Life coaches work with clients to try and help them deal with an issue. There are a huge variety of life coaches, from career coaches to relationship coaches and everything in between. In the state of Arizona, there are no regulated requirements for life coaches, but consumers can check for professional ties to the International Coach Federation.

International Coach Federation

Life coaches in Arizona are not regulated by the state. They are however overseen by a professional organization called the International Coach Federation. This organization lends life coaches legitimacy when they become members, and the organization also provides standards that professional life coaches have to meet in the state of Arizona. While not a necessity for becoming a life coach in Arizona, joining this organization is definitely a step in the right direction due to the backing and professional support that membership brings.

Expertise

Life coaches need to have a good deal of expertise in the field they're coaching others in. This is both a practical concern as well as a professional one. No one who needs help in their marriage is going to take advice from someone who's never been married, and who has never studied relationships. Likewise it would be silly to hire a business coach who has no education or experience in business. So, practically speaking, you need to have expertise in the field you're coaching. A college degree, experience as a worker and a record of success are all good indicators that you know what you're talking about.

Licensing

Life coaches do not need to be licensed by the state, contrary to some opinions. Professional medical counselors do need to be licensed, and many times these counselors will help people in much the same way that a life coach would. A life coach doesn't make recommendations for a client; rather the coach listens, and helps the client find his own way to the answers that he wants. Life coaches aren't qualified to deal with issues like substance abuse or mental disorders, legally speaking either. Those areas are left up to licensed counselors.