Coaching vs. Therapy: Approaches and Responsibilities

Delineating Scope of Action

It is essential, when entering the world of coaching, to understand its differences with other disciplines that also seek the improvement of the individual, being psychological therapy one of the most relevant ones with which it is often confused.

Although both share the general objective of helping people, their approaches, methodologies and areas of application differ significantly.

Drawing these distinctions is crucial for both the practitioner and the client, ensuring that the appropriate intervention is used according to the person's specific needs.

Coaching and therapy operate from different conceptual frameworks and address different issues.

Core Approach and Client Conception

The most notable difference lies in the focus of the intervention. Coaching is primarily focused on guiding people toward achieving their future goals and developing their potential.

It does not consider the client as someone "sick" or with a pathology that needs to be treated.

Instead, the therapy focuses specifically on psychological problems that are often labeled as pathologies or disorders.

Its main goal is to alleviate psychological distress, treat diagnosed conditions and, frequently, explore the past roots of present difficulties.

Coaching assumes that the client is functional and seeks to optimize performance or well-being, whereas therapy addresses significant psychological dysfunction or distress.

Competency Development and Accountability

Another key distinction is seen in how competencies and accountability are addressed.

In coaching, the premise is that the client (coachee) is the person responsible for developing his or her own competencies and finding solutions.

The coach acts as a facilitator, a guide who accompanies and provides tools, but the ultimate responsibility for the process and the results lies with the coachee.

In therapy, on the other hand, although client involvement is encouraged, competence development and problem solving are often conceived as a joint process between therapist and client.

The therapist may take a more directive role at certain times or propose interpretations and strategies based on his or her expert knowledge of the problem.

Goal Setting and Recognition of Achievement

Finally, goal setting and recognition of success also differ.

In coaching, the client takes full credit for achieving the goal he or she has set.

Goals are defined by the coachee (with the coach's help in clarifying them) and success is measured against his or her own achievement.

In therapy, while goals may be set, the therapeutic goal is often set or co-established by the therapist, based on the diagnosis and clinical needs.

The therapist plays an active role in guiding the client to reach that therapeutic goal, sharing in some way the responsibility for the treatment outcome.

Summary

Coaching focuses primarily on guiding people toward achieving future goals and developing their potential, assuming that the client is functional.

Therapy, on the other hand, focuses on psychological problems, treating pathologies and exploring the past roots of difficulties.

In coaching, the client is responsible for developing his or her own competencies and finding solutions; the coach is a facilitator. In therapy, the practitioner may have a more directive role, sharing responsibility for the outcome of the treatment.