Coaching, mentoring, training, developing the mind in Finland

At the beginning, I want to mention that the following views expressed are my own personal take of the topic.

The social media marketing is booming, blogging is booming, and the world wide web is a rather free playing field. What I mean to say is that it is perfectly acceptable (and bothering easy) to market and publish all kinds of stuff in today’s web-society. I'm keen follower of some social media channels and Internet portals related to my field – grossly or specifically.

I can happily state that the businesses for improving health and fitness are developing well and good. Many people want their share of it. However, this trend obviously has its pitfalls – in my honest at least. People today are not only looking for improved physique, but also the psychological side is receiving more and more interest. Hand in hand with this growth, I've seen more and more mental coaching services appearing with the most varying names and concepts.

Personally, I see this growth in interest as great thing. But then, the growing market of various fairly commercial 'mind coaching solutions' is certainly confusing. Having browsed some of the market offerings in Finland, I'm in many places still to understand the fundamental approaches and roots. In other words, what does the customer actually get? Is it just inventive slogans and mental cookbook recipes without any, or very weak, base in research and science? Another thing is the various certifications and accreditations on offer. So what, if you buy a few course days and an impressive diploma – is the certification a proof of some sort of expertise? Is the underlying competence really sufficient to work with real people? Are the end customers in good hands?

The field of coaching somebody’s mind is very sensitive. I did my MSc in Performance Psychology, and I've had the honour to study and work under the supervision of some of the leading professionals in the field. If I learnt something it was the ethics of dealing with minds of other people. Now I feel there are too many half-hearted operators trying to address the psychological sides of life endeavours – work, exercise, fitness, health behaviour, etc. I fear that people in good faith will ultimately suffer for their honest efforts to improve.