New / prospective clients often wonder how coaching may differ from therapy. I get the question something like twice a month, so I thought it may be helpful to address it here.
I'm going to give you my take on it, with the caveat that different coaches have their own ideas about this topic, and mine simply reflect one man's view. Also, FYI, I've used therapy myself in the past -- many years, and received tremendous value from it. These days I work with a coach, but wouldn't hesitate to go back to therapy if / when needed.
My work is executive / leadership coaching. So I focus on issues that hinder and opportunities to accelerate my client's talent and contributions at work. I'm not a "life coach," of which there are many, and perhaps what THEY do resembles psychology, but I don't know because I don't do it, didn't study it during my coach training at Georgetown, and haven't worked with one.
Here's my own distinction: I see therapy as a deep probe into the what's and why's of your past in order to understand and work through issues of the present. The way I coach differs from that, as my work is all about the present going into the future: the pragmatic what's and how's (NOT the why's) of getting from Point A, where you are today, to Point B, where you would most like to be as a leader, executive, or entrepreneur at a specific time in the future, usually from six months to one year from the start of our work. That said, there is often a "collateral improvement" in other areas of my client's life, because the issues at work play out in other areas. When that happens, it's all good.
I hope that clarifies the question for those of you who may be interested.
David Peck
I'm going to give you my take on it, with the caveat that different coaches have their own ideas about this topic, and mine simply reflect one man's view. Also, FYI, I've used therapy myself in the past -- many years, and received tremendous value from it. These days I work with a coach, but wouldn't hesitate to go back to therapy if / when needed.
My work is executive / leadership coaching. So I focus on issues that hinder and opportunities to accelerate my client's talent and contributions at work. I'm not a "life coach," of which there are many, and perhaps what THEY do resembles psychology, but I don't know because I don't do it, didn't study it during my coach training at Georgetown, and haven't worked with one.
Here's my own distinction: I see therapy as a deep probe into the what's and why's of your past in order to understand and work through issues of the present. The way I coach differs from that, as my work is all about the present going into the future: the pragmatic what's and how's (NOT the why's) of getting from Point A, where you are today, to Point B, where you would most like to be as a leader, executive, or entrepreneur at a specific time in the future, usually from six months to one year from the start of our work. That said, there is often a "collateral improvement" in other areas of my client's life, because the issues at work play out in other areas. When that happens, it's all good.
I hope that clarifies the question for those of you who may be interested.
David Peck
