What Is the Role of a Family Coach?

A family coach concentrates on where a particular family is now and where they choose to go in the future, and how they want their relationship to develop. The coach will first analyze the family to ensure that it is coachable. If one or more family members are suffering from active depression or mental illness, the family may not be coachable. When there is maltreatment or a major power imbalance, it is also not coachable. If any of these problems are present in the family, the coach must send them to a therapist or other expert.

To begin the coaching process, the coach will evaluate the family system using a variety of tools such as personal and group questionnaire surveys to obtain as much data as possible. Once the coaching goals or intended results are determined, the coach will develop a coaching plan and communicate it with the household. 

This communication should result in a coaching contract that specifies all of the info about the coaching process, such as duration, expenses, frequency of meetings, and the goals that the family hopes to achieve.

Some of the primary benefits of family coaching include improving the interaction between family members, creating peace and happiness in the house, getting family members to know one another better and closer together, and improving decision-making capacity.

In brief, a family coach is a neutral third party who helps families and/or individuals recognize their goals and establish better habits and behaviors that assist the family achieve positive change.