Finding a life coach that has an in-depth understanding of your needs and concerns, and the barriers you experience in life, is essential to your personal evolution.
As a black individual, you may face a certain set of traumas that a white life coach might not be able to fully understand. That’s why it’s important to find a black life coach who will have the knowledge and experience needed in order to best help you.
In this guide, we will show you how to find black life coaches who you can contact online.
Want to skip right to the suggestions for black life coaches? Here is our 6 recommended therapy solution:
- BetterHelp
- Find-a-therapist.com
- Coaches of Color Collective
- The BlackWomen Coach Directory
- Inclusive Therapists
- The Hardy Clinic Wellness Center
How to Find a Black Life Coach Near Me
Some online platforms can be useful to help you in the journey to find a Black life coach in your area or online according to your preferences.
In this section, you will find 6 providers where you can find and connect with qualified Black life coaches.
| Provider | Good For | Location | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterHelp | Quick match with the right therapist for you | Online therapy | $65 to $90 per week (billed every 4 weeks) |
| Find-a-therapist.com | Finding and contacting the right therapist for you | Online and in-person therapy | Varies depending on the coach fee |
| Coaches of Color Collective | General life coaching, addiction and trauma coaching, diversity and racism coaching, relationships, family and sex coaching | Online and in-person coaching | Varies depending on the coach fee |
| The BlackWomen Coach Directory | Finding and contacting Black women coaches | Online and in-person coaching | Varies depending on the coach fee |
| Inclusive Therapists | Finding and contacting the right inclusive therapist for you | Online and in-person therapy in the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Portugal, Taiwan, and Thailand | Varies depending on the coach fee |
| The Hardy Clinic Wellness Center | Finding a female therapist | Online therapy for Georgia residents | Starting at $145 per session |
1. BetterHelp
Explore emotional well-being with BetterHelp – your partner in affordable online therapy. With 30,000+ licensed therapists and plans starting from only $65 per week, BetterHelp makes self-care accessible to all. Complete the questionnaire to match with the right therapist.
- Good for: Quick match with the right therapist for you.
- Location: Online therapy.
- Pricing: $65 to $90 per week (billed every 4 weeks).
- Features: iOS and Android app available, message your therapist anytime, live sessions are scheduled weekly and done via live chat, phone, or video call.
BetterHelp offers access to Black life coaches who have an in-depth understanding of who you are, what you want to achieve, and the challenges that you might face as an African American. Thanks to the large variety of coaches living in many different time zones, you will be able to find a life coach who fits in with your schedule, no matter your home state or home country.
Read our BetterHelp review here.
2. Find-a-therapist.com
- Good for: Finding and contacting the right therapist for you.
- Location: Online and in-person therapy.
- Pricing: Varies depending on the coach fee.
- Features: Filter your search, find accessible and effective online and in-person therapy, find guides on different types of therapy.
Find-a-therapist.com is an online platform where you can find an online directory. There, you can personalize your search by different categories, including type of professional, gender of your therapists, area of expertise, and more. This helps you to find the right Black coach for you.
3. Coaches of Color Collective
- Good for: General life coaching, addiction and trauma coaching, diversity and racism coaching, relationships, family and sex coaching.
- Location: Online and in-person coaching.
- Pricing: Varies depending on the coach fee.
- Features: Online directory, select the coach you prefer, contact your coach directly.
Coaches of Color Collective offers a comprehensive directory where you can find Black coaches with different areas of expertise, including life coaches. There you can check each coach’s profile and then contact the one or the ones you like the most.
4. The BlackWomen Coach Directory
- Good for: Finding and contacting Black women coaches.
- Location: Online and in-person coaching.
- Pricing: Varies depending on the coach fee.
- Features: Online directory, search a coach by category, contact your coach directly.
The BlackWomen Coach Directory offers a diverse range of Black life coaches around the U.S. There you can filter your search by coaching categories, specialties, or keywords. Once you find the right coach for you, you can contact them directly.
5. Inclusive Therapists
- Good for: Finding and contacting the right inclusive therapist for you.
- Location: Online and in-person therapy in the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Portugal, Taiwan, and Thailand.
- Pricing: Varies depending on the coach fee.
- Features: Online directory, get matched with the right therapist for you, culturally responsive, LGBTQ+ affirming, social justice-oriented therapists.
Inclusive Therapists has an online directory where you can find Black life coaches with different approaches and clear principles like anti-discrimination, anti-oppression, anti-stigma, anti-racism, and anti-ableism.
6. The Hardy Clinic Wellness Center
- Good for: Finding a female therapist.
