Coaching vs Therapy
The line between coaching and therapy can be blurry and many people, like myself, identify as both a therapist and a coach. Ask a thousand people to describe the difference and you may get a thousand different responses. However, there are only three important distinctions between coaching and therapy.
Three differences between coaching and therapy:
Therapists can diagnose and treat mental health conditions; coaches cannot. This may be the single most important distinction. While all therapists can diagnose and treat mental health conditions or trauma, not all of them do. The clients I see as a therapist do not necessarily have a diagnosable mental health condition or trauma. Many people seek therapy for optimization and personal growth and therapists can be well-trained to support people in these goals. Unfortunately, many coaches do not know enough about mental health and trauma to know when to refer to a therapist. If you are looking for a coach and have a mental health condition and/or history of trauma, I would recommend getting a coach that is trained as a therapist or see a coach and a therapist who can coordinate to ensure consistency of care.
Therapists are highly trained professionals; anyone can call themselves a coach. According to California law, therapists must have at least a master's degree from an accredited school, pass a series of licensing exams, and have a certain amount of documented experience. A therapist must have at least 2 years and 3,000 hours+ of post-grad school experience practicing therapy under the supervision of a licensed therapist. There is no standard education or training for coaches. A training program is not necessary to call oneself a coach but most coaching certifications programs are online and take between 20 and 160 hours.
Therapists are regulated by state laws and licensing boards; the coaching industry is unregulated. Legal mandates regarding roles and responsibilities in the practice of psychotherapy are designed to protect you, the consumer, by ensuring your privacy and safety. If a therapist does something illegal or unethical, therapists may be disciplined or stripped of their license to practice by state regulating bodies. No such consequences exist for unethical coaches. Therapists must protect client confidentiality and maintain appropriate boundaries with clients. They cannot solicit testimonials from clients or be allowed to make promises about the outcome of their treatment.
Three common misconceptions about the difference between coaching and therapy:
Therapists look toward the past, coaches look toward the future. Both coaches and therapists help individuals work toward future goals. Therapists are trained in a variety of theoretical orientations and techniques, some of which tend to focus on childhood experiences, like traditional Freudian psychoanalysis. However, many theoretical orientations focus on the present. I tend to work from a Humanistic-Existential perspective and use mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral interventions, which focus on the present and help people build meaningful lives.
Therapists or coaches don’t specialize in [insert niche here.] While it may occur to more people to find a couples therapist rather than a relationship coach or an executive coach instead of an executive therapist, there are both therapists and coaches who specialize in whatever niche you can imagine.
Therapists work on problems, coaches work on maximizing potential. While therapists' education and training in mental health make them uniquely qualified to work on deficits in people’s lives, both therapists and coaches can help you grow and become happier and more effective. In fact, there’s a term in therapy called “self actualization,” which refers to the innate drive in all humans to realize one's talents and potential. Both therapists and coaches can help people feel unstuck, overcome obstacles, identify and build upon personal strengths and values.
The similarities between coaches and therapists outweigh the differences.
Ideally, both coaches and therapists:
Ask evocative questions and engage in active listening.
Are collaborative, empathetic, and supportive.
Give constructive feedback and accurate reflections.
Support you in identifying goals and go at your pace.
The kind of support a therapist or coach provides and the style in which they do so, depends more on the individual than their title. Individual style is shaped by how an individual has been trained and their personality. Like all people, therapists and coaches can be more or less funny, compassionate, talkative, cerebral, creative, etc. A coach or therapist’s approach can range from more informal to more structured. Some individuals are more directive, i.e. they guide the work you do, while others are less directive, i.e. they allow you to have more influence on what happens in session.
Ideally the person you are seeing, regardless of their title or formal training, demonstrates trustworthiness, emotional resonance, and competence. There are skilled and unskilled people in all kinds of helping professions. And sometimes a good person may be a bad fit for you. Research has shown that the best predictor of success in psychotherapy is the client's perception of the quality of the relationship. As far as I know, a similar study has not been done regarding coaching but I can only imagine a good rapport between client and coach leads to better outcomes as well. In addition to asking about a potential coach or therapist’s training and experience, consider how the person makes you feel when you talk to them. Trust your gut.
Regardless of whether you decide to work with a therapist or a coach, consider interviewing several people before deciding on who to work with. I specialize in working with people coping with burnout. Many of the clients I see tend to be individuals who function well in the various domains of their lives (e.g. school, work, relationships, health, etc.) but want to live up to their full potential. They are staying afloat, but perhaps they want to feel less like they’re treading water and more like they are flying. As such, I tend to work similarly with my therapy and coaching clients. If you’d like to work with me, we can discuss whether coaching or therapy would be more appropriate in a free 15 minute consultation.