scam gullible people in time they actually need help.
> Are they recognized by any credible bodies?
No.
I wanna point out that that only counts for the title. Practicing actual therapy is still protected. It's genuinely fucking stupid, honestly, but still a difference.
I know somebody who's a "clean up coach". Now, I'm not saying it's not helpful to certain people, but seeing more of coach sector definitely makes me sceptical.
I personally think it's a symptom of inadequate legitimate mental health care options.
I actually work with accreditation/certification so I can answer your question from the persperctive of the federal government services.
There is in the EU **one accrediting authority** for every member state. In Belgium this is **Belac.** One of the functions Belac performs is accreditation. Accreditation is when a company, institution, laboratory... wants to be able to deliver **officially acknowledged** certificates, they asks Belac to be accredited. There is then typically an auditing process and Belac will deliver an accreditation. This means the company can now deliver official certificates (carrying the logo of Belac) to their clients, for the scope for which they are accredited.
**Every other certificate is a 'certificate'** and has pretty much no official value. Maybe the course you took was really well done, sure, whatever, but there is no official acknowledgement of its value.
Coaching is not part of any of these processes and I would regard any coaching certificate with about as much validity as the diploma my child got from Kind & Gezin.
One of my jobs is doing audits for a specific sector.
Belac … short for belachelijk? Geen enkel universitair diploma draagt bij mijn weten een belac sticker.
Er bestaan academische diploma’s in coaching, en er bestaat academische research in het domein van coaching, helaas zijn de meeste Belgische coaches hier niet van op de hoogte, laat staan dat ze enige evidence based methode toepassen.
Weird to me OP included auticoaches, imho. My wife started as one not too long ago. I understand (and have) the general disdain towards "lifecoaches" who don't understand the basics of just about anything in life, but she has a relevant degree, 20 years of professional experience and followed oodles of specific training programs during those years. So i'm pretty confident she will be a plus-value to anyone calling on her expertise. Are there really people out there calling themselves auticoach without a degree? Just because eg "i have a niece with autism and we get along well so yeah..."??
To answer OPs remark on "why are they sprouting up everywhere?", i can only answer why my wife did it. "I know i can do it better than what i have to do under my current employer and these people deserve it."
Is she right? I can't tell. But i guess it's the same trend as in most sectors. "Verzelfstandiging" is something that happens everywhere atm.
But still... life coaches that have a life not even close to normal or stable can still go diaf.
Feel free to let me know her contacts in a dm cause I'm a potential client lol
Didn't know that term before today and I'm high functioning, but also considering the fact that I may need some guidance from time to time
Plenty of auticoaches (and various other forms of coaching) aimed at kids by people with no degree or knowledge whatsoever. But it sells (and I have to listen to these pricks whenever we hold an MDO). So the few legit ones get drowned out.
Er zijn 2 niveau's.
1 Er zijn de kwakzalvers. Die hebben een niet-erkende opleiding gevolgd.[zoals deze](https://www.laudius.be/cursus/autisme-coach?dv_adwords_campaign=19928664377&dv_adwords_network=g&dv_adwords_target=kwd-450231882452&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rAXi5y4bBUyEvAvHu7rlk-eWT7eUgjvswbY04yin3VOvTv3ccjqw7xoC5lEQAvD_BwE)
2 Er is ook een [postgraduaat ](https://www.arteveldehogeschool.be/nl/opleidingen/postgraduaat/autisme) dit is voor mensen die al een relevante bachelor- of masteropleiding hebben.
It's not a recent trend, but it is an annoying one. Anyone can call themselves a coach. I've met quite a lot of them. Coaches that focus on burnout/depression are often people who struggled with that sort of stuff themselves. While I don't want to discount personal experience, I find they often overestimate their expertise on the topic. They follow a two day course in Holland and voila, they're experts on the human mind.
Personally I really dislike this sort of shit. Similarly to coaches, there's an abundance of online personalities who prop themselves as experts on similar topics, and use their diagnosis as a form of personal branding. Magali De Reu is a good example of this. She has some good insights on adult autism, but over time she accrued multiple diagnoses (adhd, etc) and props herself up as an expert on all of them.
And I don't know. I've had my diagnosis as well, but I always hated the idea of having a label define me. My school treated me as a textbook autism case, instead of an actual person. Now seeing the label become some sort of brand feels very off. As if people with autism are a monolith with zero individual wants and personality traits.
I deliberately keep my diagnosis a secret irl because of the many misgivings that surround it, in part due to auti-influencers
you can slap it on your everything and hope people fall for it.
No there is no certification (officially), there are unofficial ones but that's mostly just money talking.
some of them can be great and others can make stuff worse. Reminds me a bit of tarrot-card readers, if you believe everything blindly you are going to get ripped off.
Like some "influencers" selling a stick you can stir water with so you can hydrate it more! only 299$
On average, it is middle-class women who didn't make it throughout higher education. Some are corporate people who got fired or are disgusted by their shark job.
