![]() | This article possibly contains original research .(February 2008) |
Lifestyle gurus, also known as lifestyle coaches, trainers, or consultants, work with individuals to help them make lifestyle changes aimed at improving their overall well-being and happiness. These professionals guide people in areas such as health, fitness, relationships, and personal growth, tailoring advice to individual needs.
The profession gained widespread attention in the 1990s and 2000s, [1] popularized by public figures and celebrities like Cherie Blair and Madonna. Lifestyle gurus often gained prominence by working with high-profile clients and offering personalized coaching.
One notable example is Carole Caplin, who served as a lifestyle coach for the Blair family, [2] helping them with fitness, nutrition, and well-being strategies.
Lifestyle gurus embody the para-social, leveraging intimacy, authenticity, and integrity.[ clarification needed ] They are enabled by social media to attain micro-celebrity status and influence, demonstrating the emotional investment and trust they garner from the public. [3]
Spiritual gurus have significantly influenced consumer behavior, especially in the FMCG sector. Their endorsements are based on public affinity towards spirituality, lending credibility to the products they promote. This has led to a competitive edge for brands like Patanjali and Sri Sri Tattva against established companies (Narendra et al., 2022). [4]
Influencers, especially in health and wellness, effectively engage their audience through "influencer pedagogy". This method, while indirect, educates followers on social media platforms through relatable interactions, cultivating authenticity and expertise (Hendry et al., 2021). [5]
Lifestyle gurus have come under heavy criticism in recent years, with most criticisms concerning their utility. [2] Other criticisms have centred on the perception that they are a symptom of the indecisiveness of today's society. [6]
Frank Furedi, a professor of sociology at the University of Kent, has been a prominent critic of lifestyle gurus. [7] Lifestyle gurus have received criticism for preaching unscientific ideas and thus influencing public opinion. [1]
A 2017 article in Vox accused personal-growth gurus of being "all smoke and mirrors", "a hypocrite's game", and "bullshit artistry" aimed at making money from selling a product, such as books or conferences. [8]
Unlike a psychotherapist, life coaching does not require training, professional licensure, or regulatory oversight. [9] [10] They are not subject to the board and are not required to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its privacy rules. [11] [12] Anyone can claim to be a life coach, and anyone can start a business selling "certificates" to potential life coaches.
Unlike life coaches, therapists and other mental health professionals focus on healing, treating mental health disorders and helping people overcome trauma and other issues from their pasts. While working with a life coach can theoretically help with certain unresolved issues, life coaches cannot treat psychological disorders. [13] [14]
Therapists and life coaches develop individualized treatment plans tailored to each patient's needs. However, they take different approaches. Therapy typically addresses a variety of emotional problems and psychological disorders. Lifestyle coaches are more focused on helping people achieve personal or professional goals. [15] [16] Because people turn to therapists and life coaches for different reasons, each profession offers different types of services.
Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome problems. Psychotherapy aims to improve an individual's well-being and mental health, to resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills. Numerous types of psychotherapy have been designed either for individual adults, families, or children and adolescents. Some types of psychotherapy are considered evidence-based for treating diagnosed mental disorders; other types have been criticized as pseudoscience.
Occupational therapists (OTs) are health care professionals specializing in occupational therapy and occupational science. OTs and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote a person's ability to fulfill their daily routines and roles. OTs have training in the physical, psychological, and social aspects of human functioning deriving from an education grounded in anatomical and physiological concepts, and psychological perspectives. They enable individuals across the lifespan by optimizing their abilities to perform activities that are meaningful to them ("occupations"). Human occupations include activities of daily living, work/vocation, play, education, leisure, rest and sleep, and social participation.
Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought, which could possibly be understood as a mental disorder. Although many behaviors could be considered as abnormal, this branch of psychology typically deals with behavior in a clinical context. There is a long history of attempts to understand and control behavior deemed to be aberrant or deviant, and there is often cultural variation in the approach taken. The field of abnormal psychology identifies multiple causes for different conditions, employing diverse theories from the general field of psychology and elsewhere, and much still hinges on what exactly is meant by "abnormal". There has traditionally been a divide between psychological and biological explanations, reflecting a philosophical dualism in regard to the mind–body problem. There have also been different approaches in trying to classify mental disorders. Abnormal includes three different categories; they are subnormal, supernormal and paranormal.
Occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession that involves the use of assessment, intervention, consultation, and coaching to develop, recover, or maintain meaningful occupations of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of OT consists of health care practitioners trained and educated to support mental health and physical performance. Occupational therapists specialize in teaching, educating, and supporting participation in activities that occupy an individual's time. It is an independent health profession sometimes categorized as an allied health profession and consists of occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs). OTs and OTAs have different roles, with OTs licensed to complete comprehensive occupational therapy evaluations. Both professionals work with people who want to improve their ability to participate in meaningful occupations.
A therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counselors, etc. They are helpful in counseling individuals for various mental and physical issues.
Psychopathology is the study of mental illness. It includes the signs and symptoms of all mental disorders. The field includes abnormal cognition, maladaptive behavior, and experiences which differ according to social norms. This discipline is an in-depth look into symptoms, behaviors, causes, course, development, categorization, treatments, strategies, and more.
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a "state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community". It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others.
Art therapy is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art therapy, as a creative arts therapy profession, originated in the fields of art and psychotherapy and may vary in definition. Art therapy encourages creative expression through painting, drawing, or modelling. It may work by providing a person with a safe space to express their feelings and allow them to feel more in control over their life.
Online counseling or online therapy is a form of professional mental health counseling that is generally performed through the internet. Computer aided technologies are used by the trained professional counselors and individuals seeking counseling services to communicate rather than conventional face-to-face interactions. Online counseling is also referred to as teletherapy, e-therapy, cyber therapy, or web counseling. Services are typically offered via email, real-time chat, and video conferencing. Some clients use online counseling in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy, or nutritional counseling. An increasing number of clients are using online counseling as a replacement for office visits.
Positive mental attitude (PMA) is a concept first introduced in 1937 by Napoleon Hill in the book Think and Grow Rich. The book never actually uses the term, but discusses the importance of positive thinking as a contributing factor of success. Napoleon, who along with W. Clement Stone, founder of Combined Insurance, later wrote Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, defines positive mental attitude as comprising the 'plus' characteristics represented by words as faith, integrity, hope, optimism, courage, initiative, generosity, tolerance, tact, kindliness and good common sense.
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counseling approach developed in part by clinical psychologists William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick. It is a directive, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. Compared with non-directive counseling, it is more focused and goal-directed, and departs from traditional Rogerian client-centered therapy through this use of direction, in which therapists attempt to influence clients to consider making changes, rather than engaging in non-directive therapeutic exploration. The examination and resolution of ambivalence is a central purpose, and the counselor is intentionally directive in pursuing this goal. MI is most centrally defined not by technique but by its spirit as a facilitative style for interpersonal relationship.
Systemic therapy is a type of psychotherapy that seeks to address people in relationships, dealing with the interactions of groups and their interactional patterns and dynamics.
Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) encompasses a range of treatments that involve activities with horses and other equines to promote human physical and mental health. Modern use of horses for mental health treatment dates to the 1990s. Systematic review of studies of EAT as applied to physical health date only to about 2007, and a lack of common terminology and standardization has caused problems with meta-analysis. Due to a lack of high-quality studies assessing the efficacy of equine-assisted therapies for mental health treatment, concerns have been raised that these therapies should not replace or divert resources from other evidence-based mental health therapies. The existing body of evidence does not justify the promotion and use of equine-related treatments for mental disorders.
Mental health first aid is an extension of the concept of traditional first aid to cover mental health conditions. Mental health first aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person experiencing or developing a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety disorders, or experiencing a mental health crisis situation such as suicidal ideation or panic attack.
Collaborative therapy is a therapy developed by Harlene Anderson, along with Harold A. Goolishian (1924–1991), in the US. It is intended for clients who are well educated in any field, or for those that have distrust of psychotherapists due to past negative experiences with one or more.
Services for mental health disorders provide treatment, support, or advocacy to people who have psychiatric illnesses. These may include medical, behavioral, social, and legal services.
The mainstay of management of borderline personality disorder is various forms of psychotherapy with medications being found to be of little use.
Greg Harden was an American life coach, motivational speaker, and executive consultant who was best known for his work with 7-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady. He also worked with Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard, and 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. Brady, Howard, and other athletes credit Harden with inspiring them to overcome obstacles and achieve success in their professional and personal lives. Harden has created a personal improvement program that is unique in sports. In 2014, he was profiled in a segment on 60 Minutes.
Alok M. Kanojia, also known as Dr. K., is an American psychiatrist and co-founder of the mental health coaching company Healthy Gamer. He streams interviews on Twitch, where he and participants discuss mental health topics.
Jazz Thornton is a New Zealand mental health activist, author, speaker, TikToker and filmmaker. Thornton co-founded a suicide prevention organisation, Voices of Hope, with eating disorder activist Genevieve Mora. Thornton has written three books: an autobiography Stop Surviving, Start Fighting,My Journey Starts Here, a guided journal for improving well-being, and Letters to you, a book of letters to provide support, information, encouragement and tips on practical help for anyone suffering low moments. The 2020 New Zealand documentary The Girl on the Bridge deals with her struggles with mental health. In the documentary, Thornton meditated on losing her friend Jess to suicide.