27 July,2012 03:36 PM IST | | ANI
Joann Cohen boasts of a master's degree in education and a concentration in human relations and counseling, and has been working as a dating coach to help both men and women with their dating woes since 2008.
"The most important thing in life is finding love and there's nothing more rewarding in life than achieving that goal," Cohen said.
The four-week program begins with an assessment. Cohen evaluates the client's strengths and weaknesses and then designs a plan to get the client into action.
The 55-year-old insists on putting her clients in action, whether in the comfort of her office or out in the field, practicing in real-life situations.
The program costs around 2,300 dollars also includes a makeover with an image consultant.
Cohen explained that many men go for "the close" too quickly, but she insisted that if a woman knows the man is trying to pick her up, she will be quickly turned off of the idea.
Cohen explains that when it comes to dating, the most important thing for a man is body language. Appearing confident makes women feel comfortable and safe. However, conversation skills are a close second.
"[The guys] get near a beautiful woman and their minds freeze," a major news channel quoted her as saying.
She encourages men to dump cheesy pick-up lines for casual conversation starters.
According to Cohen, a good strategy is to talk about current surroundings - commenting on a nearby restaurant or store, pets, or tattoos could be good conversation starters. She thinks that the biggest mistake a guy can make is appearing too nervous.
Cohen also encourages both men and women to stay away from "energy vampires," people who complain about the opposite sex. In addition, one of her most important pieces of advice is to never give up.
"Focus on the positives. There's a lot of great guys and girls out there. Look for relationship material in people. The guy who could be that forever partner might be shy, but he could have a spark that could grow," Cohen said.
However, not everyone welcomes the concept of dating coaches so openly.
Little research has been done on dating coaches, especially since there's no central accreditation agency. Experts encourage skepticism while considering getting help from dating coaches.
"If the person is getting good advice on positive relationship skills, then that could be good. There's a lot of research on relationships to help those skills, but there's no licensing required, so there's no quality control on their training," said Charles Hill, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Whittier College.
Carl Hindy, Ph.D. and author of "If This is Love, Why Do I Feel So Insecure?" explained that there could be serious repercussions in poor treatment.
"People are drawn to the doctor of desperationâ¦They feel like they've played their last card, but somebody's only going to go for help so many times," Hindy added.