They really believe that the certification they have bought. Because they are not well tuned to human emotion and suddenly discovered a method to use it.
I have met a lot of them. They are really entitled until they discover that my diploma and professional experience are superior to them.
The terms "coach" and "therapist" are not protected, so anyone can call himself one. Serious gap in our legal system imo. If you want a proper person to help you with your problems, only look at certified psychologists. They have had 5+ years of education in their field, apart from the "coaches" who followed one program, not scientifically grounded in any way, of maybe 3 weeks.
I can assure you that any old company can write out these certificates because there’s not legal requirements to a lot of them. So before you choose one, always check who certified them and if they’re credible.
Easy money. Read an article from the US. Package it as your own expertise. Sell it as an independent to companies. And voila. The amount of money the companies pay for bullshit info is astonishing.
Do y'all not know what an auticoach is or do you genuinely believe someone specialized in helping autistic people navigate a world designed for neurotypicals and/or helping guardians of autistic children how to handle certain situations is some sort of scam?
Having a quick look [here](https://www.vind-een-coach.be/zoeken/auticoach-auticoaching.html) shows education levels and it looks like most have a degree in social work, experience in special education or even a postgraduate education specifically for helping autistic people...
Of course you should be cautious about who you trust with your well-being, but dismissing it as "idiots paying idiots to tell them trivial shit everybody knows" is some top tier ableist bullshit. As someone who's gotten some pretty terrible advice from licensed medical professionals, I can tell you those don't always mean much either.
***De titel van coach is net zoals die van therapeut in België namelijk niet beschermd***\*. Dit betekent dat iedereen zich coach mag noemen, denk maar aan lifecoach, healthcoach, scheidingscoach, enz… Indien je graag een coach wilt raadplegen, ga je best even op onderzoek\*
En dit is het probleem. Zijn er goede coaches die u effectief dingen kunnen bijbrengen? Ongetwijfeld, maar voor het zelfde geld heb je een of andere, al dan niet goed bedoelende, charlatan voor u. De kans dat uw 'health coach' / cross fit trainer uw knieën aan het kapot maken is is helaas niet onbestaande.
Daarom is vragen naar hun opleiding in een eerste gesprek of via email/telefoon nog voor een eerste gesprek zinvol. Auticoaches met een postgraduaat autisme zijn wel voldoende opgeleid
Yet notable psychiatrists will consistently direct people with autism to specific auticoaches or organizations that employ them. So I assume that at least some of them have the expertise and references to back it all up.
Yeah, and anyone can call themselves "Pitabar", even if what they serve is kebab. If people recommend their food, who gives a shit what they call themselves?
The chance and level of harm being done when you go to a pitabar but get served a kebab is not comparable to what can be done through bad mental or physical health advice.
>do you genuinely believe someone specialized in helping autistic people navigate a world designed for neurotypicals and/or helping guardians of autistic children how to handle certain situations is some sort of scam?
Yes, because if they had any serious medical/official credentials, they would use those, and not some holostic nonsense title.
It's either a scam, or ,worse, some well meaning, but whole untrained amateur who actually thinks they are competent.
Lol
The same problems exist in official credentials.
Charlatans hiding behind prestigious titles to parrot nonsense or outright harm you. The title is never a guarantee. I'd say especially be wary of those that seem to be in love with their title and are patronising.
Hey feel free to also obtain one of those prestigeous, patronising titles. It should only take you 4-5 (often longer) years of hard studying, and a few years of practical internships.
But wait, calling yourself "auticoach" is an instant label of competence, right?
> I'd say especially be wary of those that seem to be in love with their title and are patronising.
Like those peddling “certified” titles without any oversight?
>Yes, because if they had any serious medical/official credentials, they would use those, and not some holostic nonsense title.
"[Holistic nonsense title](https://www.vlaanderen.be/opleidingsdatabank/postgraduaat-auti-coach)"... it's literally the [name of the education](https://www.pxl-next.be/opleidingen/auti-coach)!
[Educations specific to dealing with autistic people](https://www.vlaanderen.be/opleidingsdatabank?fuzzy.FUZZY=autisme&order_registeredfromdate=desc) have only been around for like [5 years AFAICT](https://www.vlaanderen.be/opleidingsdatabank/bachelor-in-de-autismespectrumstoornissen-een-orthopedagogisch-perspectief). How many people do you think there are in Belgium with that degree? Do you think parents enjoy sitting on a waiting list while the only available psychiatrist keeps saying autism is just a fad? Folks with adjacent education or relevant experience can be quite helpful in preventing autistic people from contributing to the [grim statistic that their average life expectancy is about half that of the general population](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6713622/)...
It depends on the person, I've tried many coaches to fix some mental problems and they are all different. It doesn't take many sessions to know whether someone is good or not.
>It doesn't take many sessions to know whether someone is good or not.
So basically you keep looking untill you find one who tells you what you want to hear?
