Coaches don’t “treat” mental health disorders.

  • Coaches are collaborators rather than psychological “experts.”
  • Therapists rely on psychological theory, etiology and treatment plans for wisdom while coaches look within the client for wisdom.
  • Therapy often asks, “Why?” and concerns itself with the client’s past; coaching often asks, “What?” and concerns itself more with the present and future.
  • Therapy seeks to single out and fix unresolved psychological issues; coaching is more concerned with thinking and behavioral patterns in the pursuit of greater fulfillment, dynamic balance and big goals.
  • Co-Active coaching focuses on the client’s whole life; traditional psychotherapy targets specific symptoms.
  • Traditional therapists withhold intuitive thoughts; coaches blurt intuitive thoughts.