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Coaching Vs Therapy
Answering that evergreen question
Here is the constantly asked question. Where is the line between coaching and therapy – and can I cross it? The truth is that it’s not a simple question to answer since coaching is, without a doubt, a therapeutic process in and of itself.
Coaching enables the client to determine their own destination, find their own answers, clear their own obstacles, and plot their own course, all whilst taking ownership and responsibility for their own process. There are many types of ‘coach’ from Life Coach to Relationship Coach. In fact, in my experience, if you can think of an activity that a human being engages in, there’s probably someone out there offering to coach it.
So, let’s explore the difference a little. The Therapist, and here I will focus mainly on key areas of therapy such as Counselling and Psychotherapy as there are a great many forms and models of therapy, generally works with their client to deal with the impact of past or present issues, often based in experiences, and with other presenting psychopathologies that can range from stress or anxiety right through to clinical depression and more serious mental health issues. These are highly trained and qualified professionals who have dedicated themselves to their profession and work within the codes of conduct set by various professional bodies within their profession. So, much of the work is focused on present and past.
The Coach, on the other hand, is generally concerned, as I’ve already stated, with moving their client forward, taking ownership and achieving their own goals. Again, the Coach is (or should be) a trained, qualified, and ethical professional who works within the code of conduct of a professional body. The Coach focuses their client on present to future.
Given the difference in qualification and expertise, it is vital that we, as ethical professionals, maintain strict boundaries in our work, operating within our own scope of practice. To this end, I would even advocate a policy of ‘disclosure’ in our initial discovery sessions with potential clients, eliciting any areas that may be of concern. This will enable us to make informed decisions on whether to work with that individual based on ethics and professionalism as well as personal interaction.
In my practice, my own client contract calls for disclosure on present or past psychological support as well as any past or present prescribed medication in support of mental health issues. If either of these raise any concerns at all, I can then follow some options, that may include:
· Seeking further clarification from the client
· Requesting permission to communicate with the client’s medical practitioner/therapist
· Requesting a written agreement from their practitioner/therapist that they are happy for the coaching to proceed
· Consider not going ahead with that client
None of these are because I’m ‘fussy’ or even over-cautious. They are because I care about the wellbeing of the individual above the needs of my business, and I respect their right to receive the most professional and ethical support available to them.
What it comes down to is to ask yourself, as an ethical professional, three simple questions:
1. Am I really qualified to work with this person?
2. Should I work with this person or refer them on?
3. Do I want to work with this person?
If the answer to any one of these questions is ‘no’ then don’t do it, no matter how tempting, how lucrative or how much you want or need the business.
You can find more on professional conduct by visiting the website of the Association for Professional Coaching on www.theapcinternational.org
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