No Need to Blush: This Site Lets Teens Connect to Life Coaches Online
Remember those dramatic teen years? When no one could possibly understand the angst you were going through, when parents weren’t getting “it” or when other adults weren’t there to turn to and you needed more advice than just your friends’ understanding, “Girl, I feel ya!” It sometimes made you wish there was an objective third party you could turn to for an open ear and a little unbiased guidance. My high school guidance counselor was great and all, but I never really considered her an option for stuff like that. But these days, the internet opens up a whole new resource for objective advice and guidance in the form of an online coaching website called Blush.
The Blush site connects girls ages 13 to 25 to educated and skilled life coaches who can give professional advice for personal issues. Its online platform via videoconferencing and journaling allow girls to connect to a coach without stigma, and offers a fun, safe place for teens to seek help on a number of issues. No topic is off limits, but common topics include friendships, stress management, relationships, academic pressure, family conflict, bullying, body image, goal setting and work-life balance — all of the basic stressors of being a teen (or being a human, really).
The Blush founder, Kali Rogers, talks about how girls take care of their bodies at the gym, their minds at school and the doctor for health. She believes Blush helps better the soul. Sounds hippity-dippity to us — and we love that! Sessions are confidential, of course, and I could totally see how this would be a great way to guide a teen to overcome obstacles or get an outside opinion from unbiased person, say when a teen or young adult is dealing with school and career choices and feels like they’re being pulled in different directions and aren’t sure if they’re making choices for themselves or for their parents. I could also see how it could help a bullied teen see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to issues at school or how it could help a teen find a little sanity when issues at home just turn into fights.
It isn’t a cheap service. A video session with a life coach runs $100, and a journal entry is $50. The journal option is cool though, as you can spill your guts about a problem and within 48 hours have a response from a coach in your digital Blush Journal. And if you’re a parent going in circles over an issue with your nearly adult child, I could see how it might be an option and give everyone a fresh perspective on a sticky issue.
Would you ever have considered using a service like this as a teen? Think it could work for any teens you know? —Erin