Coaching FAQ

What’s the difference between coaching and therapy?

It can be difficult to conceptually separate coaching from therapy because many of the issues addressed are similar. A good coach is trained to recognize when certain issues that a client brings into coaching are best handled by a professional therapist.

Coaching is a highly interactive process that draws upon and enhances an individual’s resourcefulness to bring about personal change. It is different from psychotherapy in that it is not mental health treatment, is not diagnostically oriented, and is less focused on an individual’s past. Personal coaching takes a more active and forward-looking view towards helping a client achieve their personal goals.

How do I know if coaching is for me?

Have you ever dreamed about having someone by your side who is dedicated to you? Did you ever think about how wonderful it would be to have someone who knows how to actively listen to YOUR concerns and desires and who can help you to understand yourself better and lead you towards a more rewarding life? Have you ever been stuck personally or professionally to the point of throwing your hands up in the air in complete frustration when you think about how much it’s going to take to free yourself from this negative thought process? If so, then coaching is for you! Why not let a professional coach help you to design a plan in which you have the opportunity of working together to provide you with the best chance of succeeding.

So how does personal coaching actually work?

Coaches employ any number of skills which are all brought to the benefit of each client. Some of the more important skills are listening, intuition, curiosity and action/learning.

Coaches actively listen to each client’s story and help to frame a client’s vision, values and purpose. A coach also listens for a client’s resistance, fears and internal saboteurs of our purpose - Gremlins!

Intuition is a kind of “knowing” that can be experienced as a hunch, a gut feel or even just a thought and is a valuable tool that coaches bring to the benefit of the client.

Curiosity is key to what a personal coach does. One of the tenets of coaching is that clients are capable and resourceful and have the answers. One of the key elements in a coaching relationship is the asking of questions. Curiosity in the coaching relationship is inviting, expansive and playful, which makes it extraordinarily powerful! Side by side, a coach will help each client explore those areas which have been hard to explore alone. Clients can begin to reexamine parts of their lives that have been difficult to look at, and do so within the framework of a fully supportive coaching relationship.

Action and learning are the ultimate goals in a coaching relationship. By taking action and the subsequent learning from each new step taken, a client begins to gain confidence and to realize their potential, which creates a whole new foundation upon which further action and learning can take place. As a client gains confidence, a personal coach will encourage the client to take a bigger role in shaping their own future and the realization of their goals.