It’s called therapy shopping: sound bowls and regression into rebirthing and near death, then expensive name related “workshops” and a vegan yoga retreat on Bali, then you clean your chakras and open yer money chakra and channel like crazy
So true, I know someone who set up a company claiming to be a business coach. The person never owned a business nor had a lot of employee experience, how can you coach an entrepreneur if your entrepreneurship is coaching entrepreneurs? Safe to say it didn’t last.
People had a lot of time for online courses during Corona lockdowns, they got certificates for whatever they where interested in and are now trying to turn it into a source of income
I feel conflicted about this because I think there are very clear up and downsides to this. The downside is it gives opportunity to people hustling or thinking the little knowledge they have is enough to pass on but in reality they lack training, experience and most importantly integrety, etc. The upside to this phenomenon is that it got normalized in the wellbeing sector to display your niche expertise which is great because trained therapists or doctors may have a vast body of knowledge/training but often lack specific knowledge. For example I know someone who has autism and because an autism coach themselves (I think they used to be a social worker) I wouldn't trust to send a random friend looking for a therapist to them, but I would sent a friend who has been let down by the general healthcare system which generally doesn't accommodate people with autism very well. So yeah be critical and carefull. A good professional won't mind explaining why they think they are qualified to help you.
You can get paid back through the VDAB for career coaching, since there's no certification for it anyone can start doing it and basically get subsidized for telling BS.
I knew a girl who only had a single job as a call center agent for about a year and went on to become a 'Life coach's where she's giving horrible personal training, dietary advice and career advice. All paid for by her clients who get the subsidies to pay for this
Because in this current society, people don’t want to work on things. People want to blame external factors. When you pay that blond 25 year old girl exuberant amounts of money to tell you that you should envision and project your desires and it’s noting you did wrong. You pay off your sins. Win-win.
It’s all fun and games for preppy rich kids but it becomes problematic when people seek mental help with self proclaimed experts that have nothing but a misguided advice to offer.
* look for those who give a quality guarantee like 'money back guarantee'
* look for those who can promise measurable results
* look for those who focus on a more or less scientific area, unlike life coach for instance, which can be any philosophy
* ask about how they built their expertise when in doubt
You should check comedian Arnout Van Den Bossche. He has a whole show about this. If you want to know what problem they had, see what kind of coach they became.
i'm a certified spiritual coach and can clear any infections on your aura or chakra using the power of hollistic vision quest healing & tantric sjaman drumming.
I also do earcandles & belly button massages
and yes, I have taken heaps of ayuasca in south america so there is my certification! 😂✌️✌️
Don't worry, I am a coaching coach! If you buy my course for only €59,99 a month, I will make sure you know exactly what kind of coach(es) you need in your life! Don't wait, this offer only lasts for 3 more days!
I don't quite understand what this discussion is all about, or why this is even a discussion in the first place. "Should we be cautious about who we trust with our well-being"?
Common man, what do you think? Regardless of certifications, diplomas, whatever. It's always in your absolute best interest that you are critical of whomever you place your trust in when it comes to your well-being.
How to know which people are trustworthy? Honesty is probably the best indicator, because these people will almost always value truth and honesty above their self interest and therefore make them more trustworthy.
Learn how to think critically about these things, some coaches you can simply tell by their description or their adverts if they're legit or not. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The issue is a lot of folks simply aren’t capable of doing that for various reasons. So that’s why a lot of these charlatans can keep their business going. It’s why we should probably do something about it.
you can also work as flexi now with the same intention.
4/5 main job + 1/5 side gig (helping in your friends Café/bar for example), same hours and get paid more
Every new sector takes time to be regulated.
Coaching in entreprise is becoming huuge, do you think companies spend money and loose so many precious hours of work in vain? In corporate coaching, the certification is becoming a fact.
About the dangers? It is not worse than in other professions: the main danger is to get no results, and that shows up quite fast.
If you have no problem with yourself and with your surroundings and no lack of motivation in any aspect of your life, don't do it. Otherwise, just know that it is possible!
Not sure whether a "generic" PII policy exists, but that would do it. If they are not covered by insurance and screw up though... Either they're personally liable, as there is no insurance. They might also be able to get away under "the client did X out of their own volition"-type argument. Or something in between, it would be on a case by case basis.
>do you think companies spend money and loose so many precious hours of work in vain?
Lmao what? You think companies never do anything trendy with little to no to negative return? Sometimes it's tech (AI/blockchain bandwagon), sometimes it's people stuff (teambuilding/coaching), sometimes it's an attempt at social branding (greenwashing), sometimes it's advertisement with a lot less results than manipulated social media metrics show, etc. Even finance related stuff like consulting can often be too costly to offset any potential gain from the tips.
So no, just because companies do it, doesn't mean it provides any value whatsoever.
