If you're not familiar with the world of coaching, I'm willing to bet that these are among the first two questions you'd want to ask if you wanted to know more "What is coaching?" and "How is it different from therapy and/or counseling?" The following should answer those two questions plus more. If not, please feel free to contact me for more information. The short answer is professional coaching focuses on an individual’s life as it relates to setting goals, creating results, and managing personal change. Coaching is a relatively new profession (having taken the name in the 1980s), and because it implements skills drawn from other helping and consultative disciplines, people often want to know: what’s the difference between coaching and counseling (or therapy)? Lets take a closer look at the differences below: Primary Life Focus: Therapy or counseling- The focus is on the person’s past. Deals with healing emotional pain or conflict within an individual. Coaching- Focuses on a person’s present, in order to help them create actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s personal and work life and act towards the future. The emphasis in a coaching relationship is on action, accountability. A highly experienced coach will know when to look at the past because it informs the present, as well as in order to help distinguish limiting belief systems. Subject Focus: Therapy or counseling- Based on feelings and emotions. Coaching- Feelings and emotions with an emphasis on action, outcomes. (Actively un-taps clients potential) Model: Therapy or counseling- Medical or clinical diagnosis of pathology or relationship conflicts. Coaching- Learning and developmental, focusing on attainable goals, possibilities or relationship conflict and improvement. Nature of Issue: Therapy or counseling- Identifiable dysfunction. Coaching- A generally functional client desiring a better situation Treatment of the Past: Therapy or counseling- Understand and resolve the past. Coaching- Understanding the past in the context in which future goals are set. Questions Asked: Therapy or counseling- WHY? Coaching- HOW? WHAT? WHEN? and WHY, a form of seeking insight, is emphasized less than action Client Goals: Therapy or counseling- Help patients resolve old pain and improve emotional states Coaching- Helps clients learn new skills and tools to build a more satisfying successful future; focuses on goals Accountability for Goals: Therapy or counseling- The goals of therapy are for the person to be accountable for their feelings and emotions and change can be identified internally but not usually measurable unless using a CBT. Coaching- Coaching goals usually have to do with one’s external world and behavior, and therefore can be measured. Relationship: Therapy or counseling- Therapist or counselor/Client relationship The therapist offers perspectives and helps the clients discover their own answers. Coaching- Co-creative equal partnership The coach offers perspectives and helps the clients discover their own answers. Function: Therapy or counseling- The Therapist diagnoses, then provides professional expertise and guidelines to provide a path to healing Coaching- The Coach stands with the clients and helps him or her identify the challenges, then partners to turn challenges into victories, holding client accountable to reach desired goals. Training or Educational Background: Therapy or counseling- Therapist are required to have a master's degree and hold a license to work with patients. A therapist can use coaching skills to support the client. Coaching- Coaches are not required to have a master's degree and hold a license. However, many coaches have completed training. NOTE: Before choosing to a coach ask and check training credentials. Style: Therapy or counseling- Patient, nurturing, evocative, indirect, parenting, cathartic. Coaching- Similar, though coaches dabble less in parenting, but coaching is also catalytic, challenging, direct, straight talk, accountability. Rate of Change: Therapy or counseling- Progress is often slow and painful because the issues are often subconscious and fundamental. Coaching- Growth and progress are rapid and usually enjoyable. Responsibility for Outcomes: Therapy or counseling- The therapist is responsible for both the process and the outcome. Coaching- The coach is responsible for the process; the client for the results. Disclosure: Therapy or counseling- Limited, if any, personal disclosure by the therapist Coaching- Personal disclosure by the coach used when relevant as an aid to communicating. Payment: Therapy or counseling- Often covered in some part by insurance; or through the Employee Assistant programme but almost never by any other third-party Coaching- Not covered by insurance; employers may pay for coaching of individuals |