The 5 Differences Between The Functions Of The Coach And The Psychotherapist
The profiles of the psychotherapist and the coach are often confused, as if they were almost synonymous or even though they are different professionals, their work was almost the same. But the reality is that both types of professionals deal with problems and unmet needs that have their own entity and their reason for being.
Therefore, in this article we will see what they are the differences between the functions of the coach and the psychotherapist something necessary to avoid going to the wrong professional or to have a clear image about their functions and, from that, decide what to train and specialize in.
The key differences between the functions of the coach and the psychotherapist
These are the main differences between the work of the coach and the psychotherapist, both theoretically and practically.
1. The coach’s work emphasizes specific areas of life
In general, coaches specialize in specific aspects of people’s daily lives, such as the undertaking of a personal or professional project, a leadership process, the formation of departments, the creation of a correct organizational climate in a company. company, etc.
Instead, In psychotherapy it is more common to treat aspects of the person’s daily life that affect practically all aspects of their life since they “infiltrate” their way of perceiving things and managing emotions.
2. The coach’s work is always oriented towards the future, not towards the past
Another difference between the anointings of the coach and the functions of the psychotherapist is that the work of the former is focused on the future, towards the potential for improvement of the client’s talents and skills On the other hand, in the psychotherapist’s work it is usually more useful to collect a lot of information about the patient’s past, since this helps to understand their way of living day to day and their problems.
3. The coach’s work is more linked to professional projects
Although technically coaching is not limited to being applied in the business world, for sociological reasons it is very common for many coaches to dedicate most of their work to aspects such as energizing teams and departments; support for opponents, creative profiles and professional athletes; training in leadership skills for CEOs and senior executives; consulting work for companies, training for department directors and workers, etc.
On the other hand, the number of psychologists who dedicate themselves to this type of tasks is a minority, and the most common thing is that their work focuses on psychotherapy processes and/or attention to families and schools in the educational system.
4. The coach and the client (not the patient) are at the same level
The coaching process is always a communicative exchange between equals, both in the sense that there is no hierarchy (rather, there is division of roles), and in the sense that the coach is not equipped with much more scientific-technical knowledge than the client. The coach does not know more, and in some senses, just the opposite happens, he knows even less, since all the relevant information arises from the subjectivity of the person who hires his services.
On the other hand, the psychotherapist has been trained to have a priori much more knowledge than his patient regarding the problems that can be treated in therapy sessions, since he works taking into account clinical categories described in diagnostic manuals.
5. The practice of coaching has more limits
Since coaches are not trained to delve into those problems that constitute a mental health problem (for example, bipolar disorder or depression), their work has more limits than that of a psychotherapist. However, in practice, Psychologists specialized in psychotherapy tend to focus their work primarily on helping people with mental health problems although they are equipped to provide support for needs such as existential crises and dissatisfaction with personal development.
Do you want to train in the field of coaching?
If you want to incorporate the theoretical-practical principles of coaching into your work or you directly want to become a professional coach, the training programs of European Coaching School They are perfect for you.
This is a center with more than 20 years of experience offering training, consulting and interventions in the field of coaching; In it you have access to Programs for Certified Coaches, specializations for professionals and coaches, and certification programs that allow you to obtain a title as an Executive Coach. You will find more information on the European Coaching School page.
