A day in the life of a Carelon Behavioral Health Employee Assistance Program (EAP) life coach

A day in the life of a Carelon Behavioral Health Employee Assistance Program (EAP) life coach

“Life coaching is very similar to counseling,” says Leah Jenkins, PhD, Virtual Outpatient Therapist, Carelon Behavioral Health. “The difference between life coaching and counseling is that life coaching is more short term, pragmatic, and goal oriented.”

Dr. Jenkins, who is also a Carelon Behavioral Health therapist, expressed interest in becoming a Carelon certified life coach when asked by her director earlier in the year. She participated in a six-day intensive training process and felt comfortable with life coaching immediately. “It’s very intertwined with counseling,” she says.
 

What is your job like?

Dr. Jenkins is one of five Carelon life coaches working with Carelon Employee Assistance Program (EAP) clients. She takes referrals from the EAP intake line. “In life coaching, my goal is to create a safe, yet curious space for clients to delve into their goals. In that sense it’s the same as counseling. Clients have problems and they come to me for help in figuring them out. I love exploring those options with them.”

She makes important distinctions between life coaching and traditional therapy. “Life coaching is more short term than traditional therapy, more focused on the here and now. I help clients set priorities. We work on one goal per session, developing an action plan.”

The first session is 50 minutes, and follow-ups are 20 minutes. Clients can receive a total of five sessions. “We discuss what the client accomplished since the previous session, their desired outcomes, and the next steps in achieving those outcomes.”

While she primarily works with adults, she also works enjoys engaging with the child and adolescent population. “I work with youth 10 years old and up via telebehavioral health. Some of these clients enter therapy through their parents' EAP benefits.”

Dr. Jenkins believes that life coaching allows the client to serve as their own expert. She also emphasizes to her clients that they already have within themselves the tools necessary to succeed. “I remind my clients that they are capable and in control. People often feel like they aren’t, so I want to empower them to stop tolerating bad situations. I ask them what they are willing to do to affect change, encouraging accountability.”
 

What challenges do your life-coaching clients face?

“Loss of a loved one, depression, and anxiety are primarily therapy topics. Life-coaching clients struggle with family conflict, work dissatisfaction, lack of organization, and breaking bad habits,” she says. “Other individuals receiving life coaching want to advance in their careers or achieve more work-life balance.”

She reminds clients of their strengths as they struggle with their own unique issues. “Some individuals who come to me feel unappreciated. They feel that their expertise is not valued, and they struggle with a lack of advancement opportunities. They may also feel inferior to their coworkers or family members.”

She also coaches clients on how to handle everyday issues. “I work with clients who are living on their own for the first time, figuring out meal planning and how to buy groceries. Other clients struggle with clutter in their lives and in their homes. The disorganization affects their ability to function and their well-being.”

Regardless of the life issues her clients face, her goal is to help individuals prioritize and hold themselves accountable for achieving their stated goals. Dr. Jenkins adds, “One of my favorite questions to ask my clients is, ‘How will you know when you achieve this goal?’”
 

Is there a case in which you feel you made the most difference?

“One of my clients is a PhD who worked in higher education. She moved to a new city and thought she was going to get a leadership role in the research division of a local university. She ended up in a financial job instead, low on the totem pole. She was having a difficult time adjusting to the role, struggling with what she should do next.”

Dr. Jenkins continues, “We began discussing what her ideal job looked like. We talked about how to make her current job work for her, instead of the other way around. She began planning her interviewing process, and how to engage interviewers on her goals. She began thinking about her passions. Instead of focusing on her job dissatisfaction, she shifted her attention to her strengths and defining what career satisfaction meant to her.”

The client developed an action plan. She created her ideal job description and began the process of searching for a new position. “She discovered that she is a problem solver, which is skill transferrable to many different industries. She is taking control of her career and her life.”
 

What inspires you in your new work as a Carelon Behavioral Health life coach?

“Life coaching allows me to use my training and experience as a therapist to partner with my clients. I guide them on their journey towards increased self-awareness and taking control of their lives. I help clients work towards their goals, concentrating on their skills and strengths,” Dr. Jenkins says. “I enjoy the ‘aha’ moments when clients see the big picture and articulate their progress in real time. I love being able to support and validate clients as they journey towards building a more fulfilling life.”