Coaching versus Therapy – what’s the difference?
I am often asked ‘What are the differences between Coaching and Therapy?’
This table shows some of the similarities & distinctions between the two:
Health Coaching
Client
Works to enable clients to make positive changes in their in their lives and become more productive.
ses skillful conversation & behavioral
science to engage their clients actively and safely in health behavior change.
Is present/future focused
Not qualified to treat mental illness
Works with the conscious mind
Focused on actionable behaviors to improve health outcomes
Number of sessions are defined (often <20) with a specific end goal in mind
Client has the answers
Works primarily over video or phone
Follows a structured format, with client determining the agenda of each session
Not covered by insurance (coming)
Not all are professionally accredited (I am)
Therapy
Patient
Works to enable patients to make positive changes in their lives and become more productive
Uses skillful conversation & behavioral science to engage their patients actively and safely in mental healing and change.
Is present/past focused
Qualified to treat mental illness
Works with the sub-conscious and unconscious mind
Focused on processing unresolved past experiences and emotions
Number of sessions are open-ended with understanding & acceptance as its end goal
Therapist has the answers
Works primarily out of an office
Unstructured sessions that are guided by the patient as well as the type of therapy
Covered by insurance
Professionally accredited
Therapy is about uncovering and recovering, while coaching
is about discovering.
The decision to seek out a coach or a therapist is a very personal one indeed. Which should you choose? The answer is the one who will be most helpful for your specific needs at this point in time.
As a metaphor for a significant life change, it might be helpful to imagine yourself desiring to climb to Mount Everest base camp. For the majority of us, this would be an undertaking needing some kind of professional support and direction.
First question to ask yourself would be 'Where are you starting from?' Are you generally healthy or have some real health challenges? To continue with the metaphor, you might hire an expert Sherpa (coach)or a doctor (therapist), or possibly both. They are certainly not mutually exclusive! The one(s) you choose are there to help to you before, during and perhaps after you reach base camp.
The Sherpa (coach) will help you safely reach base camp with climbing strategy, monitoring your progress, accountability, encouraging words, and partnering with you to overcome obstacles along the way.
However, if you have some existing medical issues that maybe made worse by the exertion/altitude, no amount of great Sherpa-ing is going to get you beyond that. Having a doctor (therapist) by your side is the logical action to take to support you.
Said another way, a health and wellness coach does not replace the need for or supersede medical professionals – they fill in the support/accountability gaps within the medical field to help people take charge of their personal health.
What can I expect from health coaching?
Coaching resembles talk therapy, because the focus of the sessions is about you and what is happening currently in your personal life. But unlike talk therapy, the point of health coaching is to co-create an action plan or strategy that helps you change your behavior in some area of your life to optimize for a healthy outcome.
During the first or second session, your health coach will ask you to describe what is already going well for you healthwise and the healthy habits already in place to support that.
This is important to recognize not only because you already have momentum in that area, and to identify your unique personal strengths and talents, so as to build upon what is already working. This avenue of inquiry often leads to questions about what is truly meaningful to you, bringing the discussion around to what your ideal health and wellness looks like, and is often referred to as the vision session.
This desirable future vision gives you direction, helps to focus and inspires you to take action to create from it. From this clarity of direction, you will craft a number of long-term and short-term goals to help you achieve that vision.
A long-term goal (LTG) is something you want to achieve further in the future and requires time and planning. They are also specific and measurable. Long-term goals take at least 3 months or longer to achieve. An example of a LTG would be to reduce A1c by 1%. Each long-term goal will be broken down into smaller, attainable short-term goals which support the LTG. A short-term goal (STG) is something you can do soon. Soon can mean today, this week, or within the month. Your coach will guide you through the process of making your short-term goal SMART.
Why just one?
Ideally short-term goals should also be as specific as possible. The details really matter because confusion is the enemy of action. An example of a STG that supports the LTG mentioned above would be to incorporate at a minimum 30 minutes of purposeful movement daily, five out of seven days per week.
Once you have laid out your personalized plan to your best self, you will choose one short-term goal or action that you, the client, will experiment with trying out before the next session.
The more reps you put in, the faster the behavior becomes automatic.
Your coach will help you to identify the obstacles that might come up and have a backup plan in place. Additionally, you are likely to identify the people, environment and/or resources that can support you, as you move forward towards both the STG and LTG. Your coach is always there as a resource and to support you – they are in your corner, no matter if you complete the behavior or not.
Strengths and values matter
Finally, your coach will help you to identify your values and innate strengths. All our decisions and by association, actions, are affected by our values. Values are as critical as our innate strengths to achieving our goals. Anthony Robins, in his book titled ‘Awaken the Giant Within’ states that values guide our decisions whether we are aware of them or not, and, therefore, our destiny.
Humans enjoy things they are naturally strong at - they’re more likely to practice them, improve on them, and that enjoyment and feedback cycle results in motivation to keep practicing. Harnessing a strength when adopting a new behavior increases the chances that it will permanently stick.
You might be wondering 'What about the area's I'm not strong at?' We don’t ignore those area's; To the contrary, weak area's are approached without judgment as gaps in knowledge, skill, and training. We frame the gaps as “fields of opportunity” for cultivating new behaviors, ultimately yielding greater influence and positive impact on your goals.
My coaching is holistic in that it examines the larger picture of the client’s life too. Relationships and environment play a pivotal role in your efforts to achieve and maintain health goals - neither should go unexamined nor unaddressed.
I am eager to partner with you on your health journey. Let’s get started!