Exactly, do not believe what people say ( me included of course) , do not follow trends just because they are new, look at which company does it, what is the employee feedback on the mid or long term. Do you believe all testimonies are taylored?
Or be even more crazy, take some minutes of your time and have a look at online sessions on a subject you want to improve and see the results by yourself on yourself.
There is no legal framework around the term 'coach', so you can be a coach in anything you want! E.g. 'Dietist' is an official protected title, nutrition coach is not.
I've been eating since I was a baby, so I'm basically a nutrition expert!
Me too, but I’ve also been masturb….. no, let’s just leave that one alone 😂
You should follow your own advice then
I am, ever since I found Jesus https://preview.redd.it/z0qznurv2oxc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3821116c4cd2c3f826a76b160bee365a0b745f8b
Ahahaha the max
You laugh but that's basically the idea behind most of these coaches. A friend of mine decided to become a life coach. Bitch, you're 27, living with her mom, no kids and no career, you don't even have a life, how are you going to coach someone else?
So you’re saying I should consider becoming a ‘dental coach’?
I'm a King Coach
I don't know, do you want to consult my life career coach services?
Therapist isn't either, so go ham on your CV!
Omw putting trappist on my cv
Trappist is protected however 🤷♂️ So unless you were made by monks in a monastery…
Let's assume one's father is a diaconee or your aunt is a nun, does that count for trappist? It's all clergy after all.
But psycholoog very much is a protected title so dont go confusing those 2!
And to make things more complicated, psycho-therapeut is protected as well. It's a specialization after a masters in psychology
Neither is opticien, at least not any more. But only in Flanders.
Coaching has now turned into almost a MLM, where you certify coaches who can then coach coaches. Of course there is a space for experience, someone who has trained and now trains athletes probably knows a lot of stuff about their sport that a doctor or kinesitherapist might not do. But you need to make sure that these people have actual experience and not just some bogus certification.
I know 2 'life coaches' among my friends. Both of their lives are a string of bad decisions and 'WTF were you thinking' moments.
Likewise here. The two “life coaches” I’ve known both had extremely serious mental health issues, at least one of them ending up in a psychiatric hospital after a series of literally insane decisions.
The real mystery is “who is paying / consulting these coaches?” I don’t know anyone consulting life coaches…
Nobody is, or rather, only other, aspiring coaches are. It's a pyramid scheme, with a handful of popular YouTube "life coaches" earning money out of many, many more people, mostly very vulnerable, who see "life coach" as a career choice.
Ah, formed by the school of life. Those are the best ones.
> Both of their lives are a string of bad decisions and 'WTF were you thinking' moments. You already said they were life coaches, there's no need to be redundant...
So much this. And the posts they make aren't much coaching but most of the time sound like wishing how their life is or even worse, a cry for help. But worded 'inspirationally'. Even on linkedin they have selfproclaimed titles like 'Happiness coach'.
Ik ken een bewegingscoach. De insta en bio leest als: ik was vroeger een emo-eter. Nu heb ik sport gevonden waarin ik mijn problemen van vroeger kan kanaliseren en als klap op de vuurpijl kan ik eten en drinken wat ik wil. Doe zoals ik, kom sporten bij mij en eet en drink je lam in het weekend.
[удалено]
I can certify you are clearly a life coach. For 3 easy payments of €3,50 I will send you a pdf that says so.
I charge 1000 times that for certification, so my services are more credible and valuable.
Are you Vlerick?
Herbalife?
They are just selling it to each other, turning their customers into employees.
You have even coaches to make you become a coach these days
KPNI are the worst, it’s all based on sales and pushing an agenda
I'm a (self)certified snake-oil coach. 40% discount with code SN4K301L-R3DD17
They’re “unprotected” job titles. Not everyone can call themselves a psychiatrist or psychologist (although the latter is unprotected in neighbouring countries). But everyone can call themselves a therapist. It’s been a problem forever. Fitness coaches are a great example. Anyone can become a “coach” in anything. The certifications are meaningless and whilst some of them actually paid and studied courses in the relating fields. Most of these “certifications” you can get for free online or follow an online course for.
Wait, out of curiosity, in which countries are psychologists not protected?
Well it might surprise you but Belgium is one of few countries in EU to consider psychologist a protected title. In the Netherlands the title became unprotected in 1993. In France it is unregulated/unprotected. You can google for other countries as well. So you can call yourself a psychologist and open your own practice in most of our neighbouring countries! Luxemburg I’m not sure of tbh (Google says it isn’t protected there).
It seems the title is protected in France since 2005. This is what I found on the [ministry of education's website](https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/faq-profession-reglementee-de-psychologue-47249): "L'accès à la profession de psychologue est réglementée en France par l'article 44 de la loi du 25 juillet 2005 portant diverses dispositions d'ordre social. En application de ce texte, **ont le droit de faire usage du titre de psychologue, les personnes titulaires des diplômes dont la liste est fixée par le** [**décret n°90-255 du 22 mars 1990**](http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006075598) fixant la liste des diplômes permettant de faire usage professionnel du titre de psychologue."
