Coaching vs. Therapy
Life coaching is a relatively new profession; and if you ask five life coaches to define their work, you’re likely to get five different answers. At the same time, a common thread runs through our profession. Following are a number of resources I found useful in helping distinguish and define life coaching and psychology.
About life coaching: “The personal coach maintains a focus on the goals the client decides she or he would like to achieve. The collaborative effort propels the individual to continually move toward the goal. In coaching the assumption is that nothing is wrong with the client, but the client wants an even better life. In coaching the focus is on the client’s entire life including health, relationships, career, spirituality, etc., and how it all fits together.”
About psychotherapy: “In psychotherapy the assumption is that there is something wrong that gets in the way of a person’s functioning that needs fixing. In psychotherapy the main focus is on the client’s internal world.”
- By: Dr Edward A. Dreyfus, Los Angeles, CA. www.planetpsych.com/zTreatment/coach.htm#Author
This link gives more information about the author.
The following definition of psychotherapy is from the Mayo Clinic: “a general term for a process of treating mental and emotional disorders…” www.mayoclinic.com/health/psychotherapy/MY00186
Definition of life coaching: Coaching, whether for career or business, existential questions or relationships, begins with alignment. Coaches get you, your actions and thoughts, and your very lifestyle aligned with who you say you are or want to be. That is, we will get the way you live, think, act, and work integrated with the core values and goals you say you have. If you don’t know what your ultimate values and goals are, then we can coach you with that, too.ezinearticles.com/?What-in-the-World-is-Life-Coaching?&id=66521
From Ezinearticles website.
Definition of psychiatry: Study of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness.
www.answers.com/topic/psychiatry
Coaching is: “a relationship that enhances the client’s ability to get clear, to focus on learning, making changes, achieving desired objectives and experiencing fulfillment.”
The Association of Personal and Professional Coaches
