THERAPY V COACHING
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERAPY AND COACHING – WHICH SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
There are many misconceptions about coaching – one being that it is vague and sometimes offered by unqualified people. Though there are exceptions, in the main coaching – a fast-growing profession – is offered by people who have been through extensive training and are part of a professional organisation with exacting standards, codes of ethics and regular supervision.
Personally, I am a member of the EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council)
The 2nd confusion is what the difference is with therapy. Whilst there are some similarities there is on the whole a different emphasis:
Therapy tends to focus on fixing or healing dysfunction such as depression, anxiety, phobias.
Coaching is more positive, present and forward looking. Coaching is about development, achieving goals, shifting your mindset, discovering your innate wisdom and becoming self-empowered.
Therapy is more about fixing; coaching more about development.
For deeper psychological issues therapy is generally the preferred route.
But for mild anxiety or depression, coaching may offer an alternative – coaching is solution focused and helps you to shift out of stuck states in a more positive mindset. Often a well-trained coach will include psychological approaches in their coaching.
Personally, I am trained in many psychological therapies including Brief Therapy, ACT and Solution Focused Therapy. Whilst my focus in coaching is always about improving your life and raising your awareness, achieving goals, sometimes we need to use some psychological tools to achieve that – hence there is something of a crossover.
Transformational Coaching goes even further with its emphasis on you changing your story, letting go of outdated ways of being, and releasing limiting beliefs.
In common with therapy, coaches are trained to listen very deeply to clients and create a space of unconditional positive regard and empathy. This space in and as of itself is often healing!
Sometimes coaching can be a refreshing change to therapy and can bring about changes much more quickly. And sometimes, people attend coaching, and it becomes apparent they need therapy and the coach refers them on.
Another difference is the relationship: in therapy the therapist takes charge, hands out homework and discloses little of themselves; in coaching we have an equal relationship and we co-create a space for change; clients choose actions at the end of a session; and coaches often disclose their own lives and journey.