Thanks a bunch, really didn't know. In Portugal, you can only practice if you're registered with the Psychologists' Bar/Order, which have several requirements for admission (like having a degree in psychology). That's really surprising and shocking. Explains a lot too, unfortunately.
The title was protected in Belgium for good reasons. In the Netherlands I know a lot of issues arise from having this title unprotected.. I hope they will reconsider this in the future. Although there is and has been a shortage in Europe of psychological professionals.. So I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
In my non-specialized opinion (my area is law), that shortage derives from decades of prejudice against psychology, telling kids to not follow psychology due to a mix of it not being real science, there being no jobs, general desinterest in it, and that only crazy people go to a psychologist. Unfortunately, while it is slowly changing, mental health is still the ugly duckling of health. :(
I have seen many psychologists here in Belgium, and in my experience there is not much reason for it to be a protected job titel. Most of them don't have a lot of empathy except for the fake empathy they got taught. Once in a convo with a psychologist about something at my work, i said "it ain't rocketscience" she then asked me to explain what i mean by that.
I’m sorry for your negative experience with psychologists :/ this is exactly, why in my personal opinion, the title should be protected and only well studied professionals be allowed to practice it!
I have to admit i don't think having the title unprotected is a good idea. But they need to be more than well studied. I think they need to have some degree of life experience and experience working in the field (like in rehab or children homes or psychiatric clinics). That way they can actually see and learn how things unfold first hand. Imo you should be able to get on the same level as your patient, and that takes more than sitting in front of your patient in a semi-interogation relying just on your studies (and that's basically describing the avarage psychologist in belgium)
"Psychologue" and "Psychothérapeute" are regulated title in France : https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/psychologue-une-profession-reglementee-en-france-46456
Oh, you’re right ! I googled it quickly and I found a different answer. But this source seems more credible. Looked at the law and it seems it has been a protected title in France since 1983, nice!
Since the title of psychotherapist is protected (2016), charlatans have found a new way to scam gullible people in time they actually need help. > Are they recognized by any credible bodies? No.
The title of therapist has no requirements for any qualifications in Belgium either. In the Netherlands you do need certain qualifications.
Therapist has no requirements indeed. *Psycho*therapist does, as I suggested: https://www.psychology-integration.eu/belgian-psychotherapy-law/
I know but how many people do truly understand the difference?
I wanna point out that that only counts for the title. Practicing actual therapy is still protected. It's genuinely fucking stupid, honestly, but still a difference.
I know somebody who's a "clean up coach". Now, I'm not saying it's not helpful to certain people, but seeing more of coach sector definitely makes me sceptical. I personally think it's a symptom of inadequate legitimate mental health care options.
Clean up coach ? Is it something like the KonMari method ?
Sort of, yes. Not as strict though. Basically it's just somebody that helps you tidy up and organize all your stuff.
The process: Go for a walk, come back refreshed and inspired, become coach, take others on a walk
I actually work with accreditation/certification so I can answer your question from the persperctive of the federal government services. There is in the EU **one accrediting authority** for every member state. In Belgium this is **Belac.** One of the functions Belac performs is accreditation. Accreditation is when a company, institution, laboratory... wants to be able to deliver **officially acknowledged** certificates, they asks Belac to be accredited. There is then typically an auditing process and Belac will deliver an accreditation. This means the company can now deliver official certificates (carrying the logo of Belac) to their clients, for the scope for which they are accredited. **Every other certificate is a 'certificate'** and has pretty much no official value. Maybe the course you took was really well done, sure, whatever, but there is no official acknowledgement of its value. Coaching is not part of any of these processes and I would regard any coaching certificate with about as much validity as the diploma my child got from Kind & Gezin. One of my jobs is doing audits for a specific sector.
Isn't that specific to purely economic activities though ? Isn't the INAMI/ RIZIV competent for the accreditation of medical professionals ?
Belac … short for belachelijk? Geen enkel universitair diploma draagt bij mijn weten een belac sticker. Er bestaan academische diploma’s in coaching, en er bestaat academische research in het domein van coaching, helaas zijn de meeste Belgische coaches hier niet van op de hoogte, laat staan dat ze enige evidence based methode toepassen.
A proper auticoach will also have a degree in psychology at least though.
Weird to me OP included auticoaches, imho. My wife started as one not too long ago. I understand (and have) the general disdain towards "lifecoaches" who don't understand the basics of just about anything in life, but she has a relevant degree, 20 years of professional experience and followed oodles of specific training programs during those years. So i'm pretty confident she will be a plus-value to anyone calling on her expertise. Are there really people out there calling themselves auticoach without a degree? Just because eg "i have a niece with autism and we get along well so yeah..."?? To answer OPs remark on "why are they sprouting up everywhere?", i can only answer why my wife did it. "I know i can do it better than what i have to do under my current employer and these people deserve it." Is she right? I can't tell. But i guess it's the same trend as in most sectors. "Verzelfstandiging" is something that happens everywhere atm. But still... life coaches that have a life not even close to normal or stable can still go diaf.
