Coaching Vs Therapy
The International Coach Federation defines coaching as "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Coaching focuses on visioning, success, the present and moving toward the future."
Therapy helps to identify and diagnose psychopathology. The focus is on the past with an effort to understand the present. Work is done to develop skills to manage emotions.
Rather than managing emotions, a coach will help you to name the emotion. To look at it and to process what you are presently feeling. To allow the emotions to occur and then see what you desire to do with that emotion. Going through this process allows you to take the energy from the emotion and move it to what you desire in life.
I heard a story in training that helped me immensely, so I will share it with you here. Imagine that you wish to go on a road trip in your car.
You ask a consultant friend to help you get ready. The consultant will ask if you have your car manual in the glove box, and give you a list of supplies to pack such as a map, a spare tire, and all of the essentials to prepare for any outcome. They may check your tires for proper air and fill up your windshield waster fluid. All very helpful in ensuring a successful trip.
You then ask your therapist friend to give you their thoughts on your trip. They may ask you to get into the car and look in the rearview mirror. What do you see? How have car trips gone for you in the past? They may ask you to describe any incidents that have occurred and how that made you feel. They may want to know how comfortable you are driving so far and alone? They may teach you new ways to manage your anxiety while driving or talk you out of the drive if you are concerned. Again, all very helpful to make sure you have a successful trip.
Your coach friend then arrives and you ask their thoughts. They sit in the car with you and admire how prepared you are for your trip and how comfortable the seats are in the front. They then ask you where you would like to go? What do you want to do along the way? What would make you smile at the end of each day? How could you enjoy the trip even more? What is holding you back from anything you would like to do? What would you like to do when you arrive? And even more importantly, they offer to ride along with you.
What is Coaching?
The Co-Active Model
The model of coaching that I practice is the Co-Active Model. The main tenet of the model is that we hold all people as whole, creative and resourceful. You have the answers that you need. My job, as coach, is to ask questions and provide guidance that helps you to uncover those answers.
My training is through the Co-Active Training Institute.
"The Co-Active Professional Coach Training www.coactive.com series is widely recognized as the most rigorous professional coach training and certification program in the industry. As the largest and most established professional coach training organization in the world, CTI has trained over 65,000 coaches, including employees in more than a third of the Fortune 100 companies."