The 5 differences between the functions of the Coach and the Psychotherapist

The profiles of the psychotherapist and the coach are often confused, as if they were almost synonymous or even being different professionals, their work was almost the same. But the reality is that both types of professionals are in charge of problems and unsatisfied needs that have their own entity and their reason for being.

Therefore, in this article we will see what they are the differences between the functions of the coach and the psychotherapist, something necessary to avoid going to the professional that does not touch or to have a clear image about their functions and, based on that, decide what to train and specialize in.

• Related article: "The Coach Ethic"

The key differences between the roles of the coach and the psychotherapist

These are the main differences between the work of the coach and the psychotherapist, both theoretically and practically.

1. The coach's work emphasizes specific areas of life

In general, coaches specialize in specific aspects of people's day-to-day lives, such as starting a business. personal or professional project, a leadership process, the formation of departments, the creation of a correct organizational climate in a company etc

Instead, in psychotherapy it is more common to treat aspects of the person's day-to-day life that affect practically all aspects of their life, since they "infiltrate" their way of perceiving things and managing emotions.

2. The coach's work is always oriented towards the future, not towards the past.

Another difference between the functions of the coach and the functions of the psychotherapist is that the work of the former is focused on the future, towards the potential for improvement of the client's talents and skills. On the other hand, in the work of the psychotherapist it is usually more useful to collect enough information about the past of the patient, since this helps to understand his way of living from day to day and his issues.

3. The coach's work is more linked to professional projects

Although technically coaching is not limited to being applied in the business world, for sociological reasons it is very common. that a good part of the coaches dedicate most of their work to aspects such as the revitalization of teams and departments; support for opponents, creative profiles and professional athletes; the training in leadership skills for CEOs and senior executives; consulting work for companies, training for department managers and workers, etc.

On the other hand, the number of psychologists who are dedicated to this type of task are a minority, and the most common is that Your work is focused on psychotherapy processes and/or care for families and schools in the system educational.

• You may be interested in: "What is it that distinguishes the work of a coach?"

4. The coach and the client (not the patient) are at the same level

The coaching process is always a communicative exchange between equals., both in the sense that there is no hierarchy (rather, there is a division of roles), and in the sense that the coach is not equipped with much more scientific-technical knowledge than the customer. The coach does not know more, and in some senses, just the opposite occurs, he knows even less, since all the relevant information arises from the subjectivity of the person who hires his services.

On the other hand, the psychotherapist has been trained to have a priori much more knowledge than his patient in relation to the problems that can be treated in therapy sessions, since it works taking into account clinical categories described in manuals diagnoses.

5. The practice of coaching has more limits

Since coaches are not trained to delve into those problems that constitute a health problem mental health (for example, bipolar disorder or depression), their work has more limits than that of the psychotherapist. However, in practice, psychologists specializing in psychotherapy tend to focus their work primarily on helping people with mental health problems, although there are teams to support needs such as existential crises and dissatisfaction with personal development.

Do you want to train in the field of coaching?

If you want to incorporate the theoretical-practical principles of coaching into your work or directly become professional as a coach, the training programs of European School of Coaching they are perfect for you.

This is a center with more than 20 years of experience offering training, consultancy and interventions in the field of coaching; in it you have access to Programs for Certified Coaches, specializations for professionals and coaches, and certification programs that allow you to obtain a title as Executive Coach. You will find more information at the page of the European School of Coaching.