Understanding The Differences Between Psychology And Coaching
From my point of view, there is an absurd “battle” between the world of coaching and psychology. Some argue that others invade their land, and vice versa. I cannot understand this ridiculous confrontation, since we both share the same goal: to truly help others.
I have deep respect for both competent psychologists and trained coaches. However, I do not have as much respect for those coaches or psychologists who believe they can provide real help simply by doing superficial, manual-based work.
Therefore, answering the question posed is not an easy task and will depend largely on how the words are interpreted. There are various modalities of coaching and psychology, and grouping them all under the same umbrella only serves to distance us from the truth.
Both professional coaches and professional psychologists carry out psychological work with their clients or patients After all, they work mainly with their minds. The disparities lie in the casuistry and the tools used.
There are many coaches who complete their training in psychology, and also numerous psychologists who train in some type of coaching, with the purpose of expanding their spectrum of casuistry, skills and tools. This demonstrates that They are highly complementary disciplines due to their numerous similarities.
The first difference: Casuistry
A concept that clearly distinguishes the first disparity between these two disciplines is the concept of ‘healing’. Curing mentally ‘ill’ people clearly belongs to the realm of psychologists. A coach has not been trained to cure psychological pathologies. Therefore, in coaching we always maintain that the person we work with must be ‘coachable’ and, to do so, must be mentally ‘healthy’
Now, why do I write the words ‘sick’ and ‘healthy’ in quotes? Do you know any person who is completely ‘healthy’ mentally and emotionally speaking? I certainly don’t. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to speak in relative terms.
If a person wants to overcome a childhood trauma, it would be wise to seek help from a psychologist. And if this person goes to a coach asking for help to overcome their trauma, said coach would do well to recommend that they seek the help of a psychologist.
However, if a person is struggling to build the life they want due to their fears and low self-esteem, they can work perfectly with a good coach, even if those challenges come from childhood trauma. They will not be ‘healing’ that trauma, but rather building a promising future despite a painful past. Therefore, sufficiently ‘mentally healthy’ people will be able to work with either a psychologist or a coach, depending on their personal preference and specific needs.
But those who are not mentally ‘healthy’ enough should go to a psychologist and not a coach.
Second difference: Tools
As I mentioned before, it doesn’t make sense to generalize all psychologists or all coaches. A psychoanalyst does not work in the same way as a behavioral or humanistic psychologist.
In the same way, a superficial business coach does not work the same as a deep transpersonal coach.
However, there is a fundamental difference that helps us understand why the tools essentially differ. A coach never makes diagnoses He doesn’t because his approach is not curative. If there is nothing to cure, there is nothing to diagnose.
Personally, one of the things I appreciate most about transpersonal coaching is that it never labels anything. The uniqueness of each person is worked on, which makes them unique and unrepeatable, both in their personality and in their current circumstances, past memories and future aspirations. The client’s transformation emerges from his or her own work, in the direction he or she desires and with the speed of progress he or she decides.
Transpersonal coaches are excellent catalysts for the deep will of their clients’ Being. And the Being cannot be diagnosed or labeled. Therefore, a true coach does not give advice, does not dictate actions, does not impose routines or guidelines, does not prescribe diets or meditations. Instead, many ideas will arise in your mind about what would be beneficial for your client, but it will be wise to remain silent and allow each person to discover their own truth.
After all, who am I to know what is best for you? Often I don’t even know what is best for me. But with the tools of transpersonal coaching, I will help you explore within yourself, where you have not yet looked or have not dared to look, to find the transformative answer you seek. And if you find it inside you, it is because it has always been there. It certainly wasn’t me who put it there. You always carried it with you, but perhaps you were not aware of it until now.
All authentic help work, both psychological and coaching, must, in my opinion, foster people’s self-awareness and their responsibility for their own will.
But the tools will be different depending on whether the concept of ‘cure’ and its consequent ‘diagnose’ is applied or not.
Is it necessary to learn psychology to be a coach?
To be an excellent professional coach, you don’t need prior training at all. It is not essential to have studied psychology, sociology or any other similar discipline. What is really required is a willingness to learn, explore your inner self, and tap into your desire to help others. Through training in a recognized school that teaches deep and transformative coaching, with a methodology that truly converts your knowledge into wisdom, you will be able to do magnificent work of lasting help, so necessary in our world.
Contact Innerkey and we will tell you in detail about all our programs and specialties to be able to train you professionally as a transpersonal, executive and/or team coach.
