Introduction
In the previous article to this one I described what I perceived to be the main differences between coaching and therapy. In this article I would like to identify the similarities between coaching and therapy and the things that lead coaching clients to experience their coaching to be most therapeutic.
Centred on personal development
This may seem like a very obvious thing to say but it is still worth mentioning that therapy and coaching both seek to develop the client and as such at the highest level of abstraction this is a huge similarity, but let’s probe a little deeper than this gross over-simplification.
Listening
A skilled coach will use therapeutic interventions such as listening at a very deep level. By deeply listening to their clients a coach increases their quality of presence. Very often coaching clients, especially the more senior leaders in the organisation never experience listening on such a deep level. This in itself is the one of the reasons why coaching clients feel a sense of relief and unburdening as they undergo a sort of catharsis or letting go of troubling emotions (see also catharsis below). For instance who can leaders speak to about their insecurities or what’s on their mind? Many of them have to present an image to the world that they want their followers to see or believe in. Working with an executive coach provides that much needed space where leaders are allowed to be real and to be totally accepted as they are. Facing and owning our inner demons has the effect of freeing up emotional energy for the important task of leading their team to success and victory.
Supporting
Other therapeutic interventions may include demonstrating support and complete acceptance of the coachee. Often coachee’s want to know that what they are going through is normal or not. A coach with a humanistic or Rogerian inclination will openly accept the client for who they are and the job of the coach may be to help the client fully and completely accept who they are – warts and all.
Building a working relationship or alliance
Research has shown that it is the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and client that accounts for most of the impact or change that occurs during the therapy. The same applies to coaching where building a healthy and effective relationship is important for the coaching to succeed, so in this regard the relationship between a coach and coachee may not be all that dissimilar to the therapist and their client.
Psychological based interventions
The practice of coaching draws on many of the different forms and models of psychology. The models of psychology employed by the coach will vary depending on their background, expertise and comfort with the various models. Exceptional coaches will use an integrative approach that may employ 2 or more of the following psychological models:
- Psychodynamic perspective
- Cognitive perspective
- Behavioural approach
- CBT combining (cognitive and behavioural)
- Person-centred approach
- Transpersonal (spiritual or out of self)
- Systems thinking
- Social psychology
- Sports psychology
- Philosophical approach (e.g Existentialism)
- Buddhist (mindfulness, acceptance and compassion therapy)
Challenging
Often, but not always, therapy can be about challenging the clients perspective on things (cognitive approach). The most effective and excellent coaching is very much about challenging our clients “world-view” and “self-view” with the intention of helping our coachee to rethink or extend their thinking beyond their current unresourceful thought pattern.
Explorative
The humanistic (person-centred or Rogerian) and Buddhist approaches seeks to help the client to explore themselves and to build a fuller awareness of their “strengths” and “weaknesses”. Again, exceptional coaching has building self-awareness as a cornerstone to personal development.
Catharsis
Many coaching clients report that their coaching has been extremely therapeutic. My reasoning for this is that the coaching is cathartic or releasing for the client helping them to transform what they might have labelled “negative” emotions such as anger, guilt, rage, sadness etc into more “positive” outcomes. As I said earlier the mere action of a coachee talking openly and honestly about their feelings is an extremely useful benefit of coaching as long as the coach and coachee are willing to “go there”.
In closing
So there are differences and similarities between coaching and therapy, but does this mean coaching is the same as therapy, well I think not. Having experienced both I know and feel how they are different but this is not always easy to communicate most effectively through the medium of the written word.
I hope that for those of you who have requested this comparison between coaching and therapy that you have found this to be most useful. If so please add your comments to our site. If you would like to request further information then please feel free to contact us. In the meantime I look forward to reading your comments.
Warm regards
Mark, May 2010
Post Details
Tags: business coaching, executive coaching, executive coaching article, executive stress, leadership coaching, leadership development, therapy and executive coaching