Therapy vs. Coaching or Counseling - what's the difference?
Coaches and counselors can be a number of things, depending where they are and what sort of training they have. Requirements vary from state to state in the US. In California, "a licensed therapist" is a term reserved for people who have certain kinds of degrees, e.g., an MFT, or Master's in Family Therapy, and who have completed 3000 or more clinical hours under supervision. The terms "Coach" and "Counselor" are not restricted in the same ways, and can be used by a wide variety of people in a wide variety of situations.
I am trained as both a coach and a counselor in several different modalities. I am NOT, however, a therapist. I make this clear to my clients. I can't take insurance, I can't offer official diagnoses, and I don't presume to treat serious mental illness. What I CAN do is listen extremely well, offer up suggestions based on both significant training and long experience, and guide my clients toward tools and practices that will help them to achieve better relationships with themselves, and their partner/s.
In general, a coach offers more pro-active advice or suggestions. They're often there to provide accountability, a listening ear, and be a cheerleader for someone wishing to make certain kinds of changes in their lives (e.g., quitting smoking, being more productive at work, or considering an open relationship). They're about practical results, and about what the client thinks and does. Coaching is often a short-term proposition, and it's often about improving people or situations that are functional but not necessarily optimal.
Therapists (and to a lesser degree "counselors"), on the other hand, do NOT offer advice, almost always turn the questions back on the client, and generally remain somewhat detached. Therapists are the sort of person someone goes to if they're having panic attacks, feeling deeply depressed, or looking to work through grief or trauma. They're about internal states, and how the client feels. Therapy is usually a long-term proposition, and is often about healing people or situations that are broken, ill, or dysfunctional.
The two things are not synonymous, and therefore no, they're not "equal" in the sense of being equivalent. However, sometimes what a client needs is the more proactive and possibly even "hands-on" (literally or figuratively) approach of a coach, rather than the more reflective and detached perspective of a therapist. If one wishes to get better at running, one might go to a sports coach. If one breaks a leg, however, one would go to an orthopedist, or other medical doctor. Both are about how well one runs, although their methods and aims are quite different. One profession is not inherently "better" than the other -- they are instead different, and serve different functions. The same is true for Life Coaches, as opposed to Therapists.
It's also important to remember that therapists with many years of training and several degrees can be unethical, bad, or incompetent. And that coaches with less or a different kind of training, and perhaps without academic degrees, can be ethical, excellent at what they do, and very competent. Training and competency are not necessarily the same thing, and a degree -- even from a prestigious institution -- does not guarantee a good fit between counselor and client, nor skill in dealing with every situation.
Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes, and it's always a good idea to do "due diligence" in ascertaining if a particular person has the training and experience, as well as the ethics, abilities, and attitudes that are a good fit for your individual needs.
I am trained as both a coach and a counselor in several different modalities. I am NOT, however, a therapist. I make this clear to my clients. I can't take insurance, I can't offer official diagnoses, and I don't presume to treat serious mental illness. What I CAN do is listen extremely well, offer up suggestions based on both significant training and long experience, and guide my clients toward tools and practices that will help them to achieve better relationships with themselves, and their partner/s.
In general, a coach offers more pro-active advice or suggestions. They're often there to provide accountability, a listening ear, and be a cheerleader for someone wishing to make certain kinds of changes in their lives (e.g., quitting smoking, being more productive at work, or considering an open relationship). They're about practical results, and about what the client thinks and does. Coaching is often a short-term proposition, and it's often about improving people or situations that are functional but not necessarily optimal.
Therapists (and to a lesser degree "counselors"), on the other hand, do NOT offer advice, almost always turn the questions back on the client, and generally remain somewhat detached. Therapists are the sort of person someone goes to if they're having panic attacks, feeling deeply depressed, or looking to work through grief or trauma. They're about internal states, and how the client feels. Therapy is usually a long-term proposition, and is often about healing people or situations that are broken, ill, or dysfunctional.
The two things are not synonymous, and therefore no, they're not "equal" in the sense of being equivalent. However, sometimes what a client needs is the more proactive and possibly even "hands-on" (literally or figuratively) approach of a coach, rather than the more reflective and detached perspective of a therapist. If one wishes to get better at running, one might go to a sports coach. If one breaks a leg, however, one would go to an orthopedist, or other medical doctor. Both are about how well one runs, although their methods and aims are quite different. One profession is not inherently "better" than the other -- they are instead different, and serve different functions. The same is true for Life Coaches, as opposed to Therapists.
It's also important to remember that therapists with many years of training and several degrees can be unethical, bad, or incompetent. And that coaches with less or a different kind of training, and perhaps without academic degrees, can be ethical, excellent at what they do, and very competent. Training and competency are not necessarily the same thing, and a degree -- even from a prestigious institution -- does not guarantee a good fit between counselor and client, nor skill in dealing with every situation.
Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes, and it's always a good idea to do "due diligence" in ascertaining if a particular person has the training and experience, as well as the ethics, abilities, and attitudes that are a good fit for your individual needs.
~♥ Dawn © 2011-2017, Dawn M. Davidson
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