- Location: Online therapy for Georgia residents.
- Pricing: Starting at $145 per session.
- Features: Accepts insurance, sliding scale services are available, premarital counseling, choose your preferred therapist.
The Hardy Clinic Wellness Center offers Black life coaching services in Georgia. All professionals there are women, which could be perfect if you’re looking for a female coach. To schedule an appointment you must complete an intake form where you can select your coach.
Why Look for a Black Life Coach?
Like when choosing between different therapists or other mental health professionals, it’s important that your life coach empathizes with and deeply understands the struggles that you face.
If you are Black or African American, you may face trauma, racism, and microaggressions on a day-to-day basis. These experiences can create a deeply embedded pain within, that a white counselor or life coach would never be able to truly understand. They might be able to support you and make you feel somewhat heard, but they aren’t going to be able to speak to the racial trauma that you might be facing and therefore would not be able to support you as well as a black life coach might.
Black life coaches can help you feel understood without adding intentional or unintentional prejudices. White life coaches and therapists might, at most, brush on diversity studies during their schooling. This lack of cultural competence can lead to blindness about their own prejudices, and can cause harmful stereotyping that leaves those in the African American community receiving second-rate care.
Mental healthcare has historically been a racist and prejudicial system. Black people are more likely to be misdiagnosed within the mental health field, simply because counselors and therapists are not properly trained in cultural competence. This leads to unconscious biases, which in turn lead to misunderstandings and misdiagnosis, causing unnecessary suffering for clients.
Implicit bias and racial disparities have always been a problem within the mental health community. There have been many studies done that prove black people are not given the same quality of health care as white people. While there is a spotlight on these issues, it is far from being resolved in a way that will promote sustainable equality. That’s why it’s so important to find a mental health professional who truly understands who you are and recognizes the shared experiences of trauma within the African American community that affect all of its members.
How to Choose the Right Black Life Coach
Choosing the right Black life coach is a personal and important decision that requires careful consideration. Some considerations include:
- Identify Your Goals: Clearly define your goals and objectives for seeking a life coach. Whether it’s personal development, career advancement, or specific challenges you want to overcome, having a clear understanding of your needs will guide your selection.
- Credentials and Qualifications: Look for a life coach with the appropriate credentials and qualifications. Check if they have relevant certifications, training, or memberships in coaching associations. This ensures that they have the necessary skills and expertise.
- Specialization: Consider a life coach who specializes in areas that align with your goals. Some coaches focus on career development, relationships, or specific personal growth aspects. Finding a coach with expertise in your area of interest can enhance the effectiveness of the coaching relationship.
- Experience: Evaluate the coach’s experience. Consider how long they have been practicing, the types of clients they have worked with, and any success stories or testimonials. An experienced coach is more likely to have the knowledge to help you navigate challenges.
- Cost: Discuss the cost of coaching and ensure it aligns with your budget. Some coaches offer various packages or payment plans, so inquire about the financial aspects upfront.
What is the Difference Between Life Coaches and Therapists?
You might have heard about life coaching before, but there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what a life coach actually is and what services they provide.
In the simplest of terms, seeing a life coach helps you move forward in order to deepen your learning and personal evolution, and live a better life.
A black therapist will help you go back in time and figure out the “why” in order to grow and evolve. A psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist provides psychotherapy interventions and helps you get to the crux of why you are experiencing the challenges that you are.
A life coach, however, is all about moving forward. You might want to set up a session with a life coach if you are in a career you enjoy but have areas of development that you would like to focus on. Or perhaps you are wanting to start your own business or practice and are looking for advice on how to make money doing something you love.
A life coach can work with you to take action to enact small, positive changes in your day-to-day life. These shifts can then lead to success within your business as well as huge transformations within your goals, relationships, and life in general.
You might also like to see a relationship coach to help you develop your networking skills, or your connections with friends/family. Or, you can see a business coach, self confidence coach, or leadership coach for help in these specific areas. Some life coaches also specialize in helping specific types of people, such as black women.
Best selling author, speaker, and certified life coach, Lisa Nichols, once said, “Self-enrichment is that act of creating a thousand micro wins, so you can have one macro win.” A life coach can help you with this by providing you with a game plan that will help to streamline the process of achieving your goals.
Conclusion
You may have a vision for how you want your future to look, but feel overwhelmed trying to figure out how to get there.
Whether you have a business goal you want to achieve, social skills you want to improve, or a personal challenge you wish to overcome, black life coaches can help you build the future you desire as an African American.
