What’s the Difference Between Coaching and Counseling?
How are coaching and counseling different and how do I know which one is right for me?
Let’s first look at the official definitions of mental health counseling and coaching:
The American Counseling Association (ACA) defines counseling as a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as a partnership with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
These two definitions make the differences seem pretty subtle, don’t you think?
While every coach and therapist will have their own answer to the question of what distinguishes coaching from counseling, there are some generally agreed upon differences. In this article I share how I think about the differences between the two so you can make an informed decision for yourself about what type of support to seek. My perspective is that of an American who has worked as a licensed mental health counselor within the United States healthcare system and as a coach. The three areas I explore are:
1) The lens through which the client is seen,
2) The relationship/power dynamics between the client and coach or counselor, and
3) The goals for the work and temporal (i.e. past/present/future) focus of the sessions.
1) The lens through which the client is seen.
Typically when someone seeks out a counselor or therapist it is because they are struggling in some way and are experiencing some amount of distress. Counselors in the U.S. are trained to look for symptoms of psychological dysfunction and if they work with insurance companies are required to give the client a diagnosis from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) in order to justify the necessity of the counseling sessions. Even if a counselor doesn’t work with insurance, they are still trained to view the client through the lens of psychopathology, in other words, looking for what’s “wrong.” Typically the goal of counseling or therapy is to help the client return to a healthy state of functioning. If insurance is involved, as soon as the client is no longer exhibiting symptoms of mental illness therapy must be terminated because otherwise it can’t be justified as necessary and insurance won’t cover it.
Coaching on the other hand is an unlicensed profession with no title protection (anyone can call themselves a coach) which means that coaches work outside of the regulations of the health care system. Coaches are not allowed to diagnose, are not covered by insurance, and are not trained to view clients through the lens of psychopathology the way counselors are. There are obvious pros and cons to all of this. For example, coaches have a lot more freedom in how they work, they tend to use more empowering, strengths-based frameworks, but they also often lack adequate training in how to recognize and address symptoms of mental illness and trauma which can lead to some coaches getting in over their heads. Coaches are generally great at recognizing a client’s potential but may not have the same depth of understanding as a counselor might about what’s keeping the client from reaching it. Coaching is most appropriate for clients who are experiencing relative stability in their lives, are not in crisis, are able to meet their daily personal and professional responsibilities, and are motivated to make desired changes in their life.
2) The relationship/power dynamics between the client and the coach or counselor.
Power dynamics are inevitable but in general, there is less of an inherent power differential in the coaching relationship because the client (ideally) enters into coaching in a more empowered place in their life where they have a greater internal locus of control and are generally able to get their needs met. Although they are coming to a coach because they want help with some aspect of life, the coach and client are more likely to see each other as equals with perhaps different areas of expertise. Coaches may share more freely about their personal life and offer their own story as an example or inspiration for the client, whereas counselors typically keep self-disclosure to a minimum and attempt to remain somewhat of a “blank slate” for the client to project onto.
Counseling clients enter into the relationship with the counselor in a power-under position. The client is typically in a vulnerable place of experiencing distress and no longer able to cope sufficiently on their own. The licensed counselor is viewed as the authority/expert and holds considerably more power/responsibility (e.g. the counselor legally can/must hospitalize the client involuntarily if deemed necessary for safety reasons), although the client always has the ultimate power to discontinue therapy at any time. The power differential in the counseling context is not inherently bad, but must be ethically managed by the therapist to ensure the relationship remains therapeutic and beneficial to the client. Empowering the client to feel self-sufficient, in control of their own life, and no longer dependent on the counselor, are often goals of therapy.
3) The goals for the work and the Temporal focus of the sessions.
In general, the goals of counseling are focused on reducing symptoms of mental illness and psychological/behavioral dysfunction and helping the client return to a state of “mental health and wellness,” however that may be defined. Typically, that’s where counseling ends. Coaching, on the other hand, picks up where counseling left off to support clients in going further to “maximize their personal and professional potential.” I often hear it said that therapy sessions focus more on exploring the client’s past, while coaching focuses more on the client’s goals for the future.
There can also be a difference in who sets the goals. In therapy, the counselor typically elicits input from the client regarding the goals of therapy but the documented goals are likely to be centered around resolving symptoms and determined by other factors such as insurance. In coaching the client sets their own goals often with input from the coach. Some coaches take a very goal-directed and laser-focused approach and areas of life not related to the goals may not be discussed at all. Coaching is often more short-term (e.g. a predetermined number of sessions or months) while counseling can continue indefinitely as long as there is a need and justification for the client to continue.
Coaches are often warned to steer clear of the past out of fear that talking about the past will result in a boundary crossing into the realm of therapy. I think the validity of this concern stems from the lack of training many coaches have in dealing with trauma, but in my opinion making connections to, or talking about past experiences does not equal “doing therapy” and I think the IFS model, used skillfully, can even allow for trauma healing to occur while staying firmly within the bounds of coaching. I go in a lot more depth about my personal approach and style of coaching here.
how to know whether coaching or counseling is the right fit?
The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale can be a somewhat helpful and simple tool for gauging if coaching or counseling would be more appropriate. In my opinion, coaching is generally best for clients who rate themselves between 61 and 100 on the GAF scale while counseling is a better fit for clients in the 41 to 80 range (below 41 indicates a need for hospitalization or a higher level of care).
Equally important to finding the right type of support is finding the right person. Counselors and coaches are humans first and no two are the same; finding someone who you feel comfortable and “click” with can make all the difference. It’s okay to “shop around,” try people out, and ask lots of questions about their experience and qualifications. Whether it’s coaching or counseling, if it isn’t helping don’t assume it’s your fault, it’s more likely just not a good fit. For clients who are neurocomplex finding someone who “gets you” can be even more challenging but don’t lose hope! In the U.S., therapists are limited to working with clients who live in the state(s) they are licensed in but coaches can work with you regardless of where you live so if you haven’t find the right coach yet try broadening your search geographically.
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