Coaching V Therapy: Understanding the Difference

Understanding the difference between coaching and therapy is really important for you and your client for various reasons.

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Unfortunately, in today’s economy we are seeing more and more people offering a “coaching” service that inadvertently crosses the boundary into therapy. Most of the time this isn’t intentional, the intentions are good, however the consequences can be catastrophic to both practitioner and the client.

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Each practice serves a distinct purpose and are appropriate in specific contexts. Below are two simple definitions of “coaching” and “therapy.”

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Coaching

Coaching is primarily focused on helping individuals or groups set and achieve specific goals, enhance performance, and develop skills. It assumes that client is in good mental health and is functional and seeking to improve in certain areas of their lives, such as career, personal development, or leadership. It is focussed on the here and now.

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Therapy

Therapy, on the other hand, is focused on addressing psychological, emotional, mental health or relationship issues. It is designed to help individuals understand and cope with past trauma, manage mental health conditions, improve emotional well-being, and work through personal challenges.

Therapists are bound by specific professional and ethical standards, including training as a therapist, supervision, registration with a professional body and codes of conduct. Clients need to be aware of these standards to ensure they receive care from a qualified and regulated professional. Therapy regularly deals with the past, including child developmental issue, and unconsciously held defective belief systems.

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Here are a few reasons as to why crossing those boundaries can be harmful:

Ethical Concerns

Coaches have their own ethical guidelines and boundaries, which are distinct from those of therapists. Attempting to provide therapy without proper qualifications can lead to retraumatising a client. The first underpinning ethical point is, we do good and if we cannot at lease we avoid doing harm.

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Boundaries

When the contract is for coaching, even if the coach is also a qualified therapist, it is a breach of boundaries to cross from working as a coach, to providing therapy.

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Ineffective or Harmful Interventions

Coaching techniques are not designed for working with therapeutic issues. Coaching is not a ‘lite’ form of therapy, coaching is a complete discipline designed for specific interventions in the context of the coaching relationship.

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Misdiagnosis

Coach training does not provide in-depth tools to diagnose mental health disorders. Attempting to diagnose or treat mental health issues without the necessary qualifications can result in misdiagnosis and inappropriate interventions. Even if the coach is trained, to offer diagnosis crosses the contractual boundary for the coaching interventions. This is where referral to a therapist is essential.

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Legal Consequences

In some countries, practicing therapy without a proper license or qualification is illegal. In the UK this is not currently the case, however it will still be unethical and unprofessional under the regulations of your professional body. Crossing the boundary between one form of treatment and the other, in either direction, may lead to professional scrutiny or may even have legal consequences.

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Informed Consent

Clients have the right to make informed decisions about their treatment. If a coach or a therapist transitions from one discipline to another without proper disclosure and informed consent, there is high potential for confusion.

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Professional Reputation

A coach or therapist who oversteps boundaries may damage their professional reputation and credibility. Word of mouth about ineffective or inappropriate coaching practices can harm their career. It can also lead to intervention from your professional body.

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To avoid these dangers, it is crucial to maintain clear boundaries and refer clients to qualified therapists, coaches, or mental health professionals when issues that indicate a different form of contract from that agreed to become apparent.

Collaboration between coaches and therapists can be valuable when a client's needs span both areas, and this needs to be done in a coordinated professional, and ethical manner, with the client's fully involved and with their best interests in mind.

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If you’d like any help or support on this subject, or want to make comments, please contact me directly [email protected]

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#emotionalintelligence #emotionalassertiveness #communication

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