Coach or Therapist - What's the difference?
Posted on June 26, 2013 by Liz Keever, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Coaching and therapy are similar but not the same. Executive coaching is certainly very different with observable results as the key.
The question is often asked and the answer depends, of course, on the individual coach or therapist. I like to keep things simple:
A therapist focuses on why the client may respond in certain ways.
A coach helps the client determine how to respond in a productive way.
That is, indeed, very simple so to elaborate:
A therapist is:
- Licensed and holds a graduate degree
- Paid by the client
- Focused on root cause of behaviors
- Engaged without an agreed termination arrangement
A leadership coach is:
- Anyone who has the skills and passion for it
- Paid by the business
- Focused on actions for effective leadership
- Engaged with an agreed termination arrangement
Both processes seek to foster thinking on the part of the client by asking a lot of questions. The goal is to empower and enable the client to realize their potential — one step at a time.
The key difference is that a leadership coach is hired by the business to help drive results. If you work with a leadership coach, you can expect to be held accountable to take action and make observable changes. Change is what it’s all about and with a good coach, you’ve got an excellent guide along with you.
