The Difference Between Life Coaching & Counseling

Posted on 24 March 2007

I often have to explain the difference between coaching and counseling to clients and prospective clients. There are some subtle differences and some fundamental ones. Coaching tends to be less interested in the past than in the future and where the client wants to be when the process is finished. It is also less concerned my how clients feel than how they want to feel. That is not to say that a clients past experiences and feelings are not important just that they cannot be influenced and as such there is less value in working with them.

Another significant difference is that on the whole coaching doesn’t tend to cover as long a period of time. Now this is not always the case but generally speaking it is, I don’t usually see clients for more than 6 – 12 sessions and often a lot less than that. I do some maintenance coaching and even have a coach of my own but it is more for motivational and accountability reasons than trying to do any serious change work. In fact I would go as far as to say I want my clients in and out as quickly as possible and when they leave have them armed with all the tools they need to coach themselves moving forward.

I am not making an argument for or against either process, both have their value in the right circumstances but they are inherently different and if you are considering one over the other it is important to know why.

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