Dispelling the Myth: Coaching vs. Therapy?

January 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

There are many who hold the erroneous belief that coaching is essentially the same as therapy. There are certainly similarities, but the differences make coaching a significantly different concept worth noting:

Similarities include a relationship between a trained professional and a client who seeks the services of the professional to help them get past issues that they are experiencing. That is perhaps where the similarities end.

The differences between the two are far more evident. First, coaching “supports personal and professional growth and development based on individual-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is forward moving and future focused.

“Therapy, on the other hand, deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or a relationship between two or more individuals. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past which hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with present life and work circumstances in more emotionally healthy ways. Therapy outcomes often include improved emotional/feeling states. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s work or personal life. The emphasis in a coaching relationship is on action, accountability and follow-through.” –International Coach Federation

While a licensed therapist has received training for longer periods, certified coaches have received rigorous training as well. Perhaps a reason for a therapist’s longer training includes the fact that therapists are trained to work with entire populations including those with mental illnesses, whereas coaches work with those who simply want a change. In addition, licensed therapists are trained to take the lead in their sessions, getting their clients to a specific resolution. Coaches will simply guide their clients to take themselves where the client wants to go, being a place of resonance for that client. The coach is simply there to help the client get clear on what it is that the client wants.

As a coach, there have been situations where I have referred a client to a licensed therapist, although I continue to believe that regardless of being in therapy, one can still benefit from skillful coaching, even simultaneously.

Filed Under: Coaching Tagged With:

What’s All This Hype About Coaching?

January 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

As a rigorously trained certified life coach, I must say that I’m biased. I believe everyone can use the services of a life coach. There is no question in my mind that we could all use some help moving forward in lives, internally and externally. I believe without movement, we stagnate. I also believe that the nature of coaching continues to be misunderstood by many. And so I’ll take the opportunity to set the record straight:

Coaching is about making Powerful Changes that will take your life to the next level

Coaching is the on-going professional partnership between a coach and a client in a process of both thought-based (internal) and behaviorial (external) change that will maximize your potential. By design, it helps you improve and enhance the quality of your life – taking you ‘to the next level’ of satisfaction and fulfillment. This is achieved through a variety of learned methods and applied during the coaching sessions. These methods are drawn from concepts, models and principles strongly based in a multi-disciplinary foundation: behavioral sciences, management, spiritual traditions, the arts and humanities.  With proper training, a skilled coach will guide you to extraordinary results.

Coaching is about creating Clarity that resonates with who you are

What makes true coaching remarkably effective, is that the agenda as well as the journey toward powerful change is set by the client her/himself. A good coach will simply but skillfully guide you toward what is resonant and true for you. In other words, the coach has no idea where the coaching will lead and has no set agenda for where it will go; that is up to you and will be exposed through skillful coaching.  Only you have the answers that are true for yourself. And what is true for you will be unique to who you are as an individual, based on your own set of values, beliefs, purpose, and unique gifts.

Coaching is about Action and Forward Movement

While there may be a lot of talking going on in the coaching sessions, once you become clear on what you want so that you can live your life in a way that is consistent with who you are, we set goals and develop action plans toward creating excitement and fulfillment on your own terms.

 

Now, who wouldn’t want this for themselves?

Stay tuned for more:

  • How do coaching and therapy differ?
  • What methods do coaches use to guide you toward clarity and resonant action?
  • What is expected of the individual in the coaching relationship?
Filed Under: Coaching Tagged With: , , ,

The Power of Change

November 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I am relaunching my Coaching practice after being away from it for 3 years, having taken almost 2 and a half of those years to sail with my family through Mexico, the South Pacific and Australia. The decision to leave everything I knew and felt comfortable with was a powerful and refreshing one, and yet with the change back to life on land, my commitment to coach again feels just as powerful, fresh and revitalizing. The bottom line is this: Change keeps us fresh. Without it, we wither, we get stale, we get small. I’m not saying that everyone should shake up their lives as drastically as I did, but I am saying that if you haven’t stepped to your edge lately, it’s time.

To begin, ask yourself this question: What have I been wanting to do? What change have I been wanting to make? Don’t worry about the answer being something that is huge, but be sure it is something that would mean a lot to you if it was done.

And forget about all the reasons why you haven’t done it until now, because beating yourself up over it won’t get you closer to making a change. One of the things I love about coaching principles is that we don’t get stuck on all the ‘stuff’ from your past, but rather embrace the saying: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life – now get to it.” Tomorrow is going to come, whether you make the change or not.

What would life be like if in fact you accomplished this thing that you’ve been wanting to do, this change you’ve been wanting to make? Spend a few minutes really thinking about that, or if writing things down is more effective for you, journal about it.

It’s time. It’s time to make a change, to keep fresh, to get big. You owe it to yourself, to those you touch, and to the world at large.

As I refresh my own career, I am committed to helping those who are ready to make important, meaningful and sustainable change, one step at a time.  Please contact me if you are one of them.

Filed Under: Change, Coaching Tagged With: ,