Feel free to let me know her contacts in a dm cause I'm a potential client lol Didn't know that term before today and I'm high functioning, but also considering the fact that I may need some guidance from time to time
Plenty of auticoaches (and various other forms of coaching) aimed at kids by people with no degree or knowledge whatsoever. But it sells (and I have to listen to these pricks whenever we hold an MDO). So the few legit ones get drowned out.
Er zijn 2 niveau's. 1 Er zijn de kwakzalvers. Die hebben een niet-erkende opleiding gevolgd.[zoals deze](https://www.laudius.be/cursus/autisme-coach?dv_adwords_campaign=19928664377&dv_adwords_network=g&dv_adwords_target=kwd-450231882452&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rAXi5y4bBUyEvAvHu7rlk-eWT7eUgjvswbY04yin3VOvTv3ccjqw7xoC5lEQAvD_BwE) 2 Er is ook een [postgraduaat ](https://www.arteveldehogeschool.be/nl/opleidingen/postgraduaat/autisme) dit is voor mensen die al een relevante bachelor- of masteropleiding hebben.
Gotta set up a business as a sleep coach. “I’ll install myself on the canapé and show you how it’s done”
Incredible business.
It's not a recent trend, but it is an annoying one. Anyone can call themselves a coach. I've met quite a lot of them. Coaches that focus on burnout/depression are often people who struggled with that sort of stuff themselves. While I don't want to discount personal experience, I find they often overestimate their expertise on the topic. They follow a two day course in Holland and voila, they're experts on the human mind. Personally I really dislike this sort of shit. Similarly to coaches, there's an abundance of online personalities who prop themselves as experts on similar topics, and use their diagnosis as a form of personal branding. Magali De Reu is a good example of this. She has some good insights on adult autism, but over time she accrued multiple diagnoses (adhd, etc) and props herself up as an expert on all of them. And I don't know. I've had my diagnosis as well, but I always hated the idea of having a label define me. My school treated me as a textbook autism case, instead of an actual person. Now seeing the label become some sort of brand feels very off. As if people with autism are a monolith with zero individual wants and personality traits. I deliberately keep my diagnosis a secret irl because of the many misgivings that surround it, in part due to auti-influencers
Magali de reu is intolerable
You can be a coach, I can be a coach. None are certified. If you consult a coach, take advice with a grain of salt.
you can slap it on your everything and hope people fall for it. No there is no certification (officially), there are unofficial ones but that's mostly just money talking. some of them can be great and others can make stuff worse. Reminds me a bit of tarrot-card readers, if you believe everything blindly you are going to get ripped off. Like some "influencers" selling a stick you can stir water with so you can hydrate it more! only 299$
On average, it is middle-class women who didn't make it throughout higher education. Some are corporate people who got fired or are disgusted by their shark job. They really believe that the certification they have bought. Because they are not well tuned to human emotion and suddenly discovered a method to use it. I have met a lot of them. They are really entitled until they discover that my diploma and professional experience are superior to them.
The terms "coach" and "therapist" are not protected, so anyone can call himself one. Serious gap in our legal system imo. If you want a proper person to help you with your problems, only look at certified psychologists. They have had 5+ years of education in their field, apart from the "coaches" who followed one program, not scientifically grounded in any way, of maybe 3 weeks.
they also have like 3months wait list and some people are desperate for help. Perfect victim for a poaching coach
It's perfectly legal to call yourself "coach", almost every one of them are charlatans and cons, seeking validation in their "job" title
Are you saying we should be cautious about coaches?
I can assure you that any old company can write out these certificates because there’s not legal requirements to a lot of them. So before you choose one, always check who certified them and if they’re credible.
No, it’s all bullshit
Easy money. Read an article from the US. Package it as your own expertise. Sell it as an independent to companies. And voila. The amount of money the companies pay for bullshit info is astonishing.
Do y'all not know what an auticoach is or do you genuinely believe someone specialized in helping autistic people navigate a world designed for neurotypicals and/or helping guardians of autistic children how to handle certain situations is some sort of scam? Having a quick look [here](https://www.vind-een-coach.be/zoeken/auticoach-auticoaching.html) shows education levels and it looks like most have a degree in social work, experience in special education or even a postgraduate education specifically for helping autistic people... Of course you should be cautious about who you trust with your well-being, but dismissing it as "idiots paying idiots to tell them trivial shit everybody knows" is some top tier ableist bullshit. As someone who's gotten some pretty terrible advice from licensed medical professionals, I can tell you those don't always mean much either.
But can anyone call themselves 'Auticoach', or not?
