What about distance coaching?
Coaching work adapts easily to telephone and video conferencing. By keeping the scope narrow, there are fewer issues that may arise from working remotely with coaching clients than there are with psychotherapy clients. There may be some times where in-person check-ins may help facilitate the work, and, as with distance psychotherapy, if I have any concerns about my ability to effectively help you meet your coaching goals by utilizing distance sessions, we will discuss it and take appropriate action.
Coaching & Psychotherapy
Are coaching and psychotherapy the same thing?
No. While there are some similarities between coaching and psychotherapy, they are very different activities. Both coaching and psychotherapy utilize knowledge of human behavior, motivation and behavioral change and employ interactive counseling techniques, but there are major differences in the relationship, focus of the work, and level of professional responsibility.
Psychotherapy primarily focuses on the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of mental and nervous disorders. Since psychotherapy clients are expected to discuss very intimate personal information and feelings about themselves, the relationship with and responsibilities conferred upon the therapist are very different than that in coaching. The relationship between a coach and client is designed to be much more direct and challenging than in psychotherapy. The focus of the work is narrow, and the success of the enterprise depends on your willingness to take risks and try new approaches.
Psychotherapy primarily focuses on the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of mental and nervous disorders. Since psychotherapy clients are expected to discuss very intimate personal information and feelings about themselves, the relationship with and responsibilities conferred upon the therapist are very different than that in coaching. The relationship between a coach and client is designed to be much more direct and challenging than in psychotherapy. The focus of the work is narrow, and the success of the enterprise depends on your willingness to take risks and try new approaches.
Can I utilize your coaching services while also seeing you for psychotherapy?
The roles of coach and psychotherapist are often in potential conflict, and I believe that, under most circumstances, it is ethically inappropriate for one to play both roles with a client, whether concurrently or sequentially. Positive change is difficult enough without having to worry about role confusion. This means that if either of us recognizes that you have a problem that would benefit from psychotherapeutic intervention, I will refer you to appropriate resources rather than provide that help myself.
