Life Coach in the Film Coach Carter - Essay Example

Coach Carter: Ethical, Professional and Legal Issues Pertinent in Life Coaching Institution Course Name Course Instructor Date Introduction A life coach helps people identify and achieve personal goals. As an aspiring professional life coach, contemporary events provide life coaching opportunities are critical for my career development. The course makes this provision through the current assignment that requires each student to watch and analyse the coaching activities in selected films. My chosen film was Coach Carter. The film narrates the story of man who is eager to make a high basketball team win by all means necessary. As a sports coach, he makes effort to be a life coach to the teams to assist them achieve their goals. The fact he s not a trained life coach who seeks to offer life coaching session provides an important learning lesson for life coach students and professionals. This paper therefore provides an analysis of the movie taking into account how a coach can inspire, motivate and assist clients to achieve their personal goals in life as well as connecting the relevance of the specific events to life coaching theory. Background Coach Carter is an American film directed by Thomas Carter released in 2005. The film is based on a true story of a basketball coach at Richmond High School in California named Ken Carter. The coach was reputed to set high standards for his players both in sports and in academics. The coach was also famous for obsession with good societal values and morals which he sought to instil in his students sometimes using unorthodox methods. This led to him gaining friends and foes at the same time. He maintained strict discipline in the field that was equated to a boot camp both by the students and outsiders. Such discipline ensured that his students performed better in class and in the field. Apart from acting as a coach, Carter served as a motivator and life coach to the students. He advised them on the values of education which would free them from the shackles of poverty and at the same time the need for excelling in basketball. His life is the basis of the movie Coach Carter which takes up his name and his role is played by Samuel L. Jackson. The movie specifically narrates the 1999 basketball season with the Richmond High School basketball team. Currently, Ken Carter is a retired basketball coach and slam ball coach. He came into the limelight again 2002 when he won the 2001/2002 Slamball Cup Victory as a coach with a slamball team named Rumble. This further highlighted the success of his worth ethics and life coaching strategies. Major themes Building rapport The first meeting between the coach and the coachees in the film is very feisty. Dunbar (2009) indicates that ordinarily, the first meeting between the parties should be used for rapport building. Building rapport between a coach and coachee is a prerogative for both parties during the first meeting and should not be left to one party to dictate terms. One of the renowned motivational speakers Anthony Robbins defines rapport as “the ability to enter someone else’s world, to make him feel that you understand him, that you have a strong common bond” (Mindtools 2013). This means that such a task is best achieved in the first meeting as it sets out the foundation for future relations between the two parties. The first few minutes are usually used to make a bond based on assumptions and beliefs (Dunbar). Dunbar further asserts that when two parties are in rapport, communication flows more smoothly, people are likely to have a shred understanding and they mostly on the “same wavelength” (74) In the film, Coach Carter, the rapport building session between the coach, Carter and the coachees (students) is very different from what is recommended by experts in the field. Respect, empathy and fairness Respect, empathy and fairness are necessary principles that should be displayed and communicated both verbally and non-verbally. Bosede (2010) writes that when these aspects are observed, they allow a working environment through which coach and coachees can interact. In the film, the first meeting between the Carter and the students takes place in the gym in the presence of the retiring coach, Ray White. Carter is presented in the film as an outsider by all means who appears to have no emotions. Although he is a former student at the school, Carter is set as a pure contrast in terms of demeanour, style of speaking, posture and dress code, which reflects the persona of a mean person. Carter as the new coach is contrasted against the former coach very sharply. White is depicted as someone who has built rapport with the students and is relaxed in their presence and so are the students while Carter as a strict person through his upright posture with an expressionless stare with eyes fixed on a spot in the distance. He appears tough, resilient and immovable. Such a stance does not provide the students with the best image to build rapport with their new coach. The image of the new coach represents fear as can be seen with the blank stares that the students have on their faces. After White leaves, Carter addresses the students. The shot is taken from below making the students appear powerful and support the confrontational mood in the gym. The students appear bigger and eager to resist the imposed figure of the new coach. The camera shot makes the students appear due to the light from the window which light touches on the students giving them larger silhouetted images of themselves. Power relationships The coach uses autocratic approach in handling the students. This is indicated in the way he communicates with the students. He is keen to dictate terms to the students and how they will elate. For instance, when conflict arises during an altercation with one student, he ends up bundling the student out of the gym. The fact that he chooses to go physical with one of his coaches amounts to abuse of power. Spinelli (1998) indicates that some therapists, life coaches can seek to reassure themselves that they are right by using force. He notes in some instances, might think “I as a therapist know what I’m talking about, in spite of what you may think or in spite of your own responses to this, and you must listen to me because I am right because I have this whole body of theory behind me to back me up” (Spinelli, p. 181). In the film however, coach carter does not have any life coaching theory, he uses his experience to support his claims on the expected level of discipline from the students and work input. It can be argued therefore, that, had Coach Carter had a better understanding on the theory behind life coaching and psychotherapy, he would have approached the problem in a more modest way. However, it is possible that the attitude of the students, especially Timo Cruz emanated from his social cultural and ethnic background. Sociocultural background Sociocultural background influences a coachee’s uptake of psychotherapeutic assistance. Kim (2011) indicates from the social cultural theory, individuals