How Is Coaching, Counseling, Psychotherapy Really Different?

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

I have wanted to write this article for a long time, because quite often I have to repeat to clients essentially basic, but necessary things. And in order to make it clear my vision of how coaching, counseling, psychotherapy differs. And also, to form a systemic understanding of the essence of these things, this article was written. It will be useful for both professionals and ordinary people. In it you will find a clear, unambiguous and practical understanding of how counseling, psychotherapy and coaching differ from my point of view. So let's go.

Boundaries of competence (coach, psychologist, psychotherapist):

Coach - leads a person in solving his problems, up to a certain agreed and set goal. Coaching implies conscious work (that is, work at the level of consciousness) and a sequence of steps that a person must complete independently, and the coach acts as a mentor and mentor.

Working with a coach has a foreseeable perspective and is aimed at achieving a specific result. The duration of work with a coach depends on the goal that the client sets for himself. Coaching can last for one coaching session if the task is not particularly difficult, or it can last for several months if the goals are more ambitious. As a result of working with a coach, the client not only achieves the set goal, but also learns the process of achieving the goals.

This format of work is great if the person does not have deep psychological problems. That is, a person came to solve the following problems:

1) rational planning (setting goals, drawing up an action plan);

2) Support and control of the execution of instructions;

3) Control and joint analysis of results.

In other words, coaching is a process aimed at realizing, formulating and achieving the true desired goals of a person, disclosing and realizing his personal potential.

Psychologist - improves the general psychological state, helps in developing conscious management of your emotional sphere (emotions, feelings, experiences). Here, the study of such emotions and experiences as: guilt, resentment, boredom, apathy, sadness, envy, helplessness, loneliness, shame, anger, disappointment, longing, abandonment, envy, pity, emotional constraint, unreasonable (irritability, anger, aggression, anger, hatred), fear of condemnation, inability to express feelings, inability to control them, groundless jealousy, unfounded fear or anger towards someone or something.

Also, the psychologist's area of competence includes communicating to a person his problems, an explanation (how a person's personality is arranged, according to what principles and rules the psyche works, why it reacts in one way or another) and assistance in solving these problems with a change in thinking and behavior in such a way that they would not arise anymore. There is also work with beliefs (about oneself of others and the world), correct (effective, supporting) suggestions and attitudes on a conscious level. Conscious work with the restructuring of the client's value system (that is, the psychologist explains why problems arise and what to do, so that these problems do not arise again).

Psychotherapist - works through deep problems. At this level, work is going on with his state of the inner child, the deep regions of the unconscious. Hypnosis, both classical, directive and Ericksonian, can be connected. There is an alignment and balancing of ego states (child, adult, parent) in order for independence to appear, it is necessary to lead a person into the depths of his own unconscious, help to realize the deep reasons and motives of his actions, actions, behavior, states and help a person solve his deep inside personal problems.

In addition to the above work with emotions, feelings, experiences. This involves work with more complex problems, such as the treatment of anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue and social phobia.

Summary:

1) The coach brings you to a specific goal;

2) The psychologist improves the general psychological state;

3) The psychotherapist solves deep problems.

I hope you now have a clear, systematic understanding of what coaching, counseling and psychotherapy are. It is important to understand that this is not the ultimate truth. Although, from my point of view, such a definition of concepts gives a clear, systematic understanding of who does what and what functions he performs. These functions can be performed by three people, or maybe by one person, here it already depends on the professionalism, depth and breadth of knowledge of a particular person.

From this view, it logically follows an understanding of what skills and competencies a specialist should have in order to solve certain problems and achieve the desired goals. Along the way, many questions are closed, who to choose? Will the specialist be able to solve the problem or not? Terms of work, etc.

That's all. Until next time. Sincerely Dmitry Poteev.