While watching the "Oprah Winfrey Show" late last year, Satira Kitchen learned that the famous talk show host often hires coaches to help with various aspects of her life.

Kitchen, a real-estate investor and former Ford Motor Co. factory worker, wanted the same thing for herself. She put the word out that she wanted a career coach and found one.

The Macomb Township, Mich., resident said her relationship with Michelle Times, owner of Consulting Times, has transformed her.

"She made me look in the mirror," Kitchen said. "She made me realize that I wasn't working at full capacity. As human beings, we tend to be really humble. We don't dare go for what we really want."

Kitchen is among a growing number of professionals seeking coaches to bolster their careers. The International Coach Federation reports that its membership has grown from about 2,100 in 1999 to more than 11,000 today.

Such mentors are critical in places like metro Detroit, which is reeling from auto industry layoffs and buyouts. Thousands of local workers are searching for new careers because of the recent wave of cutbacks.

The good news is that professionals have a lot of options when it comes to career coaches, experts say. Their specialties include areas such as public speaking, test taking, business growth and employee management.

"There are as many kinds of coaches as you can shake a stick at," said Barry Demp, the Detroit-area president for the International Coach Federation. He's been a coach since 1992.

Coaching is also much more structured than it was when the field took off 14 years ago. Organizations now offer credentialing for career mentors as well as professional standards for the field. For instance, the International Coach Federation offers varying levels of certification.

Attitudes have evolved, too. Long perceived as remedial help for poor performers, coaches now help turn high performers into world-class achievers.

"When you look at Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, truly excellent world-class athletes, they all have coaches," said Times, Kitchen's coach.

Times charges $100 to $250 a session. Hourly prices vary greatly. In some cases, coaches charge by the project.

Times specializes in real estate investing, so she's been able to provide Kitchen with real-life examples on how to work the local market.

Kitchen says the expense has been well worth it. She has become more practical. She's learned to set higher goals, not impossible ones. For instance, to close 20 deals a month, she's learned that she needs to work on 50 prospects at any given time.

That's a much higher goal than she had before. In a matter of months, she began seeing results.

"It was a little painful ... you know, having someone tell you what to do," Kitchen said. "She tells you what you need to hear and then holds you accountable."

Instead of simply fixing a person's weaknesses, coaches aim to develop strengths.

David Chinsky, a former automotive and hospital executive who coaches mid- to high-level executives, said companies often use coaches to develop their most valuable employees.

"It used to be that if your company assigned you a coach, you thought you weren't performing well," Chinsky said. "Now if someone gets a coach, everyone else is wondering why they didn't get one."