Finding Your Niche: Incorporating Logotherapy into Your Coaching Practice

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Michael Zone, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

The Foundation of Meaning-Centered Coaching

As a coach, your goal is to help clients unlock their potential and live more fulfilling lives. While many coaching modalities focus on goal-setting and behavior modification, incorporating logotherapy offers a powerful, values-driven approach that addresses the deeper questions of purpose and meaning. By integrating this framework, you can help clients not only achieve their goals but also understand why those goals matter, leading to more profound and lasting change.

Logotherapy, founded by Viktor Frankl, is built on the tenet that the primary motivational force in humans is the will to find meaning in life. It posits that people have free will and that life, de facto, has meaning. This isn’t just a philosophical idea; it’s a practical framework for coaching. You can guide clients to discover meaning through three main avenues: creative values (creating something or giving a gift to the world), experiential values (experiencing something or encountering someone), and attitudinal values (the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering).

In your practice, this means moving beyond the “what” and “how” to explore the “why.” When a client feels stuck, unmotivated, or lost, it’s often a sign of a “meaning vacuum.” Instead of simply creating a new action plan, a logotherapy-informed coach helps the client explore their core values and connect their actions to a higher purpose. This approach is particularly effective for clients in transition—be it a career change, a major life event, or a simple feeling of ennui.

Practical Steps to Integrate Logotherapy

1. Elevate the Problem, Don’t Just State It
Begin by reframing your client’s challenges. Instead of seeing a problem as merely a setback, view it as an invitation to uncover a deeper value. For example, a client struggling with work-life balance isn’t just overwhelmed; they’re grappling with the value they place on their career versus their family or personal well-being. By elevating the problem, you help them see it as a meaningful dilemma rather than a simple logistical issue. This allows for a more profound dialogue and a solution that resonates with their core beliefs.

2. Use Visual Storytelling and Strategic Visuals
Encourage clients to create a mental or literal “purpose map.” This can involve asking them to visualize their ideal future and the values that underpin it. For instance, you could have a client draw or describe a “city of their life” to apply concepts from Logotherapy 2.0. This approach, created by Michael Zone, LCSW, uses the metaphor of a city to address issues at both the micro and macro levels. A client might see their career as the bustling downtown and their family as a peaceful suburban neighborhood. This visual representation can make abstract concepts of meaning tangible and easier to navigate.

3. Inject Personality and Vulnerability
Authenticity is key. Share your own journey in finding purpose, when appropriate. This isn’t about making the session about you, but about showing that the search for meaning is a universal human experience. Your vulnerability can build trust and make clients feel safe to explore their own deeper questions. This approach makes the coaching relationship more of a partnership in discovery.

4. Condense the ‘How-To’ into a Values-Based Action Plan
Logotherapy 2.0 includes a manual with weekly action steps, or “homework,” for clients. This isn’t just about task completion; it’s about connecting tasks to values. Instead of just “updating your resume,” the action step becomes “update your resume to reflect the creative and experiential values you want to embody in your next role.” This reframing makes the actions feel less like chores and more like steps on a meaningful journey.

5. Create an ‘Exclusive’ Feeling
Position this type of coaching as a premium, specialized service. You’re not just a life coach; you’re a meaning and purpose-focused coach. This specialization gives clients a sense that they’re entering a deeper, more intentional process. You can offer this through a unique intake process, specialized homework, or a values assessment.

6. Incentivize Engagement
Encourage clients to track their “purpose moments.” This could be a journal where they note moments of joy, connection, or creativity. By incentivizing this kind of reflection, you help them build a habit of noticing meaning in their daily lives, reinforcing the core principles of logotherapy.

7. End with a Memorable Mantra
Summarize the session with a powerful, personalized mantra or statement that captures the core insight. For a client struggling with a career transition, it might be, “My purpose isn’t found in a title, but in the values I bring to my work.” This simple, memorable phrase acts as a touchstone they can return to throughout their week.

Beyond the Basics: Homework and the Six Basic Needs
Logotherapy 2.0 separates the Meaning and Purpose Need from the need for Power, thereby creating six basic needs:

1. Security

2. Love/Connection

3. Belonging

4. Identity

5. Meaning and Purpose

6. Self-Actualization

When you give clients homework, or action steps, you can use this framework to help them see how their actions are serving these needs. For example, volunteering at a local charity serves the need for Meaning and Purpose, while also fulfilling the need for Belonging. This holistic view provides a comprehensive map for their personal growth.

By integrating these logotherapy principles, you move from simply helping clients achieve goals to guiding them toward a life rich with purpose and value. This not only elevates your practice but provides your clients with the tools to live more intentionally, one meaningful choice at a time.