What is the difference between life coaching, therapy and counselling?
There are three fundamental and very distinctive differences between these.
Firstly, as a life coach you are primarily focused on personal development - the current situation and future plans, whereas therapises and counsellors primarily focus on personal recovery - seeking out and treating past experiences that are impacting the now.
Secondly, life coaching is an holistic practise, integrating all aspects of your client's life. Therapists and counsellors at times tend to focus on specific issues.
Finally, coaches are focused on people's individual wants and needs, not on what is always considered appropriate, proper or normal.
What is the difference between coaching, mentoring and consultancy?
A good example of a mentor is the tradesman / apprentice relationship, where the experienced craftsman trains a youth in a specific trade. Mentors are skilled in specific areas and use their own experience to provide answers.
While a coach's role is mainly to support the client to discover their own answers
and solutions, in some circumstances and situations a coach can be in a position to offer a mentoring aspect within the support they provide.
Consultants are normally engaged to give a specific recommendation on what you should do.
What is executive and business coaching?
This is an example of the flexibility of life coaching. Once qualified as a life coach, you can build on your existing skills and specialise in business and niche environments. These have more of an emphasis on the workplace and their effectiveness within that environment, however the benefits tend to extend to all areas of life.
