Psychology and Coaching: Incompatible?

Are psychology and coaching two incompatible disciplines?

Throughout our lives we live experiences that make us want, and need, to live a process of change. Until a few years ago, the expert professional in accompanying you in this process was the psychologist or psychologist. However, today we live in a whirlwind of names, techniques and tools that more than help, confuse us.

What is the most suitable method? Is coaching a valid discipline, or nonsense? Is it compatible or incompatible with psychology?

In this article we are not only going to answer this question but delve deeper into what it really is. important to you: your well-being and personal development, overcoming the situation that you live and that you would like change. We will do it in depth, discovering what psychology and coaching really are, what the differences are, and how you can choose the best option for your personal change process.

My name is Rubén Camacho, and for 11 years I have been accompanying people as a psychologist (and coach) who want to achieve a practical, deep and stable personal change over time. You can find my job in Human Empowerment.

• Related article: "The 10 benefits of going to psychological therapy"

Beyond labels

Let's start at the beginning. In some life situations, human beings need to go through a process of change and personal development. However, the big key is that we cannot change the context... but the solution is in your own personal change, in develop aspects of yourself that make the problem more intense.

This has always been the work of the professional in Psychology. Psychology is a science and discipline with academic value and present in all Universities in the world. That is to say: what psychology applies has been previously contrasted and validated by the scientific method (in short, it works). Psychology has multiple applications: development, education, the social field, pathologies, the study of personality or intelligence... and yes, especially therapy or accompaniment to experience a process of profound change.

However, we cannot deny that Psychology, by focusing too much on the clinical or academic field, neglected this very basic work over the years. Hence coaching arose and later other disciplines of no empirical value filled that void and became wildly popular. But does coaching work? What is it? Is it a tool that can really help you or another empty word?

• You may be interested in: "Resilience: definition and 10 habits to enhance it"

The false differences between psychology and coaching

When coaching came about (there are also certain discrepancies about when it all happened) it was offered as a tool to accompany people in change processes by achieving objectives practical. The coach accompanied you in a clean way (without judgment or guidance), helping you discover what was wrong and how you could change it. But... Wasn't psychology already doing this?

Exactly. Everything that coaching offers is something that can be done from psychology. Why then does coaching arise? Because psychology ended up being an academic discipline that offered fewer and fewer practical resources to people in consultation.

The therapies were visualized as long and abstract processes. People wanted to make changes for their day-to-day difficulties. To try to differentiate itself, coaching was defined according to a number of differences from psychology... let's see them.

1. Psychology works with the past and coaching with the present and future... but this is flatly false

It is false that psychology only works with the past. Psychology works first of all with your current reality, with what happens to you, and helps you find solutions from your own personal change (that is, the same as coaching but with more academic and scientific evidence).

• Related article: "What to expect and what not to expect from psychological therapy"

2. In psychology they guide or advise you, the coach helps you discover it for yourself... again this is totally a lie

In psychology we never guide or advise. The nature of psychology is not directive. It is you who must discover it... But the psychologist helps you see the root problem in such a way that we cannot do it alone, hence the change is more profound and enriching.

3. Psychology works with the problem and coaching with the solution... totally uncertain

Clinical psychology works with pathological problems, but always contributes solutions, which are also fully proven tools of change.

• You may be interested in: "Personal Development: 5 reasons for self-reflection"

Incompatible or not?

So if these 3 usual differences are false... What is the real difference between psychology and coaching?

The only difference is that psychology is a broad science and discipline, with empirical value and that follows the scientific method, and coaching is only a practical tool. However, as we speak, it is true that psychology has neglected the practical part. Hence, coaching became so effective and popular.

Later, disaster struck: a thousand and one poor quality training courses emerged and hence the word coaching was distorted. Today there are even 2-month courses without any value.

So is psychology and coaching compatible? Completely. Psychology and coaching are not enemies, but coaching offers the professional in psychology more practical tools so that a process is effective and works from the beginning. A process of change must be practical and deep, constant and flexible, and above all the change that you experience must be stable, so that this change is part of you forever.

It is important then that they do not compete, but that psychology absorbs the coaching so that it is regularized and that whirlwind of training without quality also ends.

The most important thing is you, the person who needs to live a process. If you would like to do it in a practical way to feel better soon, but also deep and stable, in Human Empowerment you have an option to schedule an exploratory session with me. I wait for you there, and above all I send you a lot of encouragement... and of course, happy 2022!