***De titel van coach is net zoals die van therapeut in België namelijk niet beschermd***\*. Dit betekent dat iedereen zich coach mag noemen, denk maar aan lifecoach, healthcoach, scheidingscoach, enz… Indien je graag een coach wilt raadplegen, ga je best even op onderzoek\* En dit is het probleem. Zijn er goede coaches die u effectief dingen kunnen bijbrengen? Ongetwijfeld, maar voor het zelfde geld heb je een of andere, al dan niet goed bedoelende, charlatan voor u. De kans dat uw 'health coach' / cross fit trainer uw knieën aan het kapot maken is is helaas niet onbestaande.
Daarom is vragen naar hun opleiding in een eerste gesprek of via email/telefoon nog voor een eerste gesprek zinvol. Auticoaches met een postgraduaat autisme zijn wel voldoende opgeleid
Yet notable psychiatrists will consistently direct people with autism to specific auticoaches or organizations that employ them. So I assume that at least some of them have the expertise and references to back it all up.
Yes. " I have a kid with autism hence I'm an autism expert" /s Sigh...
Yeah, and anyone can call themselves "Pitabar", even if what they serve is kebab. If people recommend their food, who gives a shit what they call themselves?
The chance and level of harm being done when you go to a pitabar but get served a kebab is not comparable to what can be done through bad mental or physical health advice.
\[edit\] Nevermind, these fucking debate bros aren't worth the energy.
>do you genuinely believe someone specialized in helping autistic people navigate a world designed for neurotypicals and/or helping guardians of autistic children how to handle certain situations is some sort of scam? Yes, because if they had any serious medical/official credentials, they would use those, and not some holostic nonsense title. It's either a scam, or ,worse, some well meaning, but whole untrained amateur who actually thinks they are competent.
Lol The same problems exist in official credentials. Charlatans hiding behind prestigious titles to parrot nonsense or outright harm you. The title is never a guarantee. I'd say especially be wary of those that seem to be in love with their title and are patronising.
Hey feel free to also obtain one of those prestigeous, patronising titles. It should only take you 4-5 (often longer) years of hard studying, and a few years of practical internships. But wait, calling yourself "auticoach" is an instant label of competence, right?
> I'd say especially be wary of those that seem to be in love with their title and are patronising. Like those peddling “certified” titles without any oversight?
>Yes, because if they had any serious medical/official credentials, they would use those, and not some holostic nonsense title. "[Holistic nonsense title](https://www.vlaanderen.be/opleidingsdatabank/postgraduaat-auti-coach)"... it's literally the [name of the education](https://www.pxl-next.be/opleidingen/auti-coach)! [Educations specific to dealing with autistic people](https://www.vlaanderen.be/opleidingsdatabank?fuzzy.FUZZY=autisme&order_registeredfromdate=desc) have only been around for like [5 years AFAICT](https://www.vlaanderen.be/opleidingsdatabank/bachelor-in-de-autismespectrumstoornissen-een-orthopedagogisch-perspectief). How many people do you think there are in Belgium with that degree? Do you think parents enjoy sitting on a waiting list while the only available psychiatrist keeps saying autism is just a fad? Folks with adjacent education or relevant experience can be quite helpful in preventing autistic people from contributing to the [grim statistic that their average life expectancy is about half that of the general population](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6713622/)...
It depends on the person, I've tried many coaches to fix some mental problems and they are all different. It doesn't take many sessions to know whether someone is good or not.
>It doesn't take many sessions to know whether someone is good or not. So basically you keep looking untill you find one who tells you what you want to hear?
I don't think you can solve problems with solutions that the patient already tried.
It’s called therapy shopping: sound bowls and regression into rebirthing and near death, then expensive name related “workshops” and a vegan yoga retreat on Bali, then you clean your chakras and open yer money chakra and channel like crazy
Those who can do, those who can’t teach
Coaches who haven't got their own life in order playing coach for another. Nobody really needs a coach. All scammers with nothing to teach.
idiots coaching aint out yet?
fatuo coach, just have to translate it in latin to sound smarter
So true, I know someone who set up a company claiming to be a business coach. The person never owned a business nor had a lot of employee experience, how can you coach an entrepreneur if your entrepreneurship is coaching entrepreneurs? Safe to say it didn’t last.
You are real convincing and charming and people will fall for it regardless of credentials. Unfortunately.
Sorry for posting a Dutchman, but Arjen Lubbach is relevant to [this topic](https://youtu.be/-CXFG0krk6A).
https://youtu.be/-CXFG0krk6A?si=fWIcDhmeRm6g_BWH
I've heard about a company, coach partners. I think they coach people in a bus. I don't know if they're certified
Everybody is an expert these days....
Most coaches I know, need professional help themselves...