gain meaning of life and evens based on knowledge obtained from their culture and social backgrounds such as family and upbringing. Therapists should therefore acknowledge such backgrounds in dealing with clients. For instance, Kim notes that among Asian Americans, 50% of them tend to discontinue with the psychotherapy once enrolled. The author attributes such trend to characteristics within their indigenous cultural norms where seeking psychotherapeutic help is looked down upon and regarded as a sign of weakness. This is the same case with Timo Cruz who is not keen to take psychotherapeutic help from Carter. He believes that as a coach, and not as a teacher, his work should not involve academics at all. On the contrary, Carter is keen on modelling the students both in sports and academics. To address such culturally induced issues in client- therapist relationships, Kim suggests that therapists should utilize more cognitive-oriented therapy strategies as opposed to emotion-oriented strategies. In essence, the Coach would have used a different approach in handling Timo Cruz as the student had specific pressures from his drug dealer cousin to be tough, which was directly being threatened by Coach Carter. Goal setting Goal setting is a pinnacle of life coaching and so is in the film. According to Corey (2009) goal setting is defined as identifying specific aspects that a client would like to achieve within s specified time period. In the film, Carter makes the students sign ‘performance’ contracts that bind students to achieving set goals. Carter identifies the tow major where one is short term (better grades-2.3 gp, better discipline and winning games) and the other is long term (graduating from high school and acceptance to college). The contracts also bind the players to wearing their jackets and ties during game days, attending all classes and sitting in the front row in those classes among other things such as high discipline. The Coach realizes that these are the conditions that the students need to meet to reach their goal of winning. However, he was committed to make the students win in the outside world. None of the students was forced to sign the contrast. Those who felt the contract did not match their expectation were allowed to leave just as the two leading scorers of the previous season did. The contracts on the other hand had all the stipulated expectations, which mean that the students were making informed consent (Martindale, Chambers & Thompson, 2009). However, it is important to allow coaches to set the goals themselves for them to won their success and feel motivated towards. A life coach’s role therefore is to facilitate individual achieve goals that they have already identified (Dunbar 2010). Legal considerations Legal considerations in the practice of life coaching are very important and can make or break a career. Bosede (2010) indicates that counsellors or life coaches in this case, need to know that their misconduct or omission in the exercise of their practice may be addressed legally by aggrieved clients when certain actions are adjudged to be unethical. Serious cases might lead to cancellation of one’s practicing licence. In the film, there is one instance that effectively resonates with the issue raised by Bosede. In the gym, Coach Carter is provoked by Timo Cruz when he tries to warn him on how to address him and his teammates with respect. He orders Cruz to leave the gym. He is definitely worked up as he says “I’ll ask you one last time to leave the gym before I help you leave.” When Cruz lunges at him, Coach Carter doges the blow and twists Cruz’s arm and holds him by the wall. Cruz is definitely in pain and complains about it and says “Teachers ain't supposed to touch students” (Thomas, 2005) Carter retorts that is not a teacher but a basketball coach. However, given that Carter had taken the role of a life coach in various ways, he was supposed to act as one. His conduct in this instance is unethical and unprofessional. Though he could argue that he was defending himself, his approach to the whole issue in unprofessional as he does not seem to calm the student but rather prove a point to Cruz and to other students that they had to follow instructions or else he would assault them physically. Roberts (2012) says that where coercive pressure in necessary, it should never be used to gratify a clinician or a life in this case. The author notes that life coaches are ethically bound to limit the use of force only to protect himself and others. In this case, and from the context of the film and look on Carter’s face, he did it in part to gratify his ego which is ethically unacceptable. Conclusion The movie offer an important learning illustration of what the ethical, legal and professional issues surrounding life coaching. From the film, it is apparent that the motives of the coach are good in that he wants his students to achieve success in life and not only in basketball. However, the way he goes about it is wanting on many different levels. This is based on the fact that he is not a professionally trained life coach or even a basketball coach at all. He does not have any idea of how to build rapport between a coach and a coachee(s), he does not understand the legal boundaries pertinent to the practice, and the influence of social cultural background in managing coaches among others. Nonetheless, he positively recognises the importance of setting goals though he sets the goals for the coaches instead of allowing them to set them by their own standards. The movie thus demonstrates that life coaching should not be left to ordinary people but professionals. All in all, the movie is an important learning situation for aspiring life coach professionals like me. References Bosede, A. F. (2010) Ethical principles of guidance and counselling. International Journal of Tropical Medicine, 5(2), 50–53. Bridges, N. A. (2001) Therapist’s self-disclosure: Expanding the comfort zone. Psychotherapy, 38, 21–30. Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy. London: Cengage Learning Dunbar, A. (2009) Essential life coaching skills. New York: Taylor & Francis Garcia, J. G., Cartwright, B., Winston, S. M., & Borzuchowska, B. (2003) A transcultural integrative model for ethical decision making in counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 81(3), 268–278. Kim, B. S. K. (2011). Client motivation and multicultural counseling. The Counseling Psychologist, 39(2), 267–275. Martindale, S. J., Chambers, E., & Thompson, A. R. (2009). Clinical psychology service users’ experiences of confidentality and informed consent: A qualitative analysis. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 82, 355–368. Mind tools (2013). Building Rapport: Establishing Bonds [online]. Retrieved from Roberts, L. W. (2012). Ethics commentary: Ethical use of power in high-risk situations. FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 10(2), 180–185. Spinelli, E. D. (1998). Counselling and the abuse of power. Counselling, 9(3), 181–184. Thomas, (2005). Coach carter. Paramount Films. USA. Read More

