Coaching Vs. Counseling

I know the value of support not only from me being able to give it to other people, but also from my own experiences. I have had counselors in the past. I've had coaches in the past, and I've had things that haven't worked, and I've had things that have worked. But for the most part, my support has allowed me to achieve the success that I truly desire, and to some extent some of the things that I got out of it. I'm not sure that I would have been able to get on my own. So today I want to talk about the difference between coaching and counseling.

The truth is, the two can overlap in some ways, but there are some differences as well. The first thing is financial differences with coaching. A coach can determine their prices, and it's not covered under medical insurance, whereas counseling, sometimes you may be paying out of pocket. Sometimes your insurance may cover it. I went to see a Christian counselor once who was 100% out of pocket.

But I've also known of counselors that bill medical insurance, and so counseling can be either. The other difference is credentials. So as counselors, you have to be licensed through your state, you also have had to go to college and get a degree to counsel or give therapy. Whereas coaches, there is no requirement to be certified as a coach as of yet . Now, there are many different coaching certification institutes. In fact I have my own Coaching Certification Program. This does not mean that every coach is certified, and let me say that everyone who is certified is not always qualified. For some people the idea that the coaching space is unregulated that can be a reason to turn away from hiring a coach totally Personally, I believe this is why it’s important to continue to learn as a coach- therefore I can be the best coach possible for my clients.

Technically, anyone can call themselves a coach if they'd like to label themselves with that. It's why it's so important to really understand what kind of coach you're looking for and what credentials they have, what experience they have, what their history is, what their clients are saying and their testimonials and their success stories. I know that sounds crazy that anyone could call themselves a coach, but the truth is, there are some people that are extremely qualified based on their own experiences and their own life, as well as working with other people.

Now, let's talk about some ways that coaching and counseling can overlap. Coaching and counseling can overlap in that they help you work through difficult situations. Coaching often focuses on the present and future rather than the past. Coaches can help people identify their goals and the obstacles they are currently facing. The overlap with coaching and therapy is that coaching involves guidance and support but also places a great deal of emphasis on accountability,

Now, here's where the difference lies. Majority of the time with counseling, they focus on past issues and what has caused you to get to where you are. So they look at childhood traumas and experiences, whereas coaching identifies where you're and what barriers are keeping you stuck or keeping you there. People will usually see a counselor because they have symptoms of a mental health disorder and they want to feel “better” and function more effectively.

Counselors will work with individuals with addictions, relationship concerns, trauma, mental health diagnosis, grief/ loss, and a many other day-to-day challenges and struggles. Coaches often work with people who are essentially healthy and functioning but desire to reach their full potential. Coaching almost always addresses an individual’s mindset and attitude by uncovering upper limit blocks, self-imposed limiting beliefs and negative self-talk. With that said many of my clients when I worked as counselor often sought out coaches to compliment the work I was doing. I also have a few clients now that in addition to working with coaches they will also hire a therapist as well. 

What I love specifically about coaching is there is extra support usually set up for additional accountability.

Some people believe that with counseling and coaching that they both can take the same amount of time. With counseling, a lot of times you're going in and you're expressing where you’re at and it becomes almost like talk therapy. Some counselors work hard to create actionable plans aligned with your goals and I think this is imperative. Whereas with coaching, they are solution focused. So you may come in with a limiting belief that is blocking a certain level of success you would like to attain. With coaching there are steps, support and accountability to essentially help you get out of your own way.  With coaching the coach is asking powerful questions to essentially help you uncover the answers you already have inside of you and building you up to feel confident enough to fully trust yourself.

Another difference between coaching and therapy is coaching explores future opportunities, whereas counseling focuses on cognitive behavioral coping strategies to help you process different traumas or experiences. Another similarity, but also same time of difference is that with coaching and counseling, you can determine what your focus needs to be. So with coaching or with counseling based on your presenting concern you can find someone suited to support you with this. For example you may be bogged down with anxiety and you could find someone who specializes in anxiety. With coaching if you’re looking to overcome limiting beliefs to build a business of your dreams you could in turn hire a business coach.

Here's the thing. There's a lot of similarities and there's a lot of differences with coaching and with counseling. For me personally I worked as counselor for years and so the transition into coaching was really exciting for me. In addition I have experienced both from a consumer side. I have had counselors and I have worked with many coaches. Because of my experience in working in both arenas and being a client in both I know that there are pros and cons to each. My goal is to help to make you aware and informed so that you're making an informed decision about the kind of support that you need on your journey.

The best way to start this is to identify what you're really looking for in regards to support. Are you looking for someone to be in the trenches with you? Are you looking for someone to hold you accountable? Are you looking for someone just to listen to you? What are you looking for?

In summary, Both therapists and properly trained coaches can help individuals who want to make changes in their lives. When you identify that, then you can start to see where you're going to get the best support. You can start to see where you're going to struggle, where you'll need support, and most importantly, where you'll get the best support. Again, the point is not to choose for you. The point is to arm you with information so that you can start taking steps to get the support that you desire and deserve.

If you have any more questions, feel free to comment below and let me know.