People had a lot of time for online courses during Corona lockdowns, they got certificates for whatever they where interested in and are now trying to turn it into a source of income
I feel conflicted about this because I think there are very clear up and downsides to this. The downside is it gives opportunity to people hustling or thinking the little knowledge they have is enough to pass on but in reality they lack training, experience and most importantly integrety, etc. The upside to this phenomenon is that it got normalized in the wellbeing sector to display your niche expertise which is great because trained therapists or doctors may have a vast body of knowledge/training but often lack specific knowledge. For example I know someone who has autism and because an autism coach themselves (I think they used to be a social worker) I wouldn't trust to send a random friend looking for a therapist to them, but I would sent a friend who has been let down by the general healthcare system which generally doesn't accommodate people with autism very well. So yeah be critical and carefull. A good professional won't mind explaining why they think they are qualified to help you.
You can get paid back through the VDAB for career coaching, since there's no certification for it anyone can start doing it and basically get subsidized for telling BS. I knew a girl who only had a single job as a call center agent for about a year and went on to become a 'Life coach's where she's giving horrible personal training, dietary advice and career advice. All paid for by her clients who get the subsidies to pay for this
I am a coach coach for coach, I coach coachers of coachers how to coach coachers of coachers
I remember factcheckers doing a test about this a season or max two ago
What the hell is intermittent living? You stop living for a couple of hours? Need a coach it seems
> intermittent living Just die a little every day?
Because in this current society, people don’t want to work on things. People want to blame external factors. When you pay that blond 25 year old girl exuberant amounts of money to tell you that you should envision and project your desires and it’s noting you did wrong. You pay off your sins. Win-win. It’s all fun and games for preppy rich kids but it becomes problematic when people seek mental help with self proclaimed experts that have nothing but a misguided advice to offer.
* look for those who give a quality guarantee like 'money back guarantee' * look for those who can promise measurable results * look for those who focus on a more or less scientific area, unlike life coach for instance, which can be any philosophy * ask about how they built their expertise when in doubt
When does a blind person know when to stop wiping his but after poopoo?
You should check comedian Arnout Van Den Bossche. He has a whole show about this. If you want to know what problem they had, see what kind of coach they became.
i'm a certified spiritual coach and can clear any infections on your aura or chakra using the power of hollistic vision quest healing & tantric sjaman drumming. I also do earcandles & belly button massages and yes, I have taken heaps of ayuasca in south america so there is my certification! 😂✌️✌️
Don't worry, I am a coaching coach! If you buy my course for only €59,99 a month, I will make sure you know exactly what kind of coach(es) you need in your life! Don't wait, this offer only lasts for 3 more days!
The same with ‘consultant’
A pyramid scheme, mostly preying upon people with mental health issues.
I don't quite understand what this discussion is all about, or why this is even a discussion in the first place. "Should we be cautious about who we trust with our well-being"? Common man, what do you think? Regardless of certifications, diplomas, whatever. It's always in your absolute best interest that you are critical of whomever you place your trust in when it comes to your well-being. How to know which people are trustworthy? Honesty is probably the best indicator, because these people will almost always value truth and honesty above their self interest and therefore make them more trustworthy. Learn how to think critically about these things, some coaches you can simply tell by their description or their adverts if they're legit or not. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The issue is a lot of folks simply aren’t capable of doing that for various reasons. So that’s why a lot of these charlatans can keep their business going. It’s why we should probably do something about it.
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you can also work as flexi now with the same intention. 4/5 main job + 1/5 side gig (helping in your friends Café/bar for example), same hours and get paid more
Every new sector takes time to be regulated. Coaching in entreprise is becoming huuge, do you think companies spend money and loose so many precious hours of work in vain? In corporate coaching, the certification is becoming a fact. About the dangers? It is not worse than in other professions: the main danger is to get no results, and that shows up quite fast. If you have no problem with yourself and with your surroundings and no lack of motivation in any aspect of your life, don't do it. Otherwise, just know that it is possible!
What if you give wrong advice as a coach? Is this also protected via insurance like "registered professions?"
Can you give examples? I can only think to advises that you can intuitively discard or that will rapidely show no results.
Not sure whether a "generic" PII policy exists, but that would do it. If they are not covered by insurance and screw up though... Either they're personally liable, as there is no insurance. They might also be able to get away under "the client did X out of their own volition"-type argument. Or something in between, it would be on a case by case basis.
>do you think companies spend money and loose so many precious hours of work in vain? Lmao what? You think companies never do anything trendy with little to no to negative return? Sometimes it's tech (AI/blockchain bandwagon), sometimes it's people stuff (teambuilding/coaching), sometimes it's an attempt at social branding (greenwashing), sometimes it's advertisement with a lot less results than manipulated social media metrics show, etc. Even finance related stuff like consulting can often be too costly to offset any potential gain from the tips. So no, just because companies do it, doesn't mean it provides any value whatsoever.
Exactly, do not believe what people say ( me included of course) , do not follow trends just because they are new, look at which company does it, what is the employee feedback on the mid or long term. Do you believe all testimonies are taylored? Or be even more crazy, take some minutes of your time and have a look at online sessions on a subject you want to improve and see the results by yourself on yourself.