Relationship Coaching Vs. Counseling/Therapy

Coaching is not for everyone, and if you have worked with a counselor/therapist, you might expect the same kind of structure and method, but coaching is different from counseling/therapy.

Here are a few key differences between coaching and counseling/therapy...

Coaching	Counseling/Therapy
Client feels fully functioning - needs new skills to create a successful future	Client feels broken - needs healing/help dealing with issues from the past
Attitude what's the next step? (action oriented)	Attitude what's the problem? (discussion oriented)
Focus present life and plans for the future specific goals/objectives next step/action achieve results and sustain life-changing behaviour	Focus insight/understanding of mental/emotional anguish from the past relieve pain, symptoms restore functioning move away from pain
Relationship coach is a partner coach helps the client create goals/plan of action and motivates client to keep moving forward coach has the questions that lead to the client finding his/her own answers client takes a proactive approach to understanding and overcoming the challenges/roadblocks in his/her way	Relationship therapist is the expert and the client is the patient therapist helps the client feel good/calm down client's emotional anxiety or worries client asks questions, therapist provides the answers Client looks to therapist for insights into his/her thinking, behaviour and experience

How do you decide whether what you need is therapy, consulting, mentoring or coaching?

Let's say, you wanted to learn to ride a bicycle:

A therapist - would help you discover what is holding you back from riding the bike. They would go back into your past to discover what kind of experience you had at an early age with a bicycle.

A consultant - would bring you a bicycle manual and tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the workings of a bicycle. The consultant would then depart and return six months later to see how you were doing.

A mentor - would share his/her experiences of bike riding and the lessons that he/she has learned. The mentor would bestow all the wisdom they had about bicycle riding to you.

A coach -- would help you get up on the bicycle and then encourage and support you while running alongside until you felt comfortable enough to go it alone.

I work with you as a Mentor and Coach! While childhood history may be discussed it is not the focus of our work together.

Learn more about my coaching approach.

Learn more about coaching fees and packages.