This means that such a task is best achieved in the first meeting as it sets out the foundation for future relations between the two parties. The first few minutes are usually used to make a bond based on assumptions and beliefs (Dunbar). Dunbar further asserts that when two parties are in rapport, communication flows more smoothly, people are likely to have a shred understanding and they mostly on the “same wavelength” (74) In the film, Coach Carter, the rapport building session between the coach, Carter and the coachees (students) is very different from what is recommended by experts in the field.

Respect, empathy and fairness Respect, empathy and fairness are necessary principles that should be displayed and communicated both verbally and non-verbally. Bosede (2010) writes that when these aspects are observed, they allow a working environment through which coach and coachees can interact. In the film, the first meeting between the Carter and the students takes place in the gym in the presence of the retiring coach, Ray White. Carter is presented in the film as an outsider by all means who appears to have no emotions.

Although he is a former student at the school, Carter is set as a pure contrast in terms of demeanour, style of speaking, posture and dress code, which reflects the persona of a mean person. Carter as the new coach is contrasted against the former coach very sharply. White is depicted as someone who has built rapport with the students and is relaxed in their presence and so are the students while Carter as a strict person through his upright posture with an expressionless stare with eyes fixed on a spot in the distance.

He appears tough, resilient and immovable. Such a stance does not provide the students with the best image to build rapport with their new coach. The image of the new coach represents fear as can be seen with the blank stares that the students have on their faces. After White leaves, Carter addresses the students. The shot is taken from below making the students appear powerful and support the confrontational mood in the gym. The students appear bigger and eager to resist the imposed figure of the new coach.

The camera shot makes the students appear due to the light from the window which light touches on the students giving them larger silhouetted images of themselves. Power relationships The coach uses autocratic approach in handling the students. This is indicated in the way he communicates with the students. He is keen to dictate terms to the students and how they will elate. For instance, when conflict arises during an altercation with one student, he ends up bundling the student out of the gym.

The fact that he chooses to go physical with one of his coaches amounts to abuse of power. Spinelli (1998) indicates that some therapists, life coaches can seek to reassure themselves that they are right by using force. He notes in some instances, might think “I as a therapist know what I’m talking about, in spite of what you may think or in spite of your own responses to this, and you must listen to me because I am right because I have this whole body of theory behind me to back me up” (Spinelli, p. 181). In the film however, coach carter does not have any life coaching theory, he uses his experience to support his claims on the expected level of discipline from the students and work input.

It can be argued therefore, that, had Coach Carter had a better understanding on the theory behind life coaching and psychotherapy, he would have approached the problem in a more modest way. However, it is possible that the attitude of the students, especially Timo Cruz emanated from his social cultural and ethnic background. Sociocultural background Sociocultural background influences a coachee’s uptake of psychotherapeutic assistance. Kim (2011) indicates from the social cultural theory, individuals gain meaning of life and evens based on knowledge obtained from their culture and social backgrounds such as family and